The Dyrt – find campgrounds for tents, RVs, cabins, glamping and more.
Open in App

Best Tent Camping near Edgar Springs, MO

431 Reviews

The Ozark National Scenic Riverway and Mark Twain National Forest offer numerous tent camping options within 30 miles of Edgar Springs, Missouri. Primitive tent camping areas include Brazil Creek in Mark Twain National Forest, featuring basic sites with fire rings but minimal amenities, and Courtois Creek Dispersed camping, which provides creekside tent sites. Established tent campgrounds include Anutty Farm with 10 tent sites and Misfit Acres with 20 walk-in tent sites, both offering drinking water and allowing fires.

Road conditions vary significantly when accessing backcountry tent camping areas near Edgar Springs. Brazil Creek requires physical maps as cell service is nonexistent, making navigation challenging without preparation. Courtois Creek access roads can be difficult for standard vehicles, with one camper noting the road is "more like an ATV trail" with washouts that challenged even all-wheel drive vehicles. Most primitive tent sites feature dirt or gravel surfaces with minimal grading. Vault toilets are available at some locations like Cedar Grove and Loggers Lake, but many backcountry tent sites have no facilities, requiring campers to bring portable toilets or practice Leave No Trace principles.

Tent campers frequently mention the solitude and natural beauty as primary attractions. According to reviews, Brazil Creek provides "privacy and quiet" with access to "crystal clear streams just deep enough to dangle tired legs in." Loggers Lake Recreation Area, about 7 miles west of Bunker, offers spring-fed lake access with maintained restrooms and a water spigot near the facilities. Cedar Grove provides scenic remote areas for wading and trout fishing, though campers note the primitive conditions require walking "up a large hill to get to the porta potty." Weekday visits typically ensure quieter experiences, as one camper observed that riverfront sites remain "very quiet and lightly used on weekdays but can get busy on Friday and Saturday nights."

Map showing campgrounds near Edgar Springs, MissouriExplore the Map

Best Tent Sites Near Edgar Springs, Missouri (16)

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 16 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Presented byToyota Trucks

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Edgar Springs Contest

Enter to Win

Recent Tent Camping Photos near Edgar Springs, MO

5 Photos of 16 Edgar Springs Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Edgar Springs, MO

431 Reviews of 16 Edgar Springs Campgrounds

  • Marissa H.
    Aug. 11, 2020

    Timbuktu Campground — Echo Bluff State Park

    Wonderful Swimming Hole

    This is a really nice spot for tent camping - even though it’s clearly geared towards RV camping. Make sure to book a walk-in campsite if you’re tent camping, otherwise you’ll be in the lot with the RVs (no trees, no privacy etc see first picture). You’ll have to carry your gear to your site, but not too far. Each walk in site is fairly isolated and separate from the other site by trees. Each site has a wood tent pad, picnic table, and fire ring with grate. If you want you could even go to the lodge (walking distance) for a meal and skip the cooking! Book your spot in advance as it seems like they fill up quickly.

  • b
    Aug. 31, 2021

    Mark Twain National Forest Loggers Lake Recreation Area

    WPA beauty!

    Loggers Lake, in the Mark Twain National Forest, is about 7 miles west of Bunker, Mo. Spring fed lake, no electric or water campsites. There is a maintained M/F restroom on the site, and a water spigot close to the restroom. All sites have a fire ring and a picnic table. GORGEOUS!

  • Staci R.
    Oct. 24, 2017

    Brazil Creek

    No man's land

    No cell signal, and as the other reviewer has said, have your map to get there, because it's easy if you do. Your phone will not get you there. Beautiful clear water creek runs directly behind this "pull off" campground. There is only one actual fire ring & picnic table, but folks have built other rock fire rings dispersed throughout the campground. Just off a main trail to Meramac river and horse and hiking trails. No water, amenities (not even a vault toilet) or cell service.

  • Kelsie L.
    Sep. 18, 2020

    Loggers Lake Campground

    Nice camping right on the lake

    Loggers Lake campground runs along the 22 acre Loggers Lake near Bunker, MO in the Mark Twain National Forest.

    Be prepared for a decent amount of driving on gravel county roads. The route from bunker itself has a bit less while the route to Salem is longer on gravel with a handful of water crossings.

    There are 14 sites which all have parking, picnic table, and fire ring. Most have lantern poles. Most back right up to the lake. Most have back in parking which can accommodate a vehicle with trailer. The first few sites have split parking, which can house your trailer in one spot and vehicle next to it, but not long enough to back in without disconnecting. At the beginning of the campground there is a swimming area with picnic tables, grills, and a vault toilet. After this, there are the sites mentioned above with split parking. Tent sites and tables are down a hill from the parking spots here. There is a small fork with a parking lot and a handful of sites - while we were here there was an RV in this area. I believe this would be the only place a full RV could park in the campground. Finally is the main campground loop. There is another vault toilet at the beginning of the loop. Both vault toilets were relatively clean. One had air fresheners in it. There is water access near the vault toilet. On the loop, all exterior sites back up to the lake. There are two sites on the center of the loop which would be very nice for a large group. The lake itself is beautiful and easy to access. There is a boat ramp at the campground loop and a spot at almost every site to put in a kayak or canoe.

    There is a 1.5 mile trail along the lake which begins at the campground loop. There is a spur to the spillway. The trail does not seem to be very heavily traveled, expect to walk through brush and spider webs!

  • A
    Nov. 4, 2024

    Alley Spring Campground — Ozark National Scenic Riverway

    Small sites with little privacy - campground fine, but not great

    I'd seen a lot of great reviews for this campground, so I had high expectations when we arrived for a night in early November. We reserved a spot in the 900 loop, just to be safe - a few of the camping loops allow reservations, and the rest are walk in. The loop was very open, spaces all fully visible to each other. The bathrooms were locked for the season after 10/15. 

    Since things were pretty empty, we moved to the 500 loop, which was more tree covered, near the river, and next to the shower house, which was the one park bath open for the winter. Bathrooms and showers were clean, though no camp host was present the night we stayed. 

    We were the only people on the 500 loop, so it was fine, but again - sites VERY close together. Some picnic tables were less than 20 feet apart. The 600 loop was the only heavily occupied loop when were there, filled with campers, presumably because of the electric access. 

    This is a NPS campground, so its amenities tend to be fewer than many MO state parks. I have other parks in this area that have more scenic and private tent camping. Just on the other side of the river is the Alley spring and mill, which are lovely - and ironically, some of the picnic sites are more spacious than these tent sites. I wish we could camp on that side!

  • Hannah W.
    Apr. 2, 2019

    Berryman Trail & Campgrounds - Mark Twain National Forest

    No fees, no water, plenty of beauty and space

    This 8 site campground has well kept vault toilets and no other services, but is fee-less to match. There is a pavilion near the access points to the Berryman and Ozark trails. We camped the night before heading out on a one night backpacking trip on the Berryman and were pleasantly surprised - it had rained the past 2 days and just finished when we arrived, but the ground was not soggy at the campsite or really much on the trail at all. The sites are well spaced apart, short pads so we saw one couple park their camper on one and their truck on another (the sites were not anywhere near full). Downside to that was, they ran their loud generator all night. However the experience overall was a positive one, with friendly neighbors but plenty of distance between so we didn't cross paths or hear each other's conversations unless we wanted to, a nice fire ring - check before selecting a site as ours was missing a grate; we didn't need one anyhow, a sturdy picnic table and plenty of down wood around to collect for a fire. We will be back!!

  • D
    May. 18, 2022

    Brazil Creek

    Great free camping spot

    Stayed here a few nights in May. This camp site is along the berryman trail so you can stay here if youre backpacking said trail. There is only one table and one metal fire ring but people have made various fire rings out of rocks and there is plenty of room for a lot of people. The camp is right by the creek which is ice cold and good for sticking sore feet in :). There are also a few fish in there. In recent years they put in a single vaulted bathroom but thats it! No showers or drinking water if you cant filter the stream water. They also have several hitching posts for horses here since you can ride horses on berryman trail. I have at&t and ive been getting 1 to 3 bars. But the other person im camping withuisnt grtting anything with their provider. Over all I think its a great little spot if youre ok with no electricity, light or just wanna get away from it all for a while.

  • Sean A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 31, 2023

    Berryman Trail & Campgrounds - Mark Twain National Forest

    Great for the location, was crowded

    If you're wanting a ton of privacy, this campground isn't for you. In a great location, especially if you're coming from the north and this is an overnight stop before you head farther south. Did a short walk on some of the trails for hiking/biking/riding and they seemed great. Well kept area with a fire ring and table, vault toilets but no water. Would recommend.

    (Review is based on trip in Oct. 2021, could of changed at this time)

  • Josh C.
    May. 20, 2019

    Paddy Creek Recreation Area

    Great for solitude

    $5 recommendation donation for the night. Stayed at this campground as a halfway point hiking the Big Piney Trail loop. Typical primitive campground with toilets, bear-proof trash cans, and camp sites with fire rings and picnic tables, but not much else. Didn’t see any water faucets near our site.

Guide to Edgar Springs

Tent camping opportunities near Edgar Springs, Missouri extend beyond the Ozark National Scenic Riverway, reaching into surrounding counties with varying terrain and water features. The area receives approximately 44 inches of annual rainfall, creating lush woodland environments at elevations ranging from 900-1,200 feet. Winter camping remains viable with average January lows of 20°F, while summer temperatures typically reach 90°F with moderate humidity.

What to do

Swimming at deep holes: Rymers Backcountry Camping features a popular swimming area with notable rock formations. As camper Glen T. notes, "A nice place to just get away, a great swimming hole and beautiful scenery with nice tall cliffs it has a couple big rocks out in the water you can swim to and jump off of."

Fly fishing opportunities: The clear streams throughout the region provide excellent fishing conditions. At Loggers Lake Recreation Area, the spring-fed lake supports diverse aquatic species. Brett K. describes it as a "WPA beauty" with "no electric or water campsites" but featuring "a maintained M/F restroom on the site, and a water spigot close to the restroom."

Backpacking connection points: Brazil Creek serves as an access point for longer hikes. According to reviewer DiveSyke, "This camp site is along the berryman trail so you can stay here if youre backpacking said trail... The camp is right by the creek which is ice cold and good for sticking sore feet in."

What campers like

Complete disconnection: The remote locations offer genuine off-grid experiences. Staci R. reports about Brazil Creek: "No cell signal, and as the other reviewer has said, have your map to get there, because it's easy if you do. Your phone will not get you there. Beautiful clear water creek runs directly behind this 'pull off' campground."

Weekday solitude: Paydown Access provides peaceful camping during off-peak times. Charlotte B. shares, "Camped here in early March. Beautiful, very secluded, and we were the only ones there. The police drove by around 11 pm which had us wondering if some people hang out and party there on occasion."

Natural swimming holes: Several campgrounds feature creek access for cooling off. At Courtois Creek Dispersed, Pat F. describes it as "Very scenic and beautiful right on the river" and another reviewer mentions the water quality: "The water is amazing. Great for fly fishing and cast fishing."

What you should know

Navigation challenges: Cell service is unreliable throughout the region. For Brazil Creek, Steven H. advises, "Just make sure you look at a map before going there as there is absolutely no reception (I checked phones on Verizon and Sprint)."

Road quality varies significantly: Some access roads require high-clearance vehicles. Nicholas H. warns about Courtois Creek: "The road to get there isn't a road so much as a ATV trail. All wheel drive and it was too hard on my Subaru. Mostly washed out."

Bathroom facilities are limited: Most sites offer minimal amenities. At Cedar Grove/Dee Murray Backcountry Camping, Lisa S. mentions the primitive conditions: "Campground is very primitive you have to walk up a large Hill to get to the porta potty and is sometimes noisy with all the floaters but all in all a great place to go."

Tips for camping with families

Bring multiple water containers: Most primitive sites lack potable water sources. At Loggers Lake, while there is "a water spigot close to the restroom," you'll need containers to transport water back to your site.

Pack extra lighting: The remote location means exceptional darkness. At Brazil Creek, there are "no facilities, no water, no bathroom, no lights," according to Steven H., making flashlights and lanterns essential.

Consider off-season visits: Rymers Backcountry Camping offers more family-friendly experiences during quieter periods. Lula L. notes, "in October after closing can be solo camping. Long beautiful drive in, narrow road would not recommend for motorhome over 20' or any large camper as there is no backing up or turn arounds."

Tips from RVers

Site leveling challenges: Most tent camping areas have uneven surfaces. At Akers Group Campground, Aimee T. appreciates that "group site three which is HUGE, and nice and level. There's a great big fire ring and lots of wood available for gathering."

Limited accessibility for larger vehicles: Roads to the best tent camping near Edgar Springs, Missouri often restrict vehicle size. Regarding Rymers, one camper notes the "narrow road would not recommend for motorhome over 20' or any large camper as there is no backing up or turn arounds."

Consider generator-free camping: The emphasis on natural quiet means generators may disrupt other campers. Brazil Creek offers what Shelly S. calls "privacy and quiet" making it "an ideal spot to base your adventuring out of" with "primitive horse sites in your own little haven in the woods."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Edgar Springs, MO?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Edgar Springs, MO is Anutty Farm with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Edgar Springs, MO?

TheDyrt.com has all 16 tent camping locations near Edgar Springs, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.

Keep Exploring