Best Tent Camping near Mansfield, MO

Went here for a Jeep Jamboree and had a great time. There are several areas to tent camp and have great amenities as well. Toilets, showers, food, etc. The hosts are very hospitable and treat you great!

I stayed in the tent camping area. The host was very helpful with everything. I was right next to the river, and the sounds of the water made everything tranquil. There is a ton of space for tents and RVs, and the road in is well paved. In the morning, a bald eagle flew up the river.

Wife and I decided to start camping again after a 10 yr layoff, So after a few equipment upgrades we made our reservation and we went last week. Tent site was nice and shower rooms are clean and nice as well.

This campground was wonderful! We needed a tent site for one night and we ended up getting a whole grove of trees to ourselves! It was a Saturday night and there was an open mic night and bbq. The atmosphere was light and fun and the people rocked! Very clean bathrooms and showers. The rates were very very affordable too! 10/10!!!

I’ve camped here 2x for Jeepstock in September. Brandon, the owners closes the park for the event but it’s still maxes the facilities capacity. The tent camping is questionable, but lots of great electric sites. Generator camping is far away from everyone else so that’s nice.

There’s limited bathrooms and showers but I think that’s going to change soon with additions to the grounds. Nice new cabins are being added yearly. If you ha e a chance to visit SMORR, I would recommend it!

PROS- First the floating was excellent on the northfolk River. Great wildlife along the way including cranes, turtles, ducks, fish. Fantastic on site restaurant with bar and grill that has Saturday karaoke and Friday live bands. The best showers with privacy and cleanliness. Has extras on site like cornhole, basketball, Foosball, and a pool table. The campsites were large. The tent sites were shady and grassy with even ground and near the river. CONS- The RV sites have zero shade and very little grass so it's mostly clay mud on the ground, which would have been fine but since it rained it made a giant mud soup mess. The cost is higher than the recreation government sites online for camping.

I have been floating on the James River many times. Always a great experience on the river.

Campsite PROS- Very large grassy sites for tent camping with RV sites also available. On site general store for various floating items, alcohol, food etc

Campsite CONS- VERY STRICT camping rules when camping with minors... We were all well over the age of 21 ( 30 years old +) with the exception of my brother who was 20 at the time. He was DENIED an overnight site due to his age and the alcohol sold on the premises. Even with my father present . Also their shower/ bath room is poorly maintained and always dirty. They have one bath and toilet for men and one for women for the entire campground, which has well over 40 sites. They are unorganized when it comes to drop offs and pick ups and could use more staff to help get on and off the river for floating.

This campground offers RV camping with full hookups or tent camping. The RV sites are a little small and close to each other, and you can tell some people are long time campers. That being said, it’s a very nice area by the river with lots of fishing, floating, and swimming opportunities. A few things to keep in mind-if it’s been raining a lot it does tend to get muddy, we don’t have 4WD and got stuck, luckily some others there did and helped us out. Once it dried up it was no problem. (It had been over for over a week, so it was out of the norm) The exit to get out is a hill with gravel so again not having 4WD that was a little tricky, the visibility is also not great because of curves so you just have to hope people aren’t going too fast. The last thing is this place is also a canoe rental so there are vans/buses with canoes going back and forth all day so it can be noisy.

When it comes to this location I liked the overall spacing of sites and the shaded tent area.  This was so appealing when I pulled in.  At first I had eyed just a site by the water but when I saw these they were a bit further away but seemed to be just what I was looking for in the midst of the heat.

Many people come to this area to put a kayak in the water and enjoy, and while I wanted to do that it seemed a bit crowded for my liking as a novice.   You wouldn't expect that from the water but I get turned around easily and I didn't want to be out there in the way.   Instead I enjoyed the other activities and just being at camp itself.

A bit more about the options for water recreation.   They do have rentals and a shuttle service to accommodate you returning following a paddle, that seemed very reasonably priced.

Camp was very nice with lush green grass, access to fire rings and picnic tables.    It wasn't to loud although you could hear the sounds of campers around you pretty easily.    

They also had cabin options here, I didn't explore them this time around but they looked nice and the placement wasn't to close to one another.  The RV area was well spaced and had great areas for leveling out with ease, shade coverings for the exposed sites and similar amenities to the tent camping.

This state park is one worth a stop when near Springfield. I drove north toward this park to enjoy something a bit different and found it to be very peaceful during a weekday. 

I had traveled here following a busy time and expected to still have some of that lingering noise which hangs out after a big event. But by the time I reached the location it had dwindled out. Leaving behind in the peaceful outdoors were shaded sites that were well placed but slightly trashed. That isn’t the fault of the park but rather of the people who did not pick up after themselves. 

After a little tidying of my site, I was home for the night in a nice tent site. I took a tour of the grounds and noticed that the showers were nice, the water was great in pressure and hot!! Restrooms were well maintained and even after the weekend they had already done their maintenance and had them looking very nice!! 

Something else to note when traveling is cell service. With AT&T I had 3 bars of service, something which I was very uncertain of after driving to the location had been spotty in some areas. 

The campground runs alongside a waterway and it was nice to enjoy around dusk the sounds of the water. I would have taken a dip in it had I not arrived so late in the evening, it looked so perfect for just dipping the toes in. Also I could see this being a great place to launch a small boat or kayak. 

Nearby camp is one of the larger hatcheries in the state which you can visit during certain hours and see how they work to diligently populate the waterways and lakes in Missouri, pretty cool process and information. Definitely recommend!!

Family style theme campgrounds are always fun.   Not really so much about the hiking and outdoors as many other camps in the area but the amenities and attraction of the campgrounds are usually the selling point.  

I have seen many Jellystone Parks in the past, and I will say this one is a bit less themed than others.  However what it lacks in theming it does make up for in charm as the cast and staff are extra friendly and involved.   They ensure that children have interactions with Yogi and that there are plenty of fun activities for the entire family to enjoy!!

They host daily activity times for foam parties, scavenger hunts, interactions and crafts which is really fun and makes for a great family style outing especially for the younger kiddos.   Additionally they have a splash pad, swimming pool, hiking areas which are a bit less challenging, playground and ranger station.    

Though they do have an all inclusive style approach to entertainment they also have show tickets available for purchase for venturing into Branson itself, a great touch for additional entertainment as there are many things the entire family will enjoy.

Tent camping along with RV camping and Cabins is available but something unique to the park is the RV rental service where you can rent an RV to stay in, something not to many parks in Branson offer.

When I visited the park, some of the amenities and special attractions were currently closed due to the conditions going on in the world, but they still made sure to make it an exciting experience for all staying there.

Of all the KOAs I have visited I was very eager to check out this one.  Close to Springfield and not to far from the turn off to Wilson Creek Battlefield this one just kinda made sense for a visit.  

When I ventured to check it out I quickly noticed that the site spacing was not the best when it came to the RVs, it looked claustrophobic.   When it came to the tent sites I felt a bit more like I could breathe and stretch out.   Kind of strange that this was the case as usually the RV section at a KOA is more accommodating, in my own personal experiences.   

The staff was very friendly and helpful and the overall amenities were pretty inclusive.   Some of course obvious upgrades coming at additional charges while others were standard.

In true KOA fashion there is WIFI, which I personally always welcome because I work remotely and sometimes do not have the best of signal.    Additionally they had standard features such as a dog park area, playground for the kiddos and a pool, although the pool is not open year round like some.   

A few things that were a bit less common however, they had a pet play room which was pretty cool and though I don't travel with my pets found it to be a very friendly touch.    I also noticed that in addition to snacks you could pick up in the store they also had pizza during certain times if you were not wanting to use your own kitchen or the common space camp kitchens.

I was pretty impressed overall but with all the good there were those claustrophobic rv sites I just couldn't get past and the pricing of a KOA always hurts the pockets a bit more even with them being nice and the common kitchen area I was attempting to use and had a few issues, this could have been just when I was visiting so I don't want to completely hold that against them but it was having issued.

TIPS:

* Visit Wilson's Creek Battlefield to explore, learn and hike.  When you come to this KOA it obviously does not have any hiking, but the battlefield offers a lengthy system of trails .* Bass Pro's home is Springfield, MO so you will not only find the largest Bass Pro there but also a unique museum of all animals which is quite spectacular.

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Jesse & James Properties is here to ensure you have a great time on the river, whether you bring your tent or RV, have kayaks or not, they have you covered!  Check them out and make sure to post some pictures of your trip on the Dyrt!

Right off I-44 in Missouri and only 10 minutes from Fort Leonard Wood. Convenient to Waynesville and St. Robert.

Owners are very helpful and informative. Remember to stop by the office and check out a movie on a rainy day!

A trout fisher dream, as one of Missouri’s 5 hacherys are here. Fun for this kids to see the amazing amount of fish. Due to rain I didn’t have the opportunity to hit any of the trails, but there are several that vary in length and difficulty.