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$50 - $75 / night
The Brazil Creek Recreation Area serves as a trail camp for the 24-mile Berryman Trail and the 40 mile Courtois Section of the Ozark Trail. The Berryman Trail traverses 24 miles of scenic Ozark countryside starting at the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp of 1937 and winding through timbered stands and fields. This section of the Ozark Trail is part of the over 200 mile through-trail. For more information about these sections of trail, visit www.ozarktrail.com . Camping, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding here offer the recreationist a pleasant measure of solitude and quiet.
Tent only camping. Deep in 300 million years old Carboniverous sandstone spring bed valley with fossils. Place to relax & take in the nature of this hidden gem in the city of Belleville, IL. No restrooms. No showers. Swimming in areas of spring is limited to shallow pools. But it is enough to cool you off.
$28 - $38 / night
This section is the gateway to the Ozarks--starting at Onondaga Cave State Park and winding through the Huzzah State Forest/Conservation Area, opening into the lead district of Missouri and the Mark Twain National Forest, view variegated wildlife, flora, and scenery and end up at Hazel Creek on the south. This 45-mile long section includes 7.5 miles of state land north of the Narrows Trailhead, crosses private land at the Bass Resort, follows the Berryman Trail from about mile 22 through mile 32, and connects to the Trace Creek Section on the south at the Hazel Creek Trailhead. It is part of the over 220 mile continuous through-trail. Use caution after periods of rain as the creek crossings can be hazardous. This section of trail includes springs, creeks and other water locations, as well as some popular places for trailside camping.
Dispersed camping is the term used for free camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means there are no toilets, no structures, no trash cans, no treated water, and no fire grates. There are extra responsibilities required for this type of camp. It's a must to educate yourself before you try it, but we hope the adventure of dispersed camping in the Mark Twain National Forest calls to you!
Pick a Campsite and follow the Leave No Trace Principles Camp 100 feet away from trails and water sources. Treat any water found in the area before consuming it. Human waste (Feces) must be buried at least 6 inches deep and covered. Pack out all of your garbage.
Pick from a variety of spots from the lakeside, to secluded forest, to open field for pitching your tent on this orchard land! This property is open to dispersed camping wherever you prefer. Equipped with fire pits, pond for viewing water fowl, and bathrooms with showers inside the house. This is a great spot to spend the night on your way to or from St. Louis, Chicago or Indianapolis. Close to St Louis and all the fun there! Great biking in the area, hiking at Pere Marquette State Park, and swimming and water sports at Horseshoe Lake State Park. Firewood can be bought on site, grocery, convenience stores, restaurants, fast food and gas stations easy drive of 10-15 min.
$15 - $16 / night
We are a working Longhorn farm with goats, horses donkeys and more. We have over 6 miles of trails and creek to explore. We also have a pond for fishing . We have mountains and valleys with backpack sites as well as site you can drive up to.
$27 - $35 / night
Indian Camp Creek Park, located at 2679 Dietrich Road, Foristell, is St. Charles County’s largest park with 603 acres, including more than 10 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and equestrian use. Camping, disc golf, fishing and a large destination playground are just some of the amenities found there. Climb to the top of the observation silo, and discover the beautiful prairies, vast wooded hills, and protected habitat found throughout the park.
Legend
A great spot for a quick get away from St Louis. Beautiful park with lots to do not far from the campground. If you are tent camping you don't have to worry about generators from the RVs as there are two separate camping areas that share a really nice shower house, but have their own bathrooms as well. Be careful to not get a tent site in the middle, in the low area, as rain runoff will run down to the middle area. No tent pads, but plenty of grassy areas to pitch your tent. Activities in the park include swimming in the pool or the Big River, canoeing (rent at the Thunderbird Lodge), hiking, and petroglyphs.
Traveler
Did a 2 night tent camp with my family and it was awesome. We had a great time on the trails and near the Mighty Missouri River.
Guide
Peaceful tent camping on Walkers Island at $8 per day.
GuideThe campground is located in a gym of a park located along the Missouri River. Reservations are required and the sites are in high demand. Tent camping only. There is water available in the park.
This Campground places you in the heart of Missouri Wine Country and there's a perfect base for visiting the wineries and restaurants along highway 94.
Traveler
Doesn't allow pets for tent sites
Legend
Robertsville is a nice little park on the Meramec River with about 25 campsites split fairly evenly between tent and electric hook up in a long loop. The hook up sites are on the inside of the loop and the tent sites are on the outside of the loop. You need to look carefully for a level tent site as some are fairly slopped. However, most of the tent sites have nice trees for hammocking and all sites looked clean. The shower house is newer and well taken care of. Seems that lots of people come here for the boat access to the river, but there are some really nice hiking trails you shouldn’t miss. On the weekends in the high season be prepared to reserve two nights in a row, which can make it more difficult to get a spot. But if you go during the week you can have the place pretty much to yourself. And the racoons. Just saying
Legend
Nice state park close to St Louis. Good, if short, trails. The campground is used a lot by RV and campers, not so much by tenters. Lots of campsites had electric. All had the standard pininic tables and fire rings, and the campground has a decent and clean shower house. You might end up pitching your tent on a parking pad as many tent sites don't have level grassy spots for your tent. Sites are not very private, and some are right on top of the next. I like sites 65 and 58 for their privacy or grassy tent spots.
Ranger
Not a huge campground but, Its a really simple beautiful place to enjoy Missouri's rolling hills. It is located 1 hour from St. Louis and 30 ish min from Elephant Rock State park. If your in the area check out the other amazing Missouri state parks while staying here. The Missouri Mines state park is maybe a 5 min drive and a neat place to see. Tent sites, Bathroom and some hammock spots.
Scout
Plenty of tent camping sites. There are primitive also. Great Lake to fish and plenty of trails to hike. Looks like the rv site can get booked up on weekends.
TravelerWe spent a Saturday and Sunday there camping in the electric site. They do have tent sites but we wanted to be closer to the river which was a 2min walk.
Great place, awesome people and kid friendly. Definitely will be back!
Guide
This park is beautiful. Located about 25 minutes from St Louis. They have paddle boats and bikes and group bikes for rental. Located right next to a lake with a lot of RV and tent camping spots. Kids had a blast riding bikes. Even finding a few little frogs jumping around and fireflies at night.
Guidethis ground is very well kept and is oerfect for tent camping. the only downfall is the amount trees. although the sites are very large, flat, and easy, you can see everyones business because there is maybe 1 tree in between each site. but there is a creek, trails, walk in sites, and lots of history to check out.
Traveler
Typical Jellystone, lots for kids to do. Really small sites. Tent sites seem fairly flat. I’m in a site for small campers. The site is bowed front to back and not level side to side. You can hear highway traffic all night and the kids hit the playground, right outside my window, at 7:00.
Scout
Easy to book online even the day of. Choose your spot ahead of time and pull in, easy as that! There are RV & tent sites, bathrooms with hot showers. Had no problem booking around 7pm the day of and arrived around 1 am quietly set up in my previously reserved spot. Check out is at 2 pm
GuideWe stayed here last minute for Labor Day Weekend and the staff were great with finding us a good tent site available. This is not a rugged style campground as there are many amenities such as a pool, putt putt golf, volleyball, and more. They also host daily kids activities and crafts. A very family friendly campground and would highly recommend if camping with kids!
Traveler
Took the youngest kids for their first camping trip, and it could not have been better. Plenty of space, site was level for our tents and had a nice, soft carpet of pine needles, facilities in great shape (didn't use the showers, but they looked decent and were fairly popular), nice sink in the laundry room we used to fill our dish-washing tubs, good neighbors, nobody too noisy and folks generally kind and friendly. Really enjoyed being on the tents-only side of the campground--allowed for a clear, wide view of the landscape and the fall colors. Hiking is some of the best in Missouri.
I will say that the "walk-in" sites didn't seem to have much privacy and weren't very far from the parking lot, if that matters to you.
All in all, you can't get much better for tent camping.
RangerLots to do for all ages, including swimming and hikes of any difficulty/length. Famous for petroglyphs and other history too. Green rolling hills that would be ideal to visit in the fall. The electrics sites are closer to the river, the tent sites are more private in trees in a separate area.
Yay: Rent a canoe/kayak/tube to enjoy the river (on site!).
Nay: Make sure to get away from the developed part of the campground to enjoy this nature. Surprise: Petroglyphs are the icing on the cake here!
Legend
This is a nice, large campground in the middle of Meramec State Park. The campground is a large level meadow between the river, the bluffs and the road. For being close to the road, there is not a lot of road noise. I noticed more river noise with boats buzzing up and down the Meramec. The campground was well maintained and nicely laid out with several loops. There didn't seem to be any real separation between the tent and RV sites, but on a early season weekend, you can manage to get a tent site away from the RV's. Some tent sites have good ham mocking trees, but not all sites do. And some sites were clearly in low lying areas that would definitely puddle in a decent rain. All sites had the standard fire ring and picnic table. I thought the shower house was really clean and well maintained, although for a campground this large I would have thought there would have been two. There is a nice hiking trail coming out of the campground that winds along the river and then along the base of the bluff. You can hike up into a large cave and get a birds eye view of everything through the trees. Across from the campground is Fisher's Cave which is open for exploration during the summer months. It was not open when I was there, but there is a trail going to the top of the cave, and of course you can stand at the gated entrance to the cave and feel the cold air coming out. I'm not a caver, but apparently this is a really good cave for exploring.
Scout
I took my daughter and a friend on their first camping trip here. We stayed the last weekend of the season (10/29-31). It was quiet with only two RVs on one end. We picked a tent site at the other end, right on the river. The girls ran all over the camp ground. The ranger was super friendly and shared information about the area. Since it was the end of the season, the coyotes were coming back closer to the area and serenaded us all night. We can't wait to go again next year
GuideRV spots are pretty close together, but nicely shaded. Group tenting sites lack water and bathroom facilities, but make up for it in proximity crystal clear river water. Perfect for floating, fishing and swimming!
Legend
Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site is located on the remains of historic Fort Kaskaskia, constructed by the French in the 1700s to defend the town of Kaskaskia. Founded in 1703, the town was a central commercial center. The fort was periodically occupied by French or U.S. troops until 1807.
The remnants of Fort Kaskaskia include long earthworks forming a rough square. A footpath leads to the Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site, located at the bottom of the bluff.
Near the pavilion, which was recently rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire, you can get sweeping view of the Mississippi river below. The overlook area includes picnic shelters with tables and grills.
The campground includes tent-camping and RV sites, 32 are electric sites. There is a bathroom and shower building.
LegendThis new little (and fast expanding) campground has it all. A short 5 minute walk to “downtown” Defiance, the campground is right next to the Katy Trail. Forgot your bike? Walk 3 minutes away and rent one. Want to float the Missouri? They have a canoe outfitter on site. Need a cold beer or hot coffee, it’s right next door at the local brew pub and coffee house. Want to hear live music? You’ve got two biker bars (with pretty good burgers and barbecue to pick from and the wineries are just a short drive or Uber away. Firewood for sale on site, really clean new shower house, and great night sky viewing. And for all the locals, you can get your Ted Drews frozen custard just up the street too. Tent sites back up to woods and the Katy Trail and the rv sites are out in the open meadow. Warning, this place will likely flood if it rains heavy. Which means the mosquitos might be plenty if they don’t spray for them.
GuideWe stayed here with a new camper, to be near our RV dealer and hardware stores. The site was ok, tricky to level. There was a steep drop just past our steps, and not a lot of room to set up chairs, etc. Honestly, the site we were in felt like an afterthought, as we were just pulled off the lower loop road. But we were there primarily to op check the camper features, and this campground allowed us to do so.
If you're visiting Six Flags this is an ideal location, with a great camp store and restaurant, and lots of things for kids to do. I found good hiking trails nearby at Rockwoods Range. There are a lot of cabins and tent sites here as well. The camp staff were friendly and helpful. And the sunrise from our site was beautiful!
GuideSaint Francois is a tent and rv campground just 1 hour south of saint louis, MO in Bonne Terre. It also along a river which allows swimming at your own risk because there is no real entrance site. But plenty of gravel bars. I personally enjoy this park and its sites. The rvs and tents are separated which i love. And the tent sites have plenty of room for 2-3 tents plus games. They provide individual showers, out houses every 6 sites, flat areas for tents, ice, wood, and activities. Trails, parks, and lots of fields to play in.The only downfalls are (1) entering the park. You enter on a dangerous highway where you need plenty of room and stopping to enter but there is none. Getting out is the worst especially if you have a trailor and move slow. There is no lane for you to pull out. Cars are fine. (2) the river is monopolized by 1 company for rafting/kayaking/canoing. You have to make an appointment, they only accept cash, and the websites dont show correct equipment. But it gets the job done.
Traveler
I spent a night here camping while on a road trip. The check-in was quick and easy. The host showed me the tent campsites, which are secluded and private from the RV sites. The sites are outfitted with a picnic table and brick fire rings. Some have water spickets. There's a central covered picnic area. Lots of shade and tall trees. You'll want to check them for dead limbs before setting up your site. I didn't ask if hammock camping is allowed. There are at least two sites that would work nicely for a hammock. A portable toilet is available to keep the area sanitary for urgent needs; the flush toilets, laundry, and fitness center at the main entrance are also available for a longer walk or short drive.
LegendThis is a private campground run by Meramec Caverns. The campground is large and shaded, right on the river. There are hook up sites and tent sites. My advice is to try and get a spot all the way to the left of the entrance. These sites seem quieter and more spread out. The down side is that they are pretty far from the shower house and bathrooms. Most of this sites (but not all) have picnic tables, grills and fire pits. There are a few really nice sites right on the river. There is a restaurant, general store, canoe rental, zip line (it goes across the Meramec River, not sure how you get back!), and of course the caverns. The cave tour is a bit hokey, but if you can look past the mannequins and silliness, the caves themselves are really spectacular. You can definitely see why Jesse and Frank James used this as a hideout.
LegendI wanted to escape the house and go camping while on the work from home order (Covid-19 happening at the time of this review), so I headed to a very local park and campground to pitch my tent. I've been to 370 Lakeside Park many times to walk around the huge lake and to hear concerts in the summer, but I had never camped there. Still haven't. I'll explain. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they were not so keen on having tent campers. But they were very nice and gave me the general lowdown on this "in the city" campground. Since they opened the campground, most of their campers have been RV owners, and so it is really designed for the RV camper. There is a small primitive section for group tent camping, but the majority of the sites are full hookups for RVs. Some sites are pull through and some are back in. All have picnic tables and fire pits. The park has planted some trees, but they are really just saplings, so there is no shade yet. There is a nice bathhouse with free showers for the campers and pay laundry. If you are lucky, you can get a site close to the water, but it means the walking trail is right next to your unit. Trade offs, I suppose. One couple I talked to was camping long term (I think they are permanent RV'ers) and they got a free membership to the St Peter's RecPlex recreation center with their long term spot (they said something about having to book a least a month out to get this perk). One of the downsides to this location is that it is prone to flooding. It was out of commission for most of the summer of 2019 as the entire area was flooded. But the City of St Peters did a great job getting this place back to usable with new sod, a new bathhouse, and some general sprucing up. The lake is great to walk around, about a 3 mile walk or bike on a paved trail. You can see all kinds of wildlife in and around the lake- deer, bald eagles, pelicans, ducks, snakes. In the summers they have live music in the large pavilion, and you can rent kayaks and other small boats to take out on the lake as well as bikes to ride around on. The office told me that they have 24 hour on site security also. If I really wanted to tent camp, I could rent a section of the group camping area, but $30 seemed pricey for just me, and it was very soggy to boot. Or I could rent an RV spot, but $45 was silly when I don' t need hookups.
Tent camping near Imperial, Missouri offers a variety of scenic spots for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With options ranging from private to public campgrounds, there's something for everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Imperial, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Imperial, MO is St. Charles County Klondike Park with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Imperial, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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