Looking for the best options for tent camping near Jackson? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Jackson campsites are perfect for tent campers.
Turkey Ridge is for campers who want a serene outdoor experience. It is a Class C walk-in campground that includes camp pads, picnic tables, cooking grills and showers. Drinking water and toilets are located near the parking lots.
$18 / night
Apple Creek Conservation Area is located in northeast Cape Girardeau County, three miles east of New Wells on Route CC. The Missouri Department of Conservation created Apple Creek Conservation Area in 1986 with the purchase of 2,100 acres from several landowners.
Steep hills and narrow valleys characterize this area, and approximately 2.5 miles of Apple Creek stream frontage forms its northern border.
The Conservation Department has created watering ponds and planted food plots and agricultural crops within the forest to provide additional food sources for wildlife.
Private property sunken into the Shawnee National Forest.
$20 - $125 / night
Backpackers enjoying their commune with nature will appreciate the solitude of the individual campsites in the Class C Backpack campground. Located a half-mile from the Turkey Ridge primitive campground parking lot, these woodland sites have cooking grills, toilets and showers. Water and trash receptacles are available at the Turkey Ridge parking lot. You're reminded to be careful with your fires and to pack out what you pack in.
This is also a Silvopasture Forest Farm so expect rewilded critters scampering around. All pets must be leashed at all times. All children are to be instructed to never chase a critter. We'd love to invite them to our daily feeding time to offer them a chance to get closer. They may even see Stormy, our rewilded bunny.
We only have one outhouse in the woods next to tent campgrounds about 100 meters away so if you can, bring your own buckets with toilet seat lids theyre cheap and we have a hungry methane digester you can dump it in. We need volunteers to help us build a bigger bathroom and bathhouse. Let us know if you wanna help. We are just starting out so there are a few construction sites with materials we are using to build with to recycle into other needed raw materials. So our apologies for the mess, but it really is us having an abundance of building materials and not enough people to help us build. If you wanna help Check out our EcoJunk Division :)
$35 - $50 / night
Guide
Hawn is a one of the best fall campgrounds close to the St. Louis area. There are a number of hiking options around the campground in the park and nearby nature reserve.
It is a smaller campground with a good mix of electric and non-electric sites. The restrooms were clean and they also have some vault toilets in the park for convenience.
Traveler
Stayed here last fall and really loved the fall colors and views this park has to offer. I can't say the facilities were great - there were only vault toilets and no showers that I saw. Relatively small loop for RVs. Sites weren't exactly great. I ended up landing one of the paved sites, which had lots of space and I believe may have been handicapped. The park wasn't busy and I was able to stay a few extra days. Suggest checking it out in the fall when the leaves are changing as it was absolutely gorgeous.
TravelerHawn is a lovely park just south of the city a few clicks. It's tucked away into the trees with ample shade and options for backpacking, backcountry hiking. The park is nice and sites are spaced out enough. Not sure about cell service but had a site in the 2nd campground in the middle where there's a break in the trees. I was able to use Starlink. People were friendly and overall lovely park and experience.
Legend
We’d seen signs for Shawnee Forest Campground (CG) many times as we headed out and back from our St. Louis home base and wanted to check this CG out. We followed our GPS to the clearly marked CG entrance but our GPS showed we still had about a half mile to go. We checked in at the little office and were given the choice of pull through sites with FHUs 12 or 21. We chose site 21. The gravel roads are slightly narrow with some trees but we did not have any issues getting to site 21. The water and electric(50/30/20 AMP) are at the back of the gravel pad. There are two sewer hookups, which was nice. The water pressure was good around 50 psi. Their WiFi was very good. There are mature trees here and there in the CG, so satellite should not be an issue. We got two bars on Verizon. Each of the bath houses have a washer and dryer. Our site was not level and with all the rain we had, there were water puddles at the steps. There are some nice sites in this CG but we were not offered one of the better ones even though there were plenty of sites open in the upper 26- 50 site area. If we come back, we’ll know where to ask for a site. They have a small lake and two ponds for fishing. There's no formal dog area, but there are paved trails around the large CG area, which made it nice to walk our dogs.
Traveler
Plenty of space and nicely maintained Porto potty
ScoutTent camping back away from the RVs & we were the only people. Gorgeous river to view just a few steps away & the night sky view was fantastic. LOVED the bathroom & shower facilities!
Legend
Beautiful small campground with large sites. Restroom was emaculate. Clean park with a boat launch. Electric only spots and dispersed. Water and dump are on site.
Scout
Be free camp sites listings for state parks
Scout
This campground provides large spots, drinking water, vault toliets, dumpsters, picnic table, lantern hook, fire ring, and contactless check in. I also appreciate the value of these sites. It really is a reasonable rate for forest camping.
Guide
Hosts were friendly, but didn’t brief us on information such as where is the trash bin, what is the WiFi password. Restroom was old but relatively clean. There’s only one valve in the showers so all you get is lukewarm water. Not good on a cool or cold day. Some of the long term people have too many dogs, one had 6 little yippers, kind of annoying. And I’m not against dogs
Traveler
We opted for this site on our way west as a stopover because it was free and not a parking lot. There are a couple of loop trails and we walked one of them. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. The locals use the area for fishing and walking and it was somewhat busy in the afternoon. A couple of guys fished at night until about nine. There was only one other couple camping. Very quiet and peaceful. There was a portable toilet but we didn't investigate.
The cool thing was that the loop trail was forested by hundreds of paw paw trees. It must have been just past the season and we saw only a couple of decaying ones, but the entire trail smelled of apple cider vinegar and was quite pleasant.
If you consider this waypoint, two things:
1. The last mile is good, but very dusty, gravel road.
2. No cell coverage in the parking lot for T-Mobile, some coverage on loop trail.
Scout
Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.
ScoutVery quiet and secluded. Campsites are roomy and some firewood is supplied.
Legend
Large park with not many large RV sites. Lots of tent and dispersed camping. Disappointing store. Equestrian area. Beach and boat launch.
Traveler
Sam a Baker is a beautiful destination for any family. There is plenty to do from hiking to horseback riding. There are multi camp sites that can be easily reserved online. The Saint Francis River and the Big Creek meet in the park. The big creek is spring feed and ice cold. The Saint Francis is wild and is considered white water during the rainy season. There are plenty of amenities in the park for the novice camper. From the camp store to the shower house. SAM A BAKER has you covered
GuideNobody here. Bring a fishing pole. No services except a porta potty.
RangerStopped here for the night driving through the area. Nice campground, clean, safe, and right off the interstate.
Ranger
There are only two camp site at this location and they are very close to each other. The camp sites are also very narrow. We camped in the lower site and had a difficult time getting everything out of the road.
On the positive side, the site was clean, there was nobody there over the weekend and there was a humming bird. The pond had lots of frogs and and a few fish.
TravelerTent camped here during the week in June and the campground was only about 1/3 full. Quiet and the restrooms and showers were very clean.
ScoutWe stayed 4 days and had a great time. The camp was clean and well maintained. The staff are very friendly and helpful and was more than happy to offer places to visit in the area, places to eat and provide assistance as needed. The trails are paved so we had a nice area to walk (twice around the lake from our site was 3 miles). :) We plan to visit again!
TravelerBeautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway
ScoutGreat little stop, everything is clean and a fresh shower was refreshing.
Ranger
This campground was essentially an RV park. Only big rigs, some sites well spaced physically but no privacy in between so feels like everyone staring at each other. Some of the waterfront sites okay privacy-wise, but not most. Hookups work well, but bathrooms in terrible condition - especially showers.
The whole place also smells like dead fish. We saw a raccoon go right through our campsite so be careful what you leave out, also tons of geese and saw two baby copperheads.
The lake is at least really pretty and there’s a small beach area.
LegendGetting there: Easy access off Illinois 13 East of Carbondale
Check in and staff: Campground is now under the egis of recreation.gov& reservations through them are a must. This is new& when planning the trip the website said“first come first serve” so we arrived on a Friday evening(4pm) with no reservation. The sign said RV sites all taken. The host was wonderful! He has been here 9 years and steered us to a nice site for the one night we will be here. The online experience with recreation.gov was not pleasant, impossible in fact. So I had to call. This took quite awhile. Once I got a real live person it was great, and we got our site with no problems.
Amenities: Bathrooms: clean, paper towels& air dryers.
Site: A-35. In the middle of the A loop and therefore not on the water. Still, very nice. After all, beggars can’t be choosers! Sites are somewhat spacious, but not terribly private.
Guide
We had so much fun playing in the creek learning about as Aztec and their gardening methods. Very adorable , baby goats and baby chicks that were just all over and loving living. ❤️ My family and friends found out that I was going there and she was more than happy to help us be accommodated for so many people. I kept adding and she was like no problem. Thank you so much for making it easy and affordable. We will definitely be back to visit. I feel that we have actually found some true lifelong friends. Thank you Ivy
Guide
Way to crowded tiny sites
Guide
We stopped here chasing the 2024 eclipse. Easy to find. No cost. About 20 parking spaces, a vault toilet, and a boat launch. Open for solar panels, but tree cover around the lot. Only about 5 parking spaces are not on a slant. Places in the trees for tents. Absolutely beautiful views up and down the river. A single fire pit on the river’s edge. No road noise to speak of because it is way in the distance and rare at night. Fireflies and owls into the night. Mist on the water in the morning: just beautiful. T mobile service has 3 of 4 bars. There is no apparent Verizon service.
Tent camping near Jackson, Missouri offers a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts, from serene lakeside spots to secluded forest retreats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Jackson, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Jackson, MO is Turkey Ridge Campground — Ferne Clyffe State Park with a 4.3-star rating from 16 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 17 tent camping locations near Jackson, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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