Best Tent Camping near Ozark, MO

Lovely spot in Missouri. Passing through to Tennessee and found this gem of a spot with 2 vault toilets, trash and it’s free! Arrived at sunset in a Wednesday and only 2 other campers. There’s about 6 spots to pull in with a camper/ RV then at least 6 tent spots. Most spots have a fire ring and picnic table. 2-3 bars of LTE with AT&T. Little bit of road noise but no issues sleeping in my van. Everyone we came across was kind. No electric or water so come prepared. Closest town for supplies is around 25 minutes. Would definitely stay here again!

Open:  year round

Reservations:  877-444-6777 or recreation.gov

                           Reservations must be made at least 3 days in advance

Fees:  $15.00 single with electric

            $10.00 single no electric

            $45.00 group site

            Passes honored

Bear Aware.  Beautiful fence around campground with the road and pads all paved.  Nice.  Complete campground is well maintained.  Camp host on duty, no gate house.  Sites are very large and spaced out well.  Some pull thrus.  Picnic table, fire ring, toilets, showers, water, trash.  There are nearly 80 miles of inter connected loops that go from easy to hard terrian, winding in and out of forested hollers and along ridge tops.  ATV must be 50 inches wide or less.

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CLICK HERE for Info on Branson

For those looking for a campground near Branson which offers access to top attractions as well as Table Rock Lake, Indian Point is worth a consideration. The park itself is only a short distance from the 76 Strip and has quick access to Silver Dollar City, even sharing a tram system with the park. 

The campground is well spaced and offers shaded sites for a variety of sizing options from tent camping to larger pull through sites. Each site boasting the standard amenities for travel of a fire ring and picnic table. Many also have connections available and include both water and electrical offerings. 

The site offers a dump station for those RVers needing the service and day use areas for those wanting to visit for fun day at the lake without the commitment of an overnight stay. Picnic Shelters are available and can also be rented for special events and larger groups. 

Restrooms here vary and have both standard restrooms and shower houses. The set up itself is very nice and looks to be much more improved than some parks in the area offering a bit more privacy from the typical sites which have only curtain doors. The facilities instead look very well maintained and have private restroom and shower units for those using them. Although they are still recommending as much distancing as possible and use of your own isolated restrooms when applicable. 

When I visited I noticed the sites are not all created equally in way of parking, some were very lengthy and could easily allow for more than one vehicle while others were lucky to have a small parking area for a car and tent. My advice is to defiantly look and book online before coming to the park before any trip to ensure your spacing. For those not doing so, additional parking is located throughout the park in small pull out areas near restrooms and closer to the boat ramp areas. 

With recent closures of many outdoor areas, this location has opened its doors to tourists once again for the season and with that it has quickly become a popular destination. For this reason you will want to book ahead of time and be prepared to face larger than usual crowds when using the public spaces. 

Rains also can dictate your usage of certain portions of the park as the level of the lake can climb and engulf the swimming beach and outlets to the marina. Upon my visit I noticed the swimming beach was completely under water and thus the facilities near it were not able to be used. The marina was very busy despite many of the walkways being underwater slightly or a brief walk through water to get to. 

The overall feel of this campground is very homey as the people visiting all seem to be very family friendly. The limitation of alcohol keeps man of the party goes away from this park and it allows for quieter evenings and more family based fun inside the park itself with the vast open spaces. 

In addition to the lake and campground themselves, there is a small general store located just across from the camp to make those last minute pick ups a bit easier to find versus running back into town. This is extremely helpful for those who need something small but don’t want to have to drive far to get it. A small restaurant is also located in this area. 

Tips: 

• If you are staying here book online and really look at the map when doing so to ensure your sizing needs are met in way of parking. 
• Venture into Branson for live shows and music, activities and more!! 
• Take a hike on one of the many hiking trails in the areas and explore this region of Missouri!! 
• Check the weather before securing a waterfront site. Lake levels are displayed on the Table Rock website and you will want to make sure you are not visiting when lakes are overflowing to the point of cutting down your adventure. CLICK HERE FOR LAKE LEVEL

This is a favorite campground and swimming hole! It is close to Silver Dollar City and other Branson activities. We most recently camped in the far loop which is not waterfront but has nice sites. We could hike down to the waterfront but there really arent designated trails from this area. It was rough terrain. There is plenty of shade and places for the kids to hang their hammocks. We like the bathrooms with the private toilet and shower. No issues with crowding or waiting for one to open up.

The swim beach is nice and has picnic tables for use. We kayaked around the cove while others swam. No alcohol or pets allowed in the beach area which I appreciated. Family friendly!

As a person who has been to Silver Dollar City more times than a I can count, I never realized that the theme of the park was echoed in yet another location of Branson.   It wasn't until I visited the Wilderness at Silver Dollar City, a unique campground located just beyond the property lines of the park itself, that I was able to see just how fun it would be to stay basically in the park but also in the wilderness.

Let me explain, you are not in the park itself, rather on the border in a nice shaded and wooded area with some massive improvements for comfort.    There is a pool for those hot summer days, very nice bath houses and loops for both RVs and tent campers.   But the theme of Silver Dollar City is most prevalently able to be seen in the vintage style cabins they have on the cabin loop.   It is here that you feel like you are truly a part of the park still as the structures closely resemble those within the many streets of the park.   You almost expect to see some of the characters roaming around doing their daily tasks such as cutting wood or creating amazing crafts.   

The cabin area is hands above the rest, the best thing you will find for vintage country style vibes in this area!!  They come in many styles and sizes to accommodate any family, and they offer a variety of unique features depending on the selection.    Something I did notice was they do have old rockers on the porches for that perfect night in the Ozarks all the while offering a modern grill on each cabin to make a stay here both iconic and convenient.   

On the main camping loops you find many sizes and styles of camping sites.    Larger RVs have elongated pull ins for their rigs with large side yard style spaces while smaller rigs have just enough room to pull in and detach so they can go explore.    Pricing reflects the size of the spaces themselves as it does with the style of connections or lack there of.

As a tent camper I noticed the camping loop for tents specifically was very quiet and located slightly away from the RV campers.   A large field separated the two and it made all the difference in way of road traffic and also camping congestion.   Not as many campers come here to stay primitive in the tent only area and it cut down on a lot of the traffic near restrooms as well.

Tent camping loop is basic with fire rings and picnic tables.   There are common water spigots placed for usage but otherwise it is no frills.    Camping here you can walk throughout camp but it is the furthest distance from the main areas for recreation.

Something else nice about this campground  is the access you have to the park itself.  A dedicated shuttle runs to the campground from the park to pick up anyone who is wanting to visit so you do not have to worry about finding parking or driving at all once you arrive.    You can navigate directly to the ticket counter from the campground without lengthy lines waiting for trollies or having to walk further.   Additionally staying here you have additional discounts in the park itself, so keep that in mind if you are planning a trip!!!

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.