Best Glamping near Salem, MO

Montauk State Park is at the headwaters of the Current River, and is a State Park the northern end of the National Scenic River. It is just South of Salem, MO. The park has a fish hatchery and is noted for trout fishing! The campground is very large, with 3 or 4 loops. The sites are mostly level but close together. They have water and electric. With this many people it can get noisy. There are clean showers/bathrooms and a dump station. There is a lodge with rooms and a restaurant with limited menu, and cabins. WiFi is available at the lodge, but cell service is spotty in the park. This is a trout fishing park. Almost everything is focused on fishing! You can get fishing equipment, tackle, fishing license and trout tags in the store.

Another great trout park on Missouri

My daughter and I wanted to try Montauk state park and went in March on a Wednesday and left Friday. When booking the site, I was surprised how full it was going to be. Our site in loop 4 was level, clean, and easy to get the 28' trailer back in to. The water right next to the site was taped up, probably turned off for winter, but we were able to fill our fresh tank at the campground entrance before parking. There was a dump station in loop 4 and another one near the entrance. We used loop 4 dump station and the black tank flush water valve wasn't working. The river is full of fish and people fishing for them. Swimming was probably allowed, but I'm sure the people fishing wouldn't have tolerated it. If it was warmer I'm sure we could have found a spot in the river without people fishing to relax. Instead, we hiked the pine ridge trail which was nice and easy for us. At night, we could hear the owls and frogs, which is a highlight for me. The store was a highlight for my daughter and they really have some great fishing gear and supplies. We didn't eat at the lodge. It looked decent and there were people filling up the tables. For me, my favorite part of camping is cooking and eating at the site. We didn't use the campground's shower or toilet. I took a look and they seemed like a typical state park bathroom, clean until someone ruins it. We're fortunate and grateful to have the trailer's bathroom.

We paid $10 for a bundle of wood at the campground, which was for sale just before dark (check the sign for times). The attendant was nice, but he didn't provide any split wood and it was wet. I'm guessing they collect wood from the local bottom lands and sell it. I don't know, there was split wood in the barn, just not in the pile we could pick from. I have a hatchet and was splitting it myself, but wished it wasn't wet. We did see a place selling wood on VV towards Licking also for $10 a bundle. We passed on it and chose poorly.

Google took us from St. Louis through Salem and then down to YY, which was a dirt road and crossed a shallow creek. I wasn't confident it was the correct path, the road got very narrow, had lots of potholes, and worried we wouldn't be able to turn around. Unexpectedly, I put my new suspension to a test. Fortunately, we ended up at the campground without needing to turn around. We left the campground via VV through Licking on a proper road and was able to get gas too.

This site was probably my favorite one in Missouri so far. Has a few sites that are great for groups. Then a few sites that are more private for solo/family camps. Fire pit/lantern hooks/tables at the sites. No cell service for both my AT&T and Verizon phones. No restrooms. Only negative I could say about the site would be the other campers that have stayed before me. There was trash I had to police up left by other campers. The fire ring was still hot with a burning log. Bring a shovel if you’re going to camp here and want to have a fire. The fire rings were full with ash. Will have to clean out the rings to have a safe fire. Don’t think they are maintained that well.

We've made the three hour drive to Montauk State Park a couple of times in the last year. We just love it there! It's especially wonderful if you can make it in November when the crowd has left and you can really enjoy the crisp, cool fall and have so much of the campground to yourself. Just beware, they lock the bathrooms and shower houses down during the off season! We, of course, love to trout fish and have always had fishing luck in our favor there. We also love to eat a meal at the little on site restaurant and enjoy the convenience store when we've forgotten things. Try the ice cream at the restaurant! Delish! We've only located one trail in the park: Pine Ridge Trail. It's a nicely maintained trail. We went at sunset and the view from the top was gorgeous. One of the conveniences of Montauk is cell service! You can actually use your phones here, unlike many Missouri State Parks. If you're looking to take your family swimming- I don't think this is a great park for this. There are literally people fishing everywhere and there isn't really a great place to swim. Campground does have a nice play area for the kiddos. Camp sites are generously spaced. We did have some nightly skunk visitors circle our camper, but they were so fat and cute and thankfully kept their stinky spray to themselves.

We really enjoyed this campground. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Check-in was very easy and we were met at the gate. They drove us over to our spot and brought us over a firepit. The electrical box was setup correctly and everything worked as expected. Water hookup was very close as well and water pressure was strong. As an FYI, we did have to use a regulator to reduce the water pressure. 

We were able to stay right along the river. We had arrived a little too early in the camping season and we happened to pick days where Missouri had a cold front (previous weekend was warm). Even with the cold weather, we were able to really enjoy the trip and get our RV ready for the upcoming season. 

The camping spots are basically just spots in a big parking lot layout. It is fully paved, but during busy season, you would be very close to other rigs. The park is beautiful and a very short walk over to the cave and ziplines. There is easy access to the river and you are able to easily put in your kayak or small boat. Restroom, showers and trash were a short walk as well.

We will return to this site.

This is where my love of camping started. I spent many summers as a child camping at Montauk State Park with my grandparents. After those early years of riding my bike as a child around the campground loops, I now take my child there every year with the hope that he appreciates it as much as I do.

Montauk State Park is one of the Missouri Conservations four trout parks, and is located at the headwaters of the beautiful Current River. The Current along with the Jack’s Fork River make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways National Park. Since it is one of Missouri’s trout parks you will find a majority of campers are there to fish. You can purchase a trout tag at the lodge for $3.00, and it will allow you to keep 4 trout per day with a possession limit of 8. The conservation will stock the Current on a nightly basis, based on number of tags sold the day before. The stretch of river from spring to the falls are some of my favorite fishing anywhere. I have a group of guys that get together every spring and fall for a trout fishing trip.

As the Current River winds its way through the valley, it creates one of the campground boundaries. This allows you to be near the river at all times, or even next to it, if you grab one of the spots on its banks. The campground is broken down into 4 separate loops, with loop 1 being the only basic section, all the others have electricity. I have spent more time recently camping in the basic section with the guys. We have used sites 115 for the space and 119 for the seclusion. Our family did camp on Mother’s Day on site 418, in loop 4. I would not recommend this site because you only have a small space between you and your neighbors.

There are two bathroom/shower houses with laundry facilities located in the campground, along with three campground host. You are able to purchase firewood and ice in the campground as well. Sites do go quickly so you will need to book months in advance.

The lodge has a full restaurant, as well as a diner style counter. My son love’s to go and sit at the counter to get ice cream. You will find menu item such as burgers, sandwiches, and salads, as well as a buffet on certain days. You can even order a sack lunch to take out to the river bank. The lodge also has a store stocked with camp essentials, souvenir items, and fishing supplies. If you do not have your own fishing poles, they have some for rent. You will also find the lunker board located here, so if you are lucky enough to catch a three pound trout bring it to have it weighed for your lunker patch.

If you decide not to fish, there are things to do such as take a tour of the mill when the naturalist does one of their demonstrations, hike the quarter mile trial to the springs (one of my son’s favorites, he likes to search for the water bubbling out of the ground), hike the longer 1.5 mile pine ridge trail, feed the fish at the hatchery, or take in one of the nature programs at the amphitheater. Also if you head out of the park on YY you will find Tan Vat Access located right outside the park on the Current. This is a great place to take young ones for a dip in its cool waters. Also you can take a gravel road out of the park to a funky little place called Bo’s Hollow. A family has built a small town in a field, where you can buy a bbq sandwich lunch, and take a model A ride to Ashley creek for swimming and a picnic.

I hope you get a chance to check out Montauk State Park. It is one of our family favorite destinations.

Great trout fishing with rustic views and great naturalist programs for the kids

This spot is mostly focused on trout fishing. The campground is large, 3 loops, but spots are close together and can be noisy during prime fishing season. Nice camp store, restaurant, ice cream parlor. They also have motel style lodging and cabin available. Nice, somewhat challenging due to hills, hiking trails. Trout hatchery available to walk through and feed the fish. I'm a repeat visitor for fishing purposes. Camping spots available along stream.

We go here for our annual fishing trip. And also floating! A lot of nice stuff is provided to do and keep you entertained. Very beautiful scenery.

Has the same feel as Bennett Springs. I would say it is worth the trip if you want to do some trout fishing and spend some quality time with your family. The water is chilly, but even going and not fishing is great as it is a beautiful area.

My family has been going every year for over 40 years. An amazing place full of memories, right next to Current River and the Baptist Camp launch site.

This is a great area to fish for trout. The river is beautiful and offers a place to relax. The campground offers several different options depending on your set up. The on site restaurant is good and worth a try. Such a beautiful state park.

I have been camping at Montauk since the mid 1960's. We spent many family vacations camping and trout fishing the head waters of the Current River in Montauk. The staff are all really friendly and the lodge has good food with a nice buffet on the weekends. It's a busy park so it's best to make reservations unless you are arriving during the week but that can still be an issue some weeks. During the fall you can get some good colors.