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Best Tent Camping near Excelsior Springs, MO

393 Reviews

Tent campsites around Excelsior Springs, Missouri include several primitive options with varying amenities and landscapes. Hamilton City Lake offers free tent camping with peaceful lakeside sites and good fishing opportunities, while Bonanza Conservation Area provides basic camping on a gravelly parking area. Agency Conservation Area features a small gravel pullout for tent camping but limited designated spaces beyond the main area.

Most tent camping sites near Excelsior Springs are primitive with minimal facilities. Hamilton City Lake has no formal amenities but provides good shade from numerous trees and direct lake access for fishing. Bonanza Conservation Area requires campers to stay in designated areas, with one visitor noting, "It is against their rules to camp anywhere but on a gravelly parking lot." Some conservation areas have specific operational hours, as Agency Conservation Area reportedly closes between 10 pm and 4 am. Visitors should bring all necessary supplies including water, as drinking water is unavailable at most sites.

Tent campers at Hamilton City Lake enjoy a quiet setting with good fishing opportunities directly from their campsite. According to one visitor, "We were able to fish right from our spot and caught some bluegill and a big crappie." The site offers tree coverage for shade and typically sees few other campers, though some road noise from nearby Highway 36 may be audible. Bonanza Conservation Area provides a more rustic experience with a lake for fishing, though several reviewers mentioned concerns about safety during hunting season. For those seeking more amenities, Honey Grove Campground offers tent sites with water, electric hookups, toilets, and showers, though it's not a free option like the conservation areas. The tent camping landscape varies significantly across these locations, from parking lot-style primitive setups to more traditional campsites with basic facilities.

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Best Tent Sites Near Excelsior Springs, Missouri (6)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Excelsior Springs, MO

5 Photos of 6 Excelsior Springs Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Excelsior Springs, MO

393 Reviews of 6 Excelsior Springs Campgrounds

  • Sarah H.
    Sep. 18, 2016

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Popular Park Tucked Away In The Hills

    My husband and I tent camped overnight at Wallace State Park. Woodsy tent camping sites were spacious and private. Large camping pads are lined with wood chips and are comfortable enough to sleep on without an air mattress. Covered picnic tables have an extra shelf for storage convenience. Even after setting up the tent and camping chairs there was still enough room for lawn games or for little ones to run around.

    Wildlife was abundant in the evening. We saw many deer, frogs and squirrels. At dark, nature sounds were unbelievable with songs of bullfrogs, owls, and flying creatures of all sorts. Be sure to bring bug repellant.

    Campground 1 had clean vault toilets, but the bath house near Campground 2 was even better. Showers were clean and in their own stalls with locking doors, shelves and ample hooks. The water got nice and hot and the shower heads were even and held good pressure. This bath house was seriously the best one we have ever visited and we have used dozens.

    For entertainment, there was a bustling playground, winding nature trails, horseshoes, lake swimming, and fishing. There was also a well kept laundry house with a dishwashing sink attached. Campground hosts and park rangers were friendly and busy keeping the park in great shape. Overall, this is a really nice place to camp!

    Gear Review: Lighthouse 250 Lantern and USB Power Hub We decided to try out our GoalZero lantern instead of our usual larger lantern. The lantern is compact enough to fit in a small bag with other electronics and is very light in weight. This saved us a little extra room which is a bonus since we take all of our camping trips in a tiny little Prius C. The Lighthouse 250 would be a good contender for bringing along on a backpacking trip, but you would want to pad it with some kind of protection as it seems that some parts might not hold up to a lot of banging around.

    We used the lantern 2 nights in a row without charging it and the battery life indicator still had over 1/4 of its power left. On this same charge, wee tested the phone charger by hooking up an iPhone 4 to charge for 10 minutes with the light on full turbo. The 10 minute charge boosted the phone's battery 12%. The hand crank charger was a little awkward, but would be sufficient in a pinch. Had we needed more power, we could have easily plugged the attached USB cord into our car charger. We don't usually pony up for electric sites, so on extended excursions, the Nomad 7 Solar Panel is a gadget we would consider purchasing.

    The directional lighting feature of the lantern came in handy for having dimmer light closer to sleeping times and brighter light for reading/boardgames in the tent. In the end, we will definitely bring the Lighthouse 250 lantern with us on future trips, and will leave our bulky older lantern at home.

  • Leni K.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Good Weekend Getaway

    Campground 1 is the ideal tent grounds. Heavily wooded some with better coverage than others. Campground 2 is the most spaces RV site. Campground 3 had five total sites in an open area. No privacy at all. Campground 4 was a tighter RV set up. All campgrounds share one very updated showerhouse, which did lead to some lines at the showers Sunday, but the trade off for quality bathroom is appreciated. All campgrounds and day use areas are also connected by a series of trails, so you're not far off from getting to a hike at any point. Campground 1 has four walkins that range from 80 to 300 yards in, starting with 28 closest and 31 farthest out. We stayed at 31, and whole remote, during the day picked up sounds clearly from other sites and at night the highway was pretty clear. Overall though the seclusion tradeoff was nice and it was an easy adjustment for us as car campers. We had a raccoon visitor who is a frequent flyer, while he got away with some hotdogs, we adjusted and ensured he didn't get additional treats. The main showerhouse was closer than the vault toilet on 1, which was still really well maintained. Overall crowds here seemed very respectful of quiet hours, space on trails and made for an improved stay. Camp hosts were always available and polite and friendly. Trails were maintained. Definitely would return again, to a similar site as a walk in.

  • Whitney L.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Bluffwoods Conservation Area

    lovely, quiet camping near St. Joe’s MO

    Love this little area for camping! It’s well maintained, quiet, easy to access, has lots of grass for the dogs to play and we always see wildlife. People often leave trash so be sure to leave no trace so it stays nice for all to enjoy <3

  • Lady Phyre ☆.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 4, 2025

    Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    Pony Express is amazing!

    You can camp in one of several little inlets and nooks. It's a Fish & Game preserve with camping and fishing spots all around the lake. Many with picnic tables and most with vault toilets. It's on my top 10 list of best primitive/dispersed camping locations. Only con is the vault toilet at the inlet I camped in. It was unusable with fetus nearly to the top. I think some unscrupulous person put trash in it then other used it probably without knowing. Very bad etiquette! Be sure to bring your own camping toilet and/or check the vault toilet before setting up. I didn't see very many RVs but several vans, trucks, and cars were there. The wildlife is predominantly water fowl.

  • Leni K.
    May. 24, 2021

    Weston Bend State Park Campground

    Okay Campground for Tenting

    Campground is great overall, with a walkable trail just past the showers, clean restrooms and easy to access sites. There are only 3 basic tent sites, making it hard to nab. #4 had a decent amount of privacy, however most other electric sites do not. As an electric site, there was not a lot of ground space for tents, we settled on gravel with reflectix to buffer the ground. Check in was easy, and in walking distance. Site was pretty noisy, even after hours, a few kids running around with speakers on blast definitely were less than optimal.

  • R
    Aug. 3, 2016

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Wallace State Park in Cameron, MO

    There are mixed RV and tent camping sites, including primitive and walk in sites. You can get water and electric at most sites. Each campground has an iron fire ring with a grill attached.

    There are nice hiking trails. Trails are well marked. There three levels to choose from based on distance.

    There is also a small lake to fish or swim in. The lake for it's size, had some nice fish.

    The community shower and bathroom houses are not air conditioned. The floors are slab cement, but the park staff clean them daily.

    Overall, I think that campgrounds are decent.

  • P
    Oct. 23, 2018

    Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    Small campground, free, on the lake.

    It's in the Conservation Area of Missouri on Pony Express Lake. Easy to get to. Gravel road to the camp areas. Very small. Only 7 or 8 sites. We had a van. There was an RV there and a tenter. Picnic table and fire ring. There is a boat landing further down the gravel road past the campground, different finger of the lake. Fishing. Pit toilet, no water or hook ups for RVs. Very quiet place and of course, you can't beat free!

  • J
    Jul. 15, 2020

    Crow's Creek Campground

    One of the best!

    We camped here in June 2020.  We had a nice RV site with electric.  The best part is the view of and access to the lake! So beautiful and relaxing.  We had a nice gravel site with fire ring and picnic table. We could walk right down a grassy hill to the trail along the lake.  We had lots of grassy space around us to set up and play yard games. Trails and roads within the campsite are paved, so it's great for bikes and scooters.  Grounds are well maintained and grassy areas feel fine to walk through and play in.  Nearby area beaches to play at, a playground, and a short drive to stores to get anything we forgot! We love this beautiful place and will return!

    Cons: the full hookup sites don't have a view of the lake. This is why we chose an electric only site and used a spigot in the campsite to fill our tank.

  • Amanda M.
    Sep. 14, 2020

    Camp Branch Campground

    good pricing, great location, awful website

    We booked a site along with a couple of family members and the website for this park is ancient. Couldn't get anything booked online because the website wouldn't cooperate, save yourself time and just call the campground once you've looked at the map and chosen where in general you want to camp at. 

    Tent sites are okay sized, and many are close to the water. Not a lot of trees for shade, so bring a shelter for some relief from the sun. 

    The camp store sells wood and everyone was extremely friendly. There's a swimming beach nearby that you will have to drive to but it is included in the stay! No alcohol is allowed at the beach.

Guide to Excelsior Springs

Tent camping near Excelsior Springs, Missouri offers a mix of primitive sites and developed campgrounds within 30 miles of the city. Most conservation areas provide free camping options but require campers to follow specific regulations regarding designated camping areas. The region experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures often reaching 90°F and mild winters, making spring and fall the most comfortable camping seasons.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: At Tent Sites at Milo Farm, campers can access nearby fishing spots. The property features 22 tent sites with basic amenities including drinking water, picnic tables, and designated fire rings with firewood available for purchase.

Wildlife viewing: Conservation areas like Agency Conservation Area offer hiking trails and creek features for nature exploration. Whitney L. notes, "The surrounding area of the conservation plot looked to have some trails and some creek features but no prime camping spots. Getting here was easy and the roads leading to the CA were well maintained and not muddy even after a ton of rain."

Campfire gatherings: Relaxing around a campfire is a popular activity at most sites. Adam M. from Honey Grove Campground shared, "Had a big fire outside one of the cabins today! Great company, warm flames, and hot dogs makes for a wonderful night, but the stars and beautiful weather seriously enhanced it like none other!"

What campers like

Quiet atmosphere: Many campers appreciate the peaceful setting at conservation areas. Lloyd W. mentioned about Bonanza Conservation Area, "Used to stay here as a kid during deer season, recently came back to it to explore some more. Multiple campsites available along the highway, but the marked site is one of the best, right by a great fishing lake. Very quite, no amenities."

Tree coverage: Shaded camping areas provide relief during hot Missouri summers. Most conservation areas feature wooded sections that offer natural cooling and privacy between sites.

Free camping options: Budget-conscious campers appreciate the no-cost sites. Conservation areas typically offer free camping, though they have stricter rules about where camping is permitted. Kevin C. warns about Bonanza Conservation Area, "It is against their rules to camp anywhere but on a gravelly parking lot. We camped just off the road and got a citation."

What you should know

Limited facilities: Most conservation areas lack basic amenities. Zachary S. noted about Agency Conservation Area, "I guess the area is closed 10pm to 4 pm. Super small gravel parking lot. Moving to different site."

Restricted camping areas: Many conservation areas require campers to stay in designated spots only, which may be limited to gravel parking areas rather than traditional tent sites.

Hunting seasons: Safety concerns arise during hunting seasons. Will E. cautions about Bonanza Conservation Area, "Deer hunting camp. Lots of city hunters with NO CONCEPT of safety during hunting."

Operating hours: Some conservation areas have restricted hours. Check regulations before arrival as some sites close overnight.

Tips for camping with families

Amenities access: For families needing facilities, choose developed campgrounds over conservation areas. Riverfront Camping Club offers 10 tent sites with drinking water, electric hookups, toilets and picnic tables, making it more suitable for camping with children.

Bring water supplies: Most conservation areas lack drinking water. Pack sufficient water for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

Weather preparation: Summer temperatures regularly reach 90°F with high humidity. Spring and fall offer more moderate camping conditions for family outings.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Excelsior Springs, MO is Bonanza Conservation Area with a 3.7-star rating from 3 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Excelsior Springs, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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