Best Tent Camping near Union, MO

We loved our stay at Babler, aside from the snow & wind - the park is great! Review below ⬇️

⛺️ S I T E R E V I E W ⛺️

📍 Dr. Edmund A. Babler State Park Wildwood, MO

💰 $12-$21/night

🗓 Feb 19-21, 2022

Site 48 ⚡️💧

🦮 Pets Welcome (on leash at all times)

➕Concrete Pads, Quiet, Close to Interstate 40, Paved Roads, Easy to Access, Gated Overnight with access code

➖Small/Close Sites, No Water in Off Season, Only Vault Toilets - No Showers in Off Season

📶 AT&T Service 4 out of 5

🚮 Dump Station located behind bathhouse. NO WATER during off season!

🚻AMENITIES •Playground •Hiking, Biking & Equestrian Trails •Wood & Ice •Interpretive Programs •Visitor Center •Special Use Area •Laundry, Flush Toilets & Showers ON SEASON ONLY!

🏕SITES Reservable 12 Months-FCFS in off season 72 Reservable 8 Accessible sites Basic - Electric Concrete Back In Lantern Hook, Picnic Table & Fire Ring

⏰ HOURS/DATES April - October 7:am - 9:pm Nov - March 7:am - 6:pm

🔺Park Office 8:30am - 4:pm M-F

🔺Visitor Center April - Oct 9:am - 4:30pm W - Sun Nov - March 9:am - 4:pm - Sat-Sun Dec - Feb CLOSED

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.

There are 10 or so primitive tent sites and an area that will accommodate about a dozen RV’s. There are no services here and no hook ups, but it’s free. The primitive tent sites are spread out along the main road through the conservation area, which means that in the daytime you will get road noise and dust, but its pretty quiet at night. Only a couple have picnic tables, but all seemed to have at least a level spot for the tent and a fire ring. I noticed some sites had a bit of trash in the fire rings, probably from day use or partiers. There is no trash service, so plan to pack out your trash. The best site (already taken, too bad) was set on the edge of the woods next to a fishing pond. The campers that were there let me take some pics of their site since it was so pretty. The only downside to that site was its proximity to the RV lot and their generators. There are some nice hiking trails here to explore.

There are single campsites on both the north and south ends of the conservation area, and none of them have any amenities- no water, no vault toilet or outhouse, no firewood for sale. But what the sites are lacking is made up for with scenery and hiking, and it is free. The conservation area is closed to camping during various hunting seasons(I ran into a hunter scoping out his turkey hunting spot for the following week’s hunt). There is a great hike down into a valley with the actual Lost Creek at the bottom, completely worth the hard hike back up out of the valley. The campsite has room for a couple tents(no RV’s here), some great trees for hammocks, a primitive fire ring, and a picnic table. Since you are right next to the parking lot, you will see some traffic during the day with hikers, birders, and others, and there is no privacy for your campsite. Bring everything, including a cat hole shovel, and pack everything out.

I’ve camped at both campgrounds offered at St. Joe. In the fall of 2018, we stayed at CG#1, the spot has a nice gravel tent pad with border, picnic table, and a fire pit. The spot also offered a concrete section for a camper and cars. We had a pop-up and one tent and it was very spacious. A great spot with a minute walk to a very well kept shower house and bathroom. We really liked this spot at CG#1.

CG#2 is located about 2-3 away from the main campground, this includes the shower house and main bathrooms. There is no shower house at CG#2. I stayed at CG#2 about a week ago. Very similar in design to the sites at CG#1, it also offers amenities for those with horses. We had a spot with electric and no water, water is located close by the vault toilets. The site has a gravel parking area rather than the concrete one at CG#1. We had two tents, two cars, and five people, just as spacious. If you want more seclusion and don’t really care about being right next to the showers, I would suggest CG#2.

Also, there was a trail located right by our spot at CG#2, it’s a good hike!!

Two clean and well kept swimming areas, great trails, good camp sites, and great bathrooms/showers!

This 8 site campground has well kept vault toilets and no other services, but is fee-less to match. There is a pavilion near the access points to the Berryman and Ozark trails. We camped the night before heading out on a one night backpacking trip on the Berryman and were pleasantly surprised - it had rained the past 2 days and just finished when we arrived, but the ground was not soggy at the campsite or really much on the trail at all. The sites are well spaced apart, short pads so we saw one couple park their camper on one and their truck on another (the sites were not anywhere near full). Downside to that was, they ran their loud generator all night. However the experience overall was a positive one, with friendly neighbors but plenty of distance between so we didn't cross paths or hear each other's conversations unless we wanted to, a nice fire ring - check before selecting a site as ours was missing a grate; we didn't need one anyhow, a sturdy picnic table and plenty of down wood around to collect for a fire. We will be back!!