Best Tent Camping near New Madrid, MO

Tent 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.

We typically camp just at the end of season and have this is our favorite place to camp. We always tent camp with minimal supplies. It is has always been clean and even during peak season I felt there was plenty of space between campsites.

If you are looking for a beautiful RV or tent site on the water, look here. There is a massive lake, perfect for a quiet day on the water. We kayaked out to an island and did some fishing. We didn’t catch anything, but it was relaxing. Campground was oddly quiet, especially after dark... we were the only site with a fire going.

Hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Boat and jet ski rentals in season.

My group and I camped in two of the basic sites in Asher Creek campground and we couldn’t get enough of the front-row lake view! The sites closest to the lake are very level, and everyone in the campground is only a short walk from the cleanest park restrooms I’ve ever seen. If you’re like me and are just doing basic tent camping, I’d recommend a pop-up canopy for the table area since there is not a lot of tree cover in those sites. Overall, an excellent place to camp!

We camp here a lot and have tried several spots in the South campground.  The ones near the lake have views but don't have water access.  There is also a pavilion near the lake.  

Sites 22, 24, 25, 70 backup to the forest and have lots of room to set up tents, however they are the first to flood and stay wet longer.  

The map is pretty good about and shows pictures of the sites.  At the time of this review the bathrooms between sites 64 & 66 were closed.  The bathrooms and showers near site 23 are bigger and more accessible.  The bathrooms and showers near site 4 do have a ramp but it is uneven, the space inside is much smaller and would be difficult to navigate with a wheelchair.

Site 43 has trees on both sides of the pad and, based on comments from another camper, can be difficult to back in a larger camper.

Sites in the mid and upper 40's are also good for tent camping.  The cypress trees in the area send roots up and the ground can be lumpy because of them.  The campground has lots of gopher holes all over.  The mosquitoes are bad and you should take some strong bug spray. 

The campgrounds does have drainage issues when it rains and if your forecast predicts rain, you might want to put your tent up on the pad.

They opened a small gift shop this year.  The sell worms, and they now rent canoes and kayaks.  There is a boat launch near the entrance, but you can't launch anything too wide.

This campground is due for a makeover and I heard that it is in the works.  

If you love bird watching or photography this place is a dream; osprey, eagles, herons, egrets, and so many others are everywhere.  Pelican's stop here on their migration and I recommend the pontoon tour in October during the festival if you want to see them on the water.

We booked online, from the photos of site 48 at the Ridge Campground loop, there was plenty of space for our tent & to enjoy our weekend camping. We could not have been more WRONG! This site is TINY! Not even enough room for our tent, the fire pit is nearly touching the picnic table & a drainage line runs right through the site. The grass was SO tall, leaves & Brush everywhere. The site & fire pit were full of trash! I pulled countless bottle caps out of my dogs mouth, and had to clean up broken glass as well. We spoke with the host & moved one site over, to #49. This site was bigger & looked more appealing. We were still WRONG! The ticks, ants & mosquitoes were thick (I know were outside, and I understand - but the amount of ticks I picked off ourselves, our tent, our chairs, table etc was more than normal.) when breaking down our tent we found a nest of black ants, millions of them, all through our tarps.

The bathrooms in this loop are large, but they are much older. They were dirty - constant trash on the floors, including sanitary pad wrappers & bloody tissues. The soap dispenser was broken, and someone had busted the lid off to get to the soap inside. There were dead bugs all over the counter & the showers didn’t drain, they had standing water. When we drove through the Asher loop it was like a different campground! I couldn’t believe the difference and was quite upset. Just because Ridge is the older part of the park doesn’t mean it should be maintained any different. We will NOT return to the Ridge campground, but would love to stay at Asher one day.

Perfect area for history buffs, plus lots of hiking, boating, and wildlife. There is info on local nature and historical facts, primarily Civil War. There are two camping options: RV friendly sites and log cabins.

Yay: Very clean, wooded open sites. Close to town.

Nay: it’s a typical RV-friendly loop so not much privacy for tent campers.

Surprise: great little Civil War museum.

Definitely choose the north campground (airport) if you are looking for a quieter, less claustrophobic camping experience. We stayed here in a tent. Everyone else had RVs so we had the bathroom and showers to ourselves. Bathrooms were clean and we had no problems with airport noise. It’s not the most scenic campground in the world, but there are plenty of trees and it’s very quiet. Plus, less bugs because you aren’t right next to the water.

The campground was laid out well in the fact that you didn’t feel crowded at all, even when there were lots of campers. We were in site 45 with a 33 ft travel trailer and had plenty of room. Nice walk for our dog and grassy areas also. Showers were clean but nowhere to put toiletries except on the dressing area bench... but that was okay. It was all tiled also. Mosquitoes were the big downfall. Just be prepared. We put up a screen tent as well as having bug spray. Ate at Boyettes too and it was really good.

This is a perfect spot for a pass though. 3 back in spots with fire pits and tables. Road coming into the camp ground can get a little rough depending on season, but it’s gravel. Spots are perfect for smaller rigs. Sites are only a few miles from our house, we use it to test out new gear (hammocks)

General Watkins has a good amount of ponds (great fishing) and has a few good walking/ small hiking trails.

This campground will always be packed for Missouri firearm deer season. Mid November. But normally has open spots rest of the time.

Worth the trip up from US 60 if you’re driving E/W, standard MSP rates and setup. There’s a campground on the lake and and a campground up on the ridge. We’ve stayed on the ridge twice, and on a weeknight or any night in the off season, you can nearly have the place to yourself. On a Monday in July, I counted 2 other campers in the ridge campground.

Close to several trails, and obviously the lake, for my Bootheel and Bootheel adjacent friends, this is a great spot close at hand.

For folks from away, look, from April to September, you’re gonna want electric so you can run AC (or at least a fan), Missouri humidity is not a joke.

Got here on a Saturday night in late September and both of the campsites were available. Campsites consist of a clearing with a fire pit and a picnic table. No litter. No toilets. Very slow and spotty AT&T service: I was able to text but not access the Internet. The area is very pretty. Soft ground for staking a tent. Bugs were alright, no need for bug spray. There’s water access at the pond, but it’s obviously stagnant and very brackish. Big downside was a convoy of Jeeps full of partiers rolled down to the pond at 12:30am and hung out down there blasting music for an hour, which is a real sleep ruiner. This might be a local party spot, so be aware and maybe pack earplugs if you’re coming on a weekend. Upside is that it’s in a National Forest, so if both sites are taken, you can always dispersed camp

We camped here for 2 nights on the weekend. The state park has 2 campgrounds. We stayed at the main one at the lake and near the visitor center. The campsites were extremely close together. Each of them had electricity and water. There were a few primitive sites at the end of our loop. The campground has 2 bathhouses with showers. You also have a little check in building. The staff was very nice and provided excellent knowledge about the area. They also rent out boats and sell some merchandise and ice. The boat ramp is right next to it. The lake is very beautiful. We saw pelicans, bald eagles, and herons. The campground is on a main road so you will hear traffic. If you don't want to cook, there are restaurants very close by. The area is very well maintained. There is even a little nature trail starting at the campground. The other short trails are within brief driving distance. The sunset from area near the boat ramp was spectacular. For our taste it was just way too crowded. We drove over to the other campground and it was much more quiet and less packed with RVs and tents. The disadvantage is that the driving distance to the lake and the town is much longer. If you are into fishing and bird watching, it is the place to be.

Great place to camp! Lots of shade. Bathhouse is nice.

This is a lovely park with wide asphalt and level spaces, water and electricity hookup. We snagged a lakeside spot and listened to the water lapping up against the bank while we slept. Quiet and peaceful. Took our jeep and did some off road exploring. Also, the price to stay at this park is very low for what you get. Highly recommended. We drive a 40 foot Tiffin Allegro Bus and had no issues navigating the park.

We had spot 5 and 6. The area is quiet and nice it’s right next to a little airport that no one really uses. The water is on the wrong side on the site so bring a extra hose.

Reelfoot is just a few hours from our Tennessee home and a great weekend spot. The campground is next to a waterfront restaurant with boat/fishing and a nice deck. There are several restaurants and stores close to the campground.

The camp store is small but has essential items and the folks were nice. They delivered wood to our site.

This campground had a lot of families, a simple but age appropriate playground (ages 5-12), and many spots with views of the lake. The bath house nearest our site (88) was not in commission, and judging from the webs and nature overtaking it I would say it hd been closed for a long time. The land is low so if there is heavy rain it will be soggy in many places. The site we had was spaced nicely from others but close to the main road. Lots of campers with dogs. Only one hiking trail on-site. We did choose one night to go to the resort restaurant (a fish house) next door to the campground (a quick walk even with small children).

Campground is well layed out with everything well marked. The campsites all have Blacktop drives With concrete pads for picnic tables. Picnic tables are fastened down so you cannot move them. Water and electric are near each site as well as a standard fire ring. There are 2 shower houses on each end of the campground and then there are also several bathrooms on each opposing corner so they're close to all camp sites. Beware the lake has a lot of snakes, so if you are in a lake front campsite you are more likely to see snakes. And the sights along the leg from 23 24 25 up to 68 and on down to the seventies on the map looks like it's lake front but it's actually backed with wooded overgrowth.

Stayed for the night on the south campground and it was excellent. Lots of friendly people with locals and travelers alike . Only downside was the massive amount of gnats and mosquitos by the lake sites. Bring your mosquito repellent and don’t let them take away the great experience you can have here! :)

Toilet and bathroom very far from where we stayed. Campgrounds were very near to each other.

This was our first trip to Reelfoot Lake. We wanted to be close to the lake when we made our reservation so we picked this site because it was available for the days we were able to go. After arriving we felt like we had the best spot for sitting and looking out over the lake. It was only available for two days but it worked for us. The area was clean, but more people for a Wednesday/Thursday then expected. The bathroom was also very tidy with great water pressure and temperature.

We arrived in the evening and almost didn’t stay the night. Actually, we were schedule to stay two nights and left around 9 the next morning. The mosquitoes, gnats, and flies were so overwhelming that we couldn’t go outside and even spent most the evening killing bugs inside the camper with no lights on. I’m sure it would be beautiful in the winter, but I would not step anywhere close in the summer months.

Reelfoot Lake Campgrounds and recreation area is what I refer to as an inside out park. You have to go by road or boat from area to area. The Lake being the center of the park and the areas are "fanned" around it with privately owned areas in between.

Exceptional canoeing and wildlife! This park is like nothing else, it’s a flooded forest. You can kayak among this and other lovely bayou environments, lakes, etc. I love this park and have enjoyed it in all seasons. You will need a watercraft of some sort or you will be kicking yourself for not being able to enjoy it fully. You can rent canoes and boats nearby but not at the park itself. Nice easy hiking trails too. Close to town for restaurants and necessities.

There are two campgrounds. This review is for South Campground. This campground has more amenities than the other campground, including a playground, showers, etc. The camping spots are fairly close together here.

Yay: Nature center, amazing kayaking, great wildlife!

Nay: Sites a little small/close. You have to drive to see most of the park.

**Surprise: take one of the many ranger-led tours by land or boat!! We did a bird watching tour that was incredible, we got close to so many different species.  **

Exceptional canoeing and wildlife! This park is like nothing else, it’s a flooded forest. You can kayak among this and other lovely bayou environments, lakes, etc. I love this park and have enjoyed it in all seasons. You will need a watercraft of some sort or you will be kicking yourself for not being able to enjoy it fully. You can rent canoes and boats nearby but not at the park itself. Nice easy hiking trails too. Close to town for restaurants and necessities.

There are two campgrounds. This review is for Airport/North Campground. This is the smaller of the two, which is great for seclusion but it also has fewer amenities and is further from the park offices. There are no showers but you can drive to the other campground to use those. Each site is much more spacious.

Yay: Amazing kayaking, great wildlife!

Nay: there are only about a dozen sites here, but they are reservable. Not as close to the water as at South Campground. You have to drive to see most of the park.

**Surprise: take one of the many ranger-led tours by land or boat!! We did a bird watching tour that was incredible, we got close to so many different species. **