Best Tent Camping near Mark Twain Lake in Missouri

Recent Tent Reviews near Mark Twain Lake

329 Reviews of 13 Mark Twain Lake Campgrounds

• N

  Nora V.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 19, 2019

  Ray Behrens

  Army Corps of Engineers sute

  Very quiet and beautiful here. We are on site 93 with a partial view of the Mark Twain lake. Had to use blocks site goes down hill. Stayed 2 nights for $18 total with National senior pass. Electric hookup only. 91 degrees needed fan air movement. Water and dump are $24 a night. They also have tent camping.

• c

  carla R.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 13, 2024

  Danville Conservation Area

  Watch out for ticks

  Lovely wooded spot. There are about 6-8 sites. Can back in a camper. Outhouse building. Only had one other camper. Shaded, wooded. We had a lovely night but woke up covered in ticks! Lots of ticks here. We ride our motorcycles here to tent camp. Sites are close. Fire rings , no picnic tables.

• 

  Mike D.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 28, 2019

  Indian Creek Campground

  Cozy campground on Mark Twain Lake

  The rain was a pain but didn't ruin Mark Twain! Though I grew up outside of St. Louis, I'd never been to this campground or to Mark Twain Lake.  Really enjoyed exploring the area and the campground was nice.  Showers were a short walk and campsites had a decent amount of privacy.  The Loop we were on was really better suited to motor homes and we were tent camping.  We had two tents and had to set them up in kind of a odd location near the loop road. Some sites were better then others but I wouldn't come back to this exact site to pitch a tent. If you have a camper though, its great. 

  You are right on the lake here, though it's a bluff so when you get to the edge, there is a steep drop off. It's very pretty and my kids are 9 and 11 so I wasn't worried but if there were much younger I'd be concerned about letting them wander toward the lake as they could slip and fall in.  Since part of the reason I take the kids camping is to be able to let them explore, I'd go to another area with younger kiddos. 

  That being said, there was a trail that you could take for about 10 minutes that took you down to water level and is decent for swimming.

  We took a day trip to Hannibal, which is a fun little town. Took in the Mark Twain Museum and took a riverboat cruise. On another day, we rented a pontoon boat to explore the lake, which I'd recommend as well. 

  Once you get the to the campground, you are at least 30 minutes from any store, gas station, etc, to stock up.  

  We were there mostly during the week and it was very quiet.  As it got closer to the weekend, it started to really fill up and get more lively. Mostly families and such so didn't mind but just a heads up. 

  In the end, lovely area, really well maintained campground and would recommend.

• T

  Terri

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 4, 2021

  Ray Behrens Recreational

  Peaceful and relaxing

  Clean with shaded spots. Hiking trails and easy access to Mark Twain lake.

• 

  zannie P.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 15, 2018

  Indian Creek Campground

  Secluded sites, clean showers.

  Great beach and marina. Mark Twain Lake is beautiful. Lots of hiking trails and greenery between campsites. Many established trees. Ticks galore so prepare for that. 1-2 bars with ATT throughout park.

• E

  Elisha P.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 16, 2019

  Ray Behrens

  Great tent and Camper site

  This is the most common place my friends and family camp at for Mark Twain Lake. Very clean and well kept. The kids bike around on the pavement and play in the little park. Great access to a few coves too. Very close to Black Jack Marina and a boat launch.

• 

  b K.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 16, 2023

  Ray Behrens

  Best campground on Mark Twain Lake

  Ray Behrens is an extremely large and well laid out campground with beautiful spacious and wooded sites! It has a wonderful, full service marina and a few great trails that lead to the water. It is by far the best Corp of Engineer campground on Mark Twain Lake! Oh, and don't forget to watch the beautiful sunsets!

• 

  Hannah W.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 24, 2018

  Indian Creek Campground

  25+ years of memories here

  I've come here every year since I was a toddler with family, and continue to enjoy it. Great for families as there are a couple fun playgrounds and always kids and adults alike enjoying bikerides and walks through the campground and along the trails, some of which offer lake access with beautiful views and good fossil hunting along the shores of Mark Twain Lake.. The sites are roomy and well maintained, and the bathrooms are clean and well kept. It is however a popular spot and fills up quick on weekends!

• A

  Art Z.

  Guide

  

  May. 13, 2023

  Driftwood Campground & RV Park

  Super Clean, Super Helpful

  I tent-camped at Driftwood during a bike tour along the Mississippi River Trail. The showers and restroom were impressively clean. The hosts could not have made me feel more welcome.

• W

  Whiskey B.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 13, 2022

  Pittsfield City Lake

  Quiet, tree covered and spacious

  Real nice campground with bathrooms and showers. Only $5 to tent camp here! Great view of the lake and easy to hike trails. Only downside is that the mosquitoes will eat you alive!

• 

  Cathy S.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 15, 2020

  Ray Behrens

  Beautiful

  I can’t say enough about this beautiful campground on the shores of Mark Twain Lake. Friendly staff made us feel right at home. Three sections Deer run cedar ridge and Little Blue Stem. We stayed at Little Blue Stem. All three have quite a selection off full hookups as well as 50 Amp sites. There was an adequate Shower house in each section. All felt clean and safe. Large sites nestled in well wooded area. Black Jack Marina minutes away has convenient store and rentals. Even serves breakfast on the weekends. Several different area boat ramps as great picnic areas. Play area closed due to Covid.

• 

  Julia V.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 14, 2024

  Finger Lakes State Park Campground

  Had everything we needed

  Basic tent site, potable water was right near our site. Bathrooms were clean. There were some families staying nearby but overall was a quiet stay.

• 

  Toni S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 27, 2023

  Lazy Day Campground

  Simply Fabulous

  We discovered this gym. On our way home. Just needed to stay overnight, but will definitely be back. The little details make it very homey. Sites are well laid out and easy to maneuver. Full hook ups or tent sites are available to meet the needs of the camper. Clean facility and family friendly.

• 

  Gamer Fortnite K.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 8, 2022

  Whispering Oaks Campgrounds

  Pompous A$$holes

  This campground use to be a great place to camp until it got new owners. They no longer offer tent camping and they completely shut it off from the public. My family has been going there for generations including having family reunions there. That place helped so many parents and kids get thru their summer breaks. Now you can't step foot on the property without having rented an rv spit.

• 

  Annie C.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 30, 2021

  Cozy C RV Campground, LLC

  Convenient spot for a quick stop

  Currently this is an RV only campground due to Covid restrictions, but there is ample space for tent camping when they return to allowing tents. So, RV sites include pull through and back in with water and electric hookups, and a dump station on site. There is a nice bathhouse and super clean laundry with a little lending library. Also on site is a community room(currently closed due to covid restrictions), an outdoor pavilion, and a miniature golf set up. The campground is wedged between the highway and a cow farm, so expect some noise, especially with few trees or landscaping to absorb the sound.

• 

  Annie C.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 21, 2021

  Great River Road Campground

  Good enough for an overnight

  No frills camping on the edge of the fairgrounds, there are campsites mostly for RV’s (full hook ups- 50 amp and 30 amp, and sites with sewer), and space for tents on the margins (might be why tent “sites” are free). The bathhouse was locked when I passed through, and no one was camping here, but there is an emergency number to call, so I guess if I had wanted to camp here I could have had someone come out and unlock the bathhouse for me. The town is a short walk away with a convenience store and not much else, but still cute. Don’t expect any privacy or shade here as there are no trees.

• 

  Jon B.

  Guide

  

  May. 4, 2023

  Lazy Day Campground

  Very Nice Campground

  There are five tent camp spots located at Lazy Day and we camped on T4 at the very back of the campground. The on site facilities were excellent and clean, and these include a shop (with souvenirs as well as basic necessities and other assorted items), showers, and bathrooms. The T4 spot is pretty well isolated near the back and is right next to the trail that goes to one of the two fishing ponds on site. In addition to the trail leading to the back pond, there is another short trail that cuts through the woods on the south side of the camp. Despite the large size of the campground (about 65 RV spots) the noise level was fine and we went undisturbed while sleeping.

• 

  Jayden K.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 20, 2022

  Lazy Day Campground

  Really cool, would stay again

  We stayed at one of the few tent sites. It was a shaded spot under some pine trees, and that came with the occasional tick. No big deal though. There are two “club houses”. We spent some time in the smaller one by the pool. There was a shelf for you to take a book leave a book. The other shelves where filled with hundreds of dvds to choose from to play on the tv. There was also a stove, sink, and fridge. Which was very nice since we had a tent. The bathrooms were very clean and the showers were free. The aesthetic of the camp was amazing and rustic. There’s a coin laundry room outside the bathrooms, which was also really nice but we didn’t end up using. We only stayed a night, but will definitely be back.

• 

  Annie C.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 21, 2021

  The Meadow Campground & Coffee House

  Incredible campground!

  All I can say of this fairly new campground is WOW! Tent sites in the trees with river views, water/electric at all of the RV pull thru sites, on site dump station, cute cabins in a variety of sizes, great hammocking trees, and a super clean bathhouse. If that is not enough, there is a coffee bar that serves light sandwiches, on site kayak outfitter, and summer concerts on the stage. About the only drawback I can see is that it will be so popular that it will be hard to get a site in the busy season without advance reservations. Even sitting next to the busy highway, there isn’t a lot of road noise thanks to the trees. If I was in a tent I would want to try and get sites 15 or 17 as they are large and have great views of the river.

• 

  Tony M.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 2, 2019

  Indian Creek Campground

  A mix between primitive and RV Camping

  We spent last night camping at Indian Camp Creek park and it’s a great mix between primitive camping with limited connection and camping at an RV parking lot. We took our 4 year old daughter tent camping for the first time and this was a great location. Although there’s only 8 individual tent spots available, it seems as though there’s always a spot available and each site is secluded by a group of trees. Each spacious site is equipped with a nice sized firepit, a concrete pad with a picnic table and a soft flat level space for a tent. One restroom with no running water is well kept and trash was picked up in the morning.

  The park is loaded with activities. Great hiking trails, a huge kids playground, a pond with trails, and a full frisbee golf course. There’s a nice creek that runs through the front of the park you can cool off and float on a tube. The park is incredibly clean and well maintained. You could easily spend a weekend doing various activities without getting bored.

  You can reserve a site online, but it has to be 4 days in advance otherwise it’s first come, first serve. There’s also the option for group camping, although we never checked it out.

  All in all, it’s a great site, about 15 minutes away from wentzville. If you are looking for extreme primitive, or a place to park your camper, this is not your place.

• 

  Josh S.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 8, 2019

  Puma — Mark Twain State Park

  Ranger Review: GCI Outdoor Master Cook Station at Mark Twain State Park

  Campground Review:

  Mark Twain state Park is an absolute blast. approximately 30 minutes from Hannibal MO this park sits on Mark Twain Lake. Several hiking trails in the area will get you in touch with nature and an abundance of deer. Large playgrounds in the camping area's as well as visitor center areas. All loops in this park have electric and basic sites. No water hookups aside from host sites. Best part is all shower houses fairly new. We never located any vault toilets but found all three loops had their own shower house.

  Park has a boat ramp with ample parking and if you have better luck than I did a fish cleaning station. While having a boat ramp close may be a deterrent it was rare to have much boat noise with the tall trees surrounding these large private sites. 

  We stayed in site 76 in puma loop which was a sloping site but it was massive. The lots on either side of ours were similar in layout but much more level. 76 also has a path to the waterfront which we utilized daily.

  It rained on us for most of our stay we found Mark twain state park to be well worth the trip. 

  Product Review:

  As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time- today I am testing the GCI Outdoors Master Cook Station. 

  While looking at GCIOutdoors.com for the right item for my family to try out we were amazed at the function of their site.  We were able to compare multiple items flawlessly and despite  much debate locate an item we believed may reduce our overall need to pack everything including the kitchen sink. The cook station didn't immediately jump off the page for my wife. She had her heart set on a new rocker chair of which GCI Outdoors has an amazing selection. However, I was able to win her over after pointing out the endless options the Master Cook Station (AKA My Kitchen) Offers.

  My Kitchen provides functionality as a table, a cook top, a drying rack, food storage, and does so taking up the same amount of space as a folding chair. Our first night in camp the dreaded dinner bell began ringing and my loving wife walked over to our new kitchen. After cooking, plating, and eating from this beast she looked at me and said, "Never again will I doubt your decision making about anything." (or at least thats how I remember it.) She actual was really impressed how this cook station had taking the stress out of meal time. With a built in sink we were able to cook, eat, and clean from a singular location and when done we could either fold it up and tuck it away or use it for evening activities. 

  As a pop up camper space is always limited and at a premium. The GCI Outdoor Master Cook Station not only met our expectations it surpassed them. This swiss army table will be a must have among all of our friends and the high quality of this product tells me that we will get to show it off for quite some time.

• J

  James W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 18, 2024

  Driftwood Campground & RV Park

  Nice family owned csmpground

  At one time this campground was a KOA campground so if you are familiar with KOA, you know the basic layout. We stayed here in our tent and while the tent area was closed for receding new grass the owner let us stay in a grassy area under the trees near the office. It was a great stsy and the restrooms and pool were nice and clean. We enjoyed ourselves and cooled off in the hot weather.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 3, 2016

  Long Branch State Park Campground

  Long Branch State Park has something for everyone!!!

  Long Branch State Park is amazing. It is clean, modern, and all of the amenities of an RV Park. Sounds great if you like to RV or haul a camper, but this park is awesome if you prefer less amenities and like to camp in your tent. For Tent campers there are walk-in campsites that let you pitch your tent right near the beach.

  If you have your own boat or prefer a kayak or canoe the lake is big and beautiful. You can even rent kayaks and canoes at the park. They have ice cream and fun for everyone. I interviewed the camp host, Nelma, she had a great one minute video telling all about the park.

• B

  Blake M.

  Guide

  

  May. 18, 2023

  Hanson Hills Campground

  Fun night!

  Very relaxed place. Kinda drive in and park anywhere you see a firepit. We had a rooftop tent on the truck and a tent. We camped near the smaller pond. The spot was fine and there wasn’t a ton of tent campers so we had the place to ourselves. The portapotties were gnarly but the toilets/showers behind the office were clean and had hot water. Staff was friendly when we checked in and we bought an armfull of fire wood and they even dropped it off where we parked in their sidebyside but it was damp so we had to scavage some smaller sticks to get the fire hot enough to self sustain. There was a lot of burned cans and some trash in our fire pit when we showed up so we threw it all away before we started our fire. Would stay again but it definitely isn’t a 5 star clean place. Think Ruth from Ozark show.

• K

  Kelly C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 2, 2020

  William R. Logan Conservation Area

  No Complaints

  Plenty of tent spots with tree cover and fire pits. Lighting bugs came out at night.

• 

  Misty F.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 9, 2021

  Lakeview Park - Mexico

  Clean and friendly

  It was a nice 5 day stay posts of room for your tent and parking. Play ground was very clean and pavilion had lots of outlets and picnic tables.

• 

  Grant M.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 27, 2021

  Long Branch State Park Campground

  More than meets the eye.

  So, at first glance, small corps of engineers lake and stock Missouri state parks campground. But, we came back and there’s some unique stuff. A small trail that winds through tall grass prairie is great for kids and a cool perspective not much found in state. Also, there’s a sweet backpacking loop on a peninsula that is super rare north of the Missouri River. Quiet, and a great stop off hwy 36.