Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Collins, MO

Of all the KOAs I have visited I was very eager to check out this one.  Close to Springfield and not to far from the turn off to Wilson Creek Battlefield this one just kinda made sense for a visit.  

When I ventured to check it out I quickly noticed that the site spacing was not the best when it came to the RVs, it looked claustrophobic.   When it came to the tent sites I felt a bit more like I could breathe and stretch out.   Kind of strange that this was the case as usually the RV section at a KOA is more accommodating, in my own personal experiences.   

The staff was very friendly and helpful and the overall amenities were pretty inclusive.   Some of course obvious upgrades coming at additional charges while others were standard.

In true KOA fashion there is WIFI, which I personally always welcome because I work remotely and sometimes do not have the best of signal.    Additionally they had standard features such as a dog park area, playground for the kiddos and a pool, although the pool is not open year round like some.   

A few things that were a bit less common however, they had a pet play room which was pretty cool and though I don't travel with my pets found it to be a very friendly touch.    I also noticed that in addition to snacks you could pick up in the store they also had pizza during certain times if you were not wanting to use your own kitchen or the common space camp kitchens.

I was pretty impressed overall but with all the good there were those claustrophobic rv sites I just couldn't get past and the pricing of a KOA always hurts the pockets a bit more even with them being nice and the common kitchen area I was attempting to use and had a few issues, this could have been just when I was visiting so I don't want to completely hold that against them but it was having issued.

TIPS:

* Visit Wilson's Creek Battlefield to explore, learn and hike.  When you come to this KOA it obviously does not have any hiking, but the battlefield offers a lengthy system of trails .* Bass Pro's home is Springfield, MO so you will not only find the largest Bass Pro there but also a unique museum of all animals which is quite spectacular.

My wife and our children stayed here in the summer while we traveled for work and we were extremely pleased with both the grounds and the staff. They have great amenities and clean facilities as well as washers and dryers. They were so accommodating. The only drawback is a train close by. They have a small gated dog park and I huge open field. They have a seasonal swimming pool, kids playground, game room and few more things to keep the kids busy. Good WiFi and a shop that sells/makes/delivers pizza to your campsite. We will be visiting again in the future definitely.

Turkey Creek was a very nice campground for our month long stay.  The park is well maintained and clean.  It is very quiet!  There is a train track nearby, but we only heard it a few times during our stay.  

Amenities included full hook up, laundry room, bathrooms, showers and a fenced dog park where you 4 legged friends can enjoy some off-leash time.  We had 4 bars with AT&T and waffled between 1-3 bars with Verizon.  

The location is great for visiting local attractions such as Branson Landing, Silver Dollar City and Top of the Rock.  

Really appreciate the park manager, she was friendly and brought an overpayment to our attention and quickly issued a refund.

Great experience overall!

Kimmy’s is amazing!  Always friendly and clean. Lots of activities for any outdoor adventures. Hiking kayaking swimming and lots of laughs come with Kimmy’s crew. They go out of their way to make your stay wonderful! If the pond on site is not big enough Stockton Lake is just minutes away or maybe you enjoy kayaking the Sac River is very close as well. Shuttle service is right up the road if needed. Keep your eyes peeled you may just find a message rock or two. We frequent Kimmy’s several times each summer and by far our absolute favorite campground in Missouri. And they are pet friendly too!

We read raving campground (CG) reviews on Osage Prairie, especially how nice the owners were. Based on reviews, we decided to spend three nights here to break up our way south for our annual RV maintenance appointment. Check in was easy and the lady was very friendly with a sense of humor. We were then escorted to pull through site 14 with FHUs. The way the long pull throughs work is that another trailer can back up to you. It was nice that the utilities and picnic tables were on opposite sides. We were told we probably would not get anyone in behind us. About 30 minutes after arrival, a small trailer came in without reservations and was placed right up behind us. We concur that the lady owner who checked us in was very nice. The other owner who escorted us to our site was, in our opinion, a little on the sarcastic side, especially after we had cut our turn on their grass getting into our site. This CG is an A-Typical overnighter where they cram you in. The park filled up every night after our Thursday arrival but we do realize they are in the business of making money. Good news is there were grass areas between sites so you can get slides and awnings out. WiFi was below average for a CG this size. No cable or OTA but after moving our satellite dish around to avoid trees we got it to connect. We got three bars on Verizon. The park is convenient to get on/off I-49 (exits 203 and 202A are both fine) but you’re going to get highway noise day and night. The CG is about 1/2 short termers and 1/2 long timers, and several of the long timer rigs gave the CG that “trailer park” look. I picked up numerous cigar and cigarette butts off our site to include trash in the little grill. We did not enjoy the older Dodge diesel trucks starting up at 5:00 AM to head out to work or wherever they were going. On a more positive side, they have a nice stable with one horse, which you can pet but not feed or ride (guess someone tried to ride him once upon a time). Shower and laundry facility looked clean. They have a little gift shop in the office containing a few camping supplies and leather goods. Again, from previous camper reviews, we thought Nevada (Nee-vay-dah) would be worth touring around but we were not impressed. We grocery shopped at Woods and Walmart and both were on the low side of okay. Our final “not impressed” came when we saw long timers letting their dogs do #2 in the tent area and not pick it up. Then they locked their 3 dogs in their trailer and left early Saturday and had not returned by the time we left the following Monday morning. Their poor dogs barked on and off all day and night. We informed the owner and he said he had told them in the past to not do that anymore. This place is definitely about the frosting, not the cake. We should have just stayed one night and moved on, but we stayed too long and experienced too much. We won’t be back.

There is a super sweet local cat who befriended me here and made my visit so much better. I had some mechanical issues with my car and Kampground Kittah tried to help. 🤣

Bathrooms were fine. It’s free camping so it was great that there were bathrooms at all.

One of the locals stopped by my site to look for arrowheads. Apparently, she has found a lot in the area so that’s a good activity if the kids are bored.

If you’re looking for a good wine, you can find some at the local auto parts store. I am not kidding! I think it’s Rick’s Auto Parts and their liquor is priced very reasonably. 😄 If your car’s broken down and you can’t drive, I guess you might as well drink and Rick’s there to help you out with both. 🤣