The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Merriam Woods , MISSOURI

Not my favorite of all parks but also not one to miss. Roaring river state park has a working trout fish hatchery. You can walk the holding tanks and feed the trout from baby to ready to be released into the river. There is also a cave you can walk in where you’ll find a pool of water that goes for miles underground. Roaring river has three different campgrounds. I prefer ground one and two…however the downside is the spots are not very spacious / far apart from those camping next to you. There are also several hiking trails through out the park, a visitors center, bath houses, a pool, and swimming holes (the water is very cold—great in the hot summer)

They are currently redoing the park in a multi million dollar project. The plan was to be completed already however due to COVID19 there have been some delays. I am excited to see the improvements once complete.

It’s quite the trip down the dirt road to get here. Probably will take you 20/30 minutes of gravel road. Don’t recommend bringing any type of trailer down here. The sites are nice— variety of options depending on the type of site you want. They also have hike in sites. Also the sites are FREE. No electricity/ water / hookups. Depending on when you go there could be a lot of campers. Hiking here is beautiful. Watch for Elk, you’ll probably see an armadillo or two as well. You can hike from camp to an old homestead then to the river and back. It’s probably a couple of miles but a relatively flat hike. You’ll want to grab fire wood on your way out to camp and there is no cell service.

I've never been there but the reviews and the website look wonderful.  I only reviewed to say it's probably not a good place for motorcycles to get in and out.  The road in is dirt and gravel.   I'd still love to go try it car camping though.

But here we go….

This place is AMAZING! Gun range, Horse Riding Trails, Camping and a water source. The scenery is so breathtaking and you never want to leave!

Definitely one of the most peaceful and tranquil campsites I ever stayed. Great place for families too. Access to Table Rock, Game Room, Pool and Jacuzzi. Small cabins and A-frames to rent. They have it all. This is my getaway!

This is a COE facility. Pads are generally good and pretty level. Sites are spaced out nicely. There is a marina here with a restaurant that is open during the season. It had just closed on Labor Day when we were here. I would definitely recommend it and I would stay here again. There is not a lot to do though if you are not going out on the lake. We drove over and spent the afternoon at Roaring River State Park, which is very near by.

Even though site states there is

Nice place to walk in the woods, camping by permit, short drive from Springfield, high traffic

Pros: Great location on the river and close to plenty of hiking trails! Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring. The bathrooms were well maintained and there is drinking water available. You can walk to the river from the campground which is very convenient! I'd recommend booking a campsite along the trees and further from the parking lot. Good for groups - you can book multiple spots next to each other. I booked the site through recreation.gov. 

Cons: I gave this campground 4 stars instead of 5 only because I prefer less crowded campgrounds where the campsites are more spread out. This campground was full on the Saturday we were there (even though my photos don't show it) which we expected based on it's popularity. Each site is very close to the next. You may end up next to a group of partiers who want to stay up late with loud music, making it hard to fall asleep, so you never know what you'll experience at a campsite like this.

This campground was one of my favorites to stay at. It has a fairly central location to a lot of interesting trails and sights (Hemmed-In Falls, Glory Hole trail, etc.) . My girlfriend and I went during a dry spell, and couldn't find a good swimming hole to relax at. Well, it turns out that right behind the campsite is the best place to swim! Can't recommend this site enough, will go again soon.