Are you planning a tent camping trip to St. Charles? We've got you covered. With The Dyrt, it's easy to find St. Charles campgrounds for you and your tent. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of St. Charles, Missouri's most popular destinations.
Pitch your tent in one of four widely spaced sites. Each site has enough room for multiple tents and includes a fire pit and picnic table. The sites are just a short walk from our shower/restroom facility. The fishing ponds are just a quarter mile walk from the campsites, and access to the numerous trails throughout our 940-acre property is directly from the campsites. While we have four designated sites, it is rare for all to be full, and likely that you'll be the only campers here most days. We are located in a very remote/rural part of Illinois in a county nestled between the Mississippi& Illinois Rivers, but only 75 miles north of downtown St. Louis. We have been included in John Shirle's"The Best in Tent Camping: Illinois."
The McCully Heritage Project is a 940- acre environmental center located one mile south of Kampsville in beautiful and remote Calhoun County. We are a private non-profit left as the legacy of Howard and Eva McCully.
$20 - $100 / night
$50 - $75 / night
Pick from a variety of spots from the lakeside, to secluded forest, to open field for pitching your tent on this orchard land! This property is open to dispersed camping wherever you prefer. Equipped with fire pits, pond for viewing water fowl, and bathrooms with showers inside the house. This is a great spot to spend the night on your way to or from St. Louis, Chicago or Indianapolis. Close to St Louis and all the fun there! Great biking in the area, hiking at Pere Marquette State Park, and swimming and water sports at Horseshoe Lake State Park. Firewood can be bought on site, grocery, convenience stores, restaurants, fast food and gas stations easy drive of 10-15 min.
$15 - $16 / night
Little Lost Creek is a partially spring-fed Ozark stream, characterized by clear water and a rocky stream bed. Campers are limited to 14 consecutive days in a 30-day period. Groups of more than 10 campers need a special-use permit.
Indian Camp Creek Park is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts. It is St. Charles County’s largest park with 603 acres, including more than 10 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and equestrian use. Camping, disc golf, fishing and an inclusive playground are just some of the amenities found there. Situated at the confluence of Big Creek and Indian Camp Creek, fishing is plentiful. A large lake on the property is stocked with bluegill, bass, and catfish.
History lovers will find the park exciting as well and will want to find their way to the historical Cannon family cemetery. This cemetery has been preserved on park property and has headstones dating back to the early 19th century. Additionally, a "ghost structure" of the original log cabin built in the late 1800s on the site still stands in the park.
Climb to the top of the restored silo, which serves as an observation tower, and discover the beautiful prairies, vast wooded hills, and protected habit found throughout the park.
Group camping site is designed for large group activities and can accommodate up to 100 guests or 200 for an additional fee. Eight individual sites also are available. Rental Fee is $75 per weekday night, or $150 for mandatory two-day weekend reservation.
Tent only camping. Deep in 300 million years old Carboniverous sandstone spring bed valley with fossils. Place to relax & take in the nature of this hidden gem in the city of Belleville, IL. No restrooms. No showers. Swimming in areas of spring is limited to shallow pools. But it is enough to cool you off.
$28 - $38 / night
Sage Mountain is a recreational area located in the heart of Missouri wine country. Located between Hermann and Washington on the south side of the Missouri river. Our 50 acres of virgin forest is home to an abundance of diverse wildlife, 3.6 miles of hiking trails, bolted climbing and bouldering routes established, and a large impressive cave. We are located near the Katy trail for more hiking and biking. Access to the Missouri river nearby for boating and fishing. On site we have an abundance of areas for back country camping, or we allow car camping in our open parking lot.
$25 / night
Scout
Had a great fishing trip and swimming trip
Legend
Most tenants work in the Vicinity . The spaces are a little bit dirty. Nobody picks up after the dogs. The pound is nice, but filthy water
Legend
This is an older RV park and campground, and the age shows. We spent several nights here due to engine problems with our tow vehicle. The sites are level, and there is plenty of shade. (One advantage of being an older park.) But everything is just a little run down. The sites are gravel and close together do not much privacy. They come with water, sewer & electric. There is a pool (closed when we were there), playground, mini golf, a lake, game room, laundry and a small store with basics. The bathroom and showers were clean, but dated. Not all facilities were in working order. Two of 6 washers were out of service, one bathroom stall was out of order, pot holes in the road. There are also cabins, and RVs available to rent. There is quite a bit of traffic noise from I-44 and there are a lot of excess lights kept on all night long. The staff was friendly and check in was easy. Many of the sites are occupied be semi-permanent residents. They have internet, but it is weak and spotty. Saturday night they had a band making noise for 3 hours!
Scout
Great place for the price. The staff is very helpful and welcoming! We will be visiting again in the future!
Guide
I stayed one night in the RV campsite. There was only one other camper. The grass had been mowed recently so the path around the pond was easily walkable.
Not many of the RV sites had fire rings and, with all of the fresh cut grass, it would have taken a lot of raking to make a spot safe for a fire anyway.
Traveler
Well maintained and well managed park. Staff on duty at all hours is awesome! We called ahead but didn't need a reservation. It is a city park and had that feel... not many trees for shade but the lake was pretty and the playground was good for the kiddos. Five minutes from food and stores. 30 minutes from downtown Saint Louis. I'll
ScoutGood value. 25$ for an RV site with water, dump and power. Payment at the village hall.
Still vacant sites in July.
Scout
Great spot in a beautiful area close to St. Louis. No power but access to drinking water and waste water dump for just 8$.
Traveler
I spent a night here camping while on a road trip. The check-in was quick and easy. The host showed me the tent campsites, which are secluded and private from the RV sites. The sites are outfitted with a picnic table and brick fire rings. Some have water spickets. There's a central covered picnic area. Lots of shade and tall trees. You'll want to check them for dead limbs before setting up your site. I didn't ask if hammock camping is allowed. There are at least two sites that would work nicely for a hammock. A portable toilet is available to keep the area sanitary for urgent needs; the flush toilets, laundry, and fitness center at the main entrance are also available for a longer walk or short drive.
Scout
Campground was nice, pretty buggy, but bathrooms were in shambles, showers were full of mud and dirt
ScoutThey are no longer a campground. Bought out now private property.
Traveler
Very secluded!!! Hiking was great!
ScoutMy email is Ddavis91165@gmail.com
TravelerStayed here most of the several weeks we needed to be in St. Louis for family matters. Definitely our favorite place in the area. The grounds are clean and pleasant, if a bit sparse with little shade. This will change over the subsequent years, however, as there are many relatively newly planted trees. The nicest spots are the ones by the lake, with only one neighbor and a better view of the lake. The staff are kind and helpful. Water and electric worked fine. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Trash and recycling receptacles are huge and convenient. My only complaint is the poorly thought out sink situation in the bathrooms which make it impossible to wash in a sanitary way as you must hold the tap to keep the water flowing and there are no paper towels to that with, only hand dryers. There is boating and archery on site, a dog run, and a small playground.
GuideLoved the campground! However, lesson learned to reserve a campsite further from the road. Great hiking trails. Fishing not so much. Scenic views. Easy plug n play electric on a 30 amp box, no issues with blowing fuses like I have at other big state parks. Clean vault toilets (I didn't like how people would drive into the park from the highway just to use the bathroom).. overall good stay though. I'll definitely go back!
ScoutGreat Quiet Fair priced.
Scout
Not much to do here, it's just a place for me to camp 15 minutes from home. I has a nice loop trail behind the camp ground that goes down to the river.
Traveler
I have bike-packed along the Katy and this is an excellent spot for an overnight(s) stay. It is a tough, but short, climb from the trail. You may have to walk up the hill - challenge made :-) . This is a St. Charles County Park and it is well maintained. They also have small cabins though pretty basic. Make sure to store your food securely overnight - the racoons are pretty thick and hungry at night. I have also done short bike-packing trips from Chesterfield and St. Charles for an overnight(s) stay. If you need it, grab food in Augusta or Defiance before arriving. There are no services in the park.
GuideGreat spot. Enjoy the sound of owls and silence. Plenty of dead/down trees for firewood. 2 bars w/Verizon.
Scout
The location of the campground is ideal being located adjacent to the Katy bike trail and within walking distance from restaurants, a brewery and wineries. The sites are mostly open, small and tight for larger RVs. The roads are all gravel as are the sites and there is limited grassy areas. The site services, electric, water and sewer, are located to the front of the site and extensions were needed for both the electric and sewer. The park has no onsite laundry and there are none in town. If it wasn't for the location I would probably give the park 2 stars.
Scout
We stayed there for a scout event. They had hot showers and bathroom which is always a plus. There was a little trash at the site but nothing bad.
We had a ton of room between us and others. We could choose our site. I appreciate that quiet hours were enforced.
Scout
Wild pads are allowed in the RV area. They are not allowed in the camping area.
ScoutI took a good bit of time to cool off and make sure I was okay with putting this out. Now about 2 weeks after my trip, I am still very irritated with my experience and decided I would try and prevent others from having the cluster-splat of a trip as my party did. I will not be coming back.
Thankfully, I did not bring my kids to experience this kind of trip because I try to shield them from the terrible things in this world, and this would be one of them.
Do not offer powered pavilions if you cannot keep your power on. Those who pay for their weekend home away from home expect to have the same type of service as their home, and you cannot provide, even if you offer, powered pavilions. Thankfully other camp-goers brought generators and were generous enough to share with us. I had a feeling at that time they they'd been here before and this was a common occurrence. (First Fail)
Get your plan together."We need your party leader to come to the front office to discuss the float plan". We were originally under the impression that we were setting off on the river from our campsite, as it was very close to the river. This was not the case when our party leader was told that we would be shuttled to the launch site, and we would pull out at our camp site(which is what we did at other locations on my previous float trips). Our party met at the front office to join the shuttle(which was 30 minutes later than they told us to be ready for departure), at which point they shuttled us about 30 yards from our camp site to set off on the river from the bank. (Second Fail)
You should not send guests out onto a river with faulty equipment. You take the hit, refund some of their money and offer them safer alternatives."Your raft has a very small leak and should be able to make the 4 mile float". We made it approximately 3 miles, and swam to a competitors pull out point after swimming the last 1/4 mile to it. My group also had at least 4 inner tubes that had no retention of air, and thankfully one member of our party brought their own tube which came with a pump. Every bank that we could stop at, we were constantly handing that pump to one another refilling our devices. I understand that it was a busy weekend for Arapaho, but you need to know your limits and capacity and not just look at the$$. We had raft number 1 as I was informed when we returned to the camp, and this is likely the very first raft the location ever acquired. If you are unwilling to part with faulty equipment and replace it with something newer/safer, eventually, you may have a lawsuit on your hands in the terms of"wrongful death". (Third Fail)
Learn how to talk to people. When a customer is voicing their complaints with a situation, do not interject at their argument at every breath they take in order to openly prove that you are a narcissist and spin your problems onto them. You probably had plenty of good feedback from the other float-goers on this day, because they had no troubles. When you scraped the bottom of the barrel, however, and brought your terrible equipment to my group, do not take a stab at my group for being"a bunch of pricks"(direct quote from the owner of this camp ground) when we have a complaint with our situation. There was no need for you lay your hands on other float-goers, either.(Fourth Fail)
In closing. I hope this location doesn't close. I hope new ownership takes over and makes this place a great place. We had a decent camp the night before our float, and we even paid for a second night for plenty of our group to stay again. After being treated terribly and listening to the staff talk about how they were openly racist, on meth staying awake for days in a row, and ESPECIALLY the owner being a terrible person that I expect to see in hell when I get there, my party simply called the weekend a wash and decided we would never return. I'm sorry, but you can take your$180 cash back and 1/2 off next float and smoke them away. They will likely be going along with your profits before long.
ScoutEasy to book online even the day of. Choose your spot ahead of time and pull in, easy as that! There are RV & tent sites, bathrooms with hot showers. Had no problem booking around 7pm the day of and arrived around 1 am quietly set up in my previously reserved spot. Check out is at 2 pm
ScoutThe absolute worst float trip of mine and my friend’s life. Started out with the staff being rude and incompetent. Our electricity that we paid for didn’t work until the day we left. 9 of our inner tubes were leaking air and went flat. Our 4 man raft completely went flat. They took 2 hours to even get us our equipment we paid for and brought back the same raft that was leaking twice. We made it 3 miles into our 4 hour float when it started storming& thunder and lightening. One person overheated and had a seizure, another person’s leg got cut by a speeding boat. When we called our campsite to pick us up it took them over an hour and the owner refused to call for help for the girl who got hurt. Once we got back to the campsite we asked for our money back for our rafts. The owner pushed a girl and took her phone out of her hands. He was screaming in everybody’s faces. The sheriff’s were called and the owner gave us$180 back of almost$900. He also said if we left a negative review he’d charge us$180. So yeah, there’s that. Also note they have extremely racist workers. One of them said they went to prison for killing a“n-word” and he hates“n-word’s.” Beware: this place sucks. Their staff sucks. They only care about money, your life doesn’t matter. Please go somewhere else, it’s not worth it. I’d give this 0 stars if I could.
Traveler
I have stayed in hundreds of places and hiked many miles and have never experienced a tick infestation like I did at this park. I stopped counting at 20(!!!) pulled off my dogs(yes, they are on prevention meds), myself(yes, I was wearing DEET), and inside my camper in just two days. 0/10 do NOT recommend
TravelerDid a 2 night tent camp with my family and it was awesome. We had a great time on the trails and near the Mighty Missouri River.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near St. Charles, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near St. Charles, MO is St. Charles County Klondike Park with a 5-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near St. Charles, MO?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 tent camping locations near St. Charles, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
