Best Tent Camping near Lohman, MO

We stayed at Camp Takimina on our first shakedown trip with our Popup camper.  It was amazing.  It was about 5-10 minutes from I-70, super easy to get to. The camp was quiet, private, and peaceful.  There are no hookups, but water was right next to us near the parking lot, and the picnic tables near the lodge were shaded most of the day.  Portapotties were clean and well stocked.  We brought our dog and two children and the had an absolutely fabulous time!  We hiked a lot in the woods, played in the creek, and had plenty of time and space to figure out our new to us popup camper.  There aren't actual spots for to park in, it is just a big gravel lot with a couple designated areas for campers if the lot is full (it wasn't full at all).  We reserved Arrow Hill also, which is a huge site right next to the parking lot, so we had a campfire ring to cook on.  Most of the firepits have benches that surround them, which was very handy not to have to move chairs around all the time.  The tent sites were huge- easily would fit multiple tents at each site, and we will absolutely be back to tent camp, and with the popup too!

Fredericksburg Access is a free campground with about 10 primitive sites. Grassy coverage with a mix of gravel or grass pull-ins. Lots of trees but still great stargazing at night. We even saw a few meteors!

We went on a late July weekend and only 1 other small group was there. It had just rained but wasn't too mucky. Drive was safe in our heavy converted camper van. No off road vehicle or AWD needed.

Ground is very level and not super rocky so this is a great site for tents. There are vault toilets but no sinks nor dumpsters, so plan ahead for hygiene and waste. Toilets are on flat ground, handicap accessible, and gender neutral. Likely to be a much tougher trip if you used to full hook-up RV camping/glamping, or require showers, but perfect for primitive camping!

The region: 45m to nearest Walmart or tractor supply, so plan ahead. Food, fire starter logs, and lighter fuel available at Thriftway (about 30 min), firewood and ice at Casey's, and McDonald's all in Linn (all 30m) if you need anything.

About water access: Sites are all within about a 5 min walk from the boat ramp on the Gasconade. Sign reads "no swimming" but there's a nice gravel bar just downstream from the ramp. If you enter the water, be mindful that boats may pass as you try to cross.

The swim there requires crossing a moderately sized river that is relatively swift. This is fine for people who swim well but not recommended for young children or weak swimmers especially without flotation devices. It is swift enough to carry you downstream of your target even for good swimmers, so plan for this, especially for your swim back upstream (recommend walking upstream past dock then floating back across to dock). It's also deep in the center so you're not going to be able to cross with dry items unless you have a container that is waterproof.

Again, it's a wider and quick river, so we had to help our dog across. Took 5-7 min there and 15 to get back (with dog. Mind the rocky/brush areas just downstream of the dock, saw some snakes.

First off there is camping here!!!! This Missouri Conservation area is a Swiss Army knife of rugged of the path camping. Rivers, Lakes, Gun range, Horses and hiking can all be enjoyed here. First come first serve basic camp area on the river. It has 1 fire ring in a gravel turnaround. Don’t let this fool you. This area has an abundance of wildlife equestrian trails and hiking. Getting too hot paddle on the lake located on the left Forck after entering. The area has a handgun, and rifle range with vault toilets. The pictures speak for themselves. Love this spot and will be planning another trip soon.

Stayed 10/29/2020 with only a few other campers in the campground. Close to the freeway but not really noticeable noise except on hikes. Paid $21 for 30 amp electric site, water and dump are available but not at individual sites. Bathroom and shower, dumpster, recycling and firewood also available. All sites had red tags stating reservations recommended but were not required. There were plenty of sites available when we were there. There are a few flat sites but many were not level.

Hikes were nice, lots of deer, the cave itself is blocked by chainlink but still pretty cool. Dogs ok on leashes. 

AT&T and Verizon cell service adequate.