Looking for the best options for tent camping near Van Buren? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Van Buren campgrounds for you and your tent. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park offers basic, walk-in campsites and two special-use camping areas. The campsites allow for tent camping only. Pop-up or other trailers are not allowed. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no showerhouse or dump station. Water and a vault toilet are available in the camping area.
Three miles from Ellington MO. Trails for miles for ATVs, OHVs, and Horses. Ride to Clearwater Lake Conservation Area for thousands of acres to ride or hike. Also 5 miles from Current River Conservation. area and 12 miles from the Black River for kayaking, canoeing, floating and fishing. Stalls available for your horses. Bring your boat or rent one at Clearwater Lake. They also offer pontoons and jet skies. Blue Springs, Johnson Shut Inns, and Elephant Rock State Park are just a few of the places to go in the area.
$15 - $30 / night
McCormack Lake Recreation Area is located near Greer Spring and offers good fishing and boating. It is located on paved Forest Road 3155 off of Highway 19. This site has semi-developed picnic and camping facilities. There is hiking at McCormack Lake Recreation Area also. This is a trailhead for the 3.7-mile McCormack-Greer Trail, which ends at Greer Crossing Picnic Area and also connects to Ozark Trail. The 15-acre lake is stocked annually with panfish and bass being the catch of the day. The lake is a non-motorized area; boat motors are not allowed. An electric trolling motor is permitted. There is ample parking for picnickers and fishermen. The campground is primitive with limited picnic tables, firerings and lantern posts. A vault toilet is provided. No water is available.
The Irish Wilderness is a dense forest of oaks and hickory. Wilderness is set aside by Congress as a natural area affected primarily by the forces of nature with little evidence of man’s works - “where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Many outdoor enthusiasts seek out its peace and special closeness to experiencing the wonders of nature. No two individuals share the same meaning and values of the wilderness experience, but it is primitive and challenging, and recreationists must be self-reliant. In the mid 1800’s a Catholic priest dreamed of a place where Irish immigrants could escape the oppression of urban live in St. Louis. In this wild area of the Ozarks, Father Hogan established a settlement that would forever bear their name, Irish Wilderness. The Irish Wilderness, caught in the middle of the Civil War, became a “no man’s land” and was raided by both Union and Confederate troops as well as bushwhackers. It is not certain what happened to Father Hogan’s Irish immigrants, but after the war they were gone. A printable brochure (5.7m pdf format) of the Wilderness is available for download. Trails: The major way of travel within the Irish Wilderness is the 18.6 mile Whites Creek Trail. From the trailhead at Camp Five Pond to the Eleven Point River, visitors are exposed to a wide variety of natural terrain and geographical relief. From relatively flat land at the beginning, hikers traverse through many ecological zones including dried creek beds, grasslands, glades, bluff country, and breathtaking views overlooking the Eleven Point River. Whites Creek trail is not designed for horse use, but horse use is permitted. Motorized or mechanized use is not permitted. Rating: Moderate. Length: 18.6 miles Best Seasons: Fall, winter, and spring. Leave No Trace: Pack out what you pack in. Restrictions: Foot and Horse only. Please limit your party size to 10 persons. Safety: No drinking water is available at parking areas or along the trail; bring what you will need, or be prepared to sterilize water you find. The Irish Wilderness is a relatively large tract of land, so be sure to bring a compass and always carry a map of the area. Trail signs are minimal. If you become lost, don’t panic. Stay calm and try to remember how you got to your present location. Always let someone, family member or friend, know when you plan to enter the wilderness and when you plan to return. During temperate months, be prepared for biting insects, poison ivy and high temperatures. Be advised of hunting seasons. Avoid using the trail during excessively wet periods. Surface Type: Unsurfaced, native material.
Fourche Lake Recreation Area is a beautiful place to be outside. It is located on V Hwy approx. 2.5 miles off of HWY 160 W. There is a beautiful wooden dock to fish off of or just simply look at the lake. There is a vault toilet and picnic tables for picnickers. The dock, path leading to the dock, and bathroom are all handicapped accessible. There is dispersed camping available at 6 established sites with fire rings. There is no water or electric hookup available. There is a boat launch available only electric motors are allowed. Fourche Lake is 49 acres in size and provides opportunities for catching catfish, panfish and bass.
Traveler
Was a great secluded tent camp site. Liked that they had wagons to help haul our gear to the site. Family of 7 so we have plenty of stuff to haul. Was a really fun time. Spent lots of it in the water and got to see some wild horses so that was exciting.
Scout
I'd seen a lot of great reviews for this campground, so I had high expectations when we arrived for a night in early November. We reserved a spot in the 900 loop, just to be safe - a few of the camping loops allow reservations, and the rest are walk in. The loop was very open, spaces all fully visible to each other. The bathrooms were locked for the season after 10/15.
Since things were pretty empty, we moved to the 500 loop, which was more tree covered, near the river, and next to the shower house, which was the one park bath open for the winter. Bathrooms and showers were clean, though no camp host was present the night we stayed.
We were the only people on the 500 loop, so it was fine, but again - sites VERY close together. Some picnic tables were less than 20 feet apart. The 600 loop was the only heavily occupied loop when were there, filled with campers, presumably because of the electric access.
This is a NPS campground, so its amenities tend to be fewer than many MO state parks. I have other parks in this area that have more scenic and private tent camping. Just on the other side of the river is the Alley spring and mill, which are lovely - and ironically, some of the picnic sites are more spacious than these tent sites. I wish we could camp on that side!
Legend
The people of Missouri gave a wonderful gift to the people of the United States. A gift I did not know about or had never heard of till we made the decision to camp in Missouri.
Big Springs was Missouri's first state park. The CCC did a lot of construction on the park and so much of the buildings are still there. In much need of repair and I do hope the federal government will restore. Big Spring is off of Missouri Highway 160. Turn onto State Route 103 to Big Spring. The spring has a wheelchair accessible pathway that will lead right to the spring.
The campground is large and open. Tent sites along with with RV sites but the RV sites are small and very close together. Some RV sites had electric but no water or sewer. There is a dump site. During the summer I think I would get a reservation for the RV sites if you need electric. If you have the ability to generate your own electric stay in the open tent site area. The tent site area is large and open to the sun. Big Springs has flush toilets and hot showers.
There are picnic areas with tables and grills scattered throughout the park along with two group shelters.
The Ranger programs are well worth checking out. Take advantage.
The Current River makes a wonderful backdrop for nature lovers. You have the options of hiking, biking, fishing, camping, floating, kayaking, and all sorts of boating with a ramp in the park.
Have Fun - Stay Safe
Leave No Trace
Better Than When You Found It
Guide
We have stayed in cabins and tent camped. Beautiful spot, but can be very heavily populated
Guide
Shelly seemed like a very nice person via text. She just wasn't there when we arrived, and we had a hard time determining property boundaries, tent site locations, etc. on our own. Unfortunately, the tent site we did find was pretty washed out, and we ended up leaving and camping elsewhere. If you have an RV/trailer, ATV's, etc. this place is probably a hoot. Best of luck.
TravelerLove tent camping! Secluded and shaded. I want a few years back and it was lovely can’t wait to see if there have been updates!
Traveler
Tent camped here during the week in June and the campground was only about 1/3 full. Quiet and the restrooms and showers were very clean.
TravelerThis is a really nice spot for tent camping - even though it’s clearly geared towards RV camping. Make sure to book a walk-in campsite if you’re tent camping, otherwise you’ll be in the lot with the RVs (no trees, no privacy etc see first picture). You’ll have to carry your gear to your site, but not too far. Each walk in site is fairly isolated and separate from the other site by trees. Each site has a wood tent pad, picnic table, and fire ring with grate. If you want you could even go to the lodge (walking distance) for a meal and skip the cooking! Book your spot in advance as it seems like they fill up quickly.
Guide
Love the area. Tent sites are close to water, great fishing. Clean facilities and friendly staff!
ScoutWe enjoyed clean well-maintained bathrooms. Men’s showers were hot and the women’s were cold! The grass was mown well, so it was easier to tent camp. Staff was very helpful and accommodating. Scenery was spectacular.
TravelerQuite tent sites with restrooms in each loop and new shower house. Spring, mill, and the trails around the spring are a must!
Guide
Sam A Baker has a large selection of sites. Perfect for tent camping or Campers of any size. Great trail selection, many moderate trails, but there are many options for those with young children as well.
GuideWe typically camp just at the end of season and have this is our favorite place to camp. We always tent camp with minimal supplies. It is has always been clean and even during peak season I felt there was plenty of space between campsites.
Traveler
I like this camp site because you are within the trees the whole time. It is tent camping only. Where we camped, the ground was covered in moss. That made for very soft sleeping, except for the few large rocks spread over the area. We had room for two portable canopies and about 35 cub scouts and family members.
LegendJohnson Shut-Ins State Park is an amazing park that combines the comforts of an RV park with the rustic side of walk-in tent sites. It is the best maintained park in the Northeastern part of the Ozark's. It has a store in the middle of the campground. The sites all have concrete pull-ins and the bathrooms and shower houses are all brand new, modern, and clean.
The sites are spread a part giving plenty of room to campers. There are several tent sites that you can walk into to get away from the concrete. There is a gear cart to help you get everything back from your car to your site.
This is a place where you could spend several days and have a lot of fun. This is the premiere campground in that area of the Ozark's.
The staff is also very helpful and friendly.
Guide
The eleven point river is a Hidden Gem. I love the campsite and the cleanliness of the bathrooms. I love the shaded tent campsites and easy access to firewood, boat dock and open area perfect for large family gatherings
GuideThe campsites are very nice. I don't mind the concrete pads they have for camping and parking. We have a camper but used cots when we tent camped so concrete was not a problem for us.
The kids loved the shut ins. We didn't even make it all the way to the back as it was a very long walk. We also visited some of the historical sites in the area.
Scout
This campground was wonderful! We needed a tent site for one night and we ended up getting a whole grove of trees to ourselves! It was a Saturday night and there was an open mic night and bbq. The atmosphere was light and fun and the people rocked! Very clean bathrooms and showers. The rates were very very affordable too! 10/10!!!
TravelerThere are hookup sites as well as a primitive loop for tent camping. The cart provided was great to walk our gear down the trail to our site, and there was a flat deck for us to camp on (which was great on our rainy weekend). The store was nice, and we got some great ice cream on the way out. We drove in, but the people next to us backpacked from another campsite. Absolutely a great experience.
LegendThis place literally has everything you can want from walk in tent sites to an entire lodge with all the amenities. Campsites are all well manicured and offer everything from basic sites to full RV hook ups. The only negative is that we have experienced are that you need to reserve your side months in advance because this campground is so popular. And the only other negative is that all of the campsites are out in the open with no shade. But other than that it’s easy to see why the state park is a perfect representation of how much pride Missouri takes in its conservation and park system.
TravelerWe tent camped in loop 3 in late November for one night. The bathroom and showers were still on in this camping area. The spots are slightly close together but still very wooded. Not a lot of people camping at this time of the year even on a Saturday. Camp hosts were fabulous. The sites aren’t really set up for tents. More for Trailers. We had to get creative to find a spot to put up the tent in order to stake it down. Large parking pads, fire rings, and picnic tables at each camp site.
ScoutThis campground is very large thus always having availability for tent camping! They have ranger presentations on weekend evenings about the local wildlife and rivers and springs-Jacks Fork & Current River that are very informative! Great place to bring family and an equally reasonable price!! Offers group camping too! Harvey Kayak and Canoe rentals is right around the corner and will pick you up right at your campsite! I highly recommend this campground. They also have RV hookups and a private beach!
LegendThis is a great little state park that has plenty of options whether you enjoy tent camping or enjoying your Rv. Some of the144-151 sites can be pretty tight to get into because there are so many trees so double check the pictures on the reservation website to make sure you can get yours in. Ours is 40’ and it was pretty hard to get in but we managed. Nice shower facilities and laundry as well as river access within walking distance
GuideIf you are looking for a beautiful RV or tent site on the water, look here. There is a massive lake, perfect for a quiet day on the water. We kayaked out to an island and did some fishing. We didn’t catch anything, but it was relaxing. Campground was oddly quiet, especially after dark... we were the only site with a fire going.
Hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Boat and jet ski rentals in season.
TravelerMy group and I camped in two of the basic sites in Asher Creek campground and we couldn’t get enough of the front-row lake view! The sites closest to the lake are very level, and everyone in the campground is only a short walk from the cleanest park restrooms I’ve ever seen. If you’re like me and are just doing basic tent camping, I’d recommend a pop-up canopy for the table area since there is not a lot of tree cover in those sites. Overall, an excellent place to camp!
Guide
We camp here every year. My ONLY complaint is that they never seem to cut the grass close to when we come. It's not terrible, just a weedy and a little longer than I'd like it to be for tent camping. We stay at group site three which is HUGE, and nice and level. There's a great big fire ring and lots of wood available for gathering. There's a very short path from the site to the current river, which is beautiful. There is a pretty basic outhouse up a short trail for camper use.
LegendThis is a great campground that is just outside of eminence and has just about everything that you need from spacious tree covered tent sites to full RV sites as well. Easy access to both the jacks for river and Alley spring Because flooding destroyed the old restroom a new one has been built in its place with a full shower house as well. If you want a nice peaceful campground that is in the heart of the Ozarks scenic River Ways you will definitely want to check this place out
Tent camping near Van Buren, Missouri, offers a blend of scenic beauty and outdoor adventure, making it a perfect getaway for nature enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Van Buren, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Van Buren, MO is Taum Sauk Mountain State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 22 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 32 tent camping locations near Van Buren, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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