Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Vanzant? Find the best information on tent camping near Vanzant, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Search nearby tent campsites or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Noblett Lake Picnic Pavilion provides a sheltered place among forests, streams and wildlife, for groups to picnic near Noblett Lake. It is a great location for birding, canoeing and boating.
Noblett Lake is a popular location for boating, canoeing and fishing. Only electric trolling motors or non-motorized boats are allowed on the lake. Visitors enjoy the day-use picnic area and the Ridge Runner Trail, a 22-mile remote path that loops hikers through the scenic Ozark Mountains.
The pavilion offers seating for up to 75 people. If over 75 people, a special use permit is required; please contact Tray Hall at 417-967-4194. It is equipped with electricity, tables and grills. There is a vault toilet. Trash collection services are provided. There is no water available; visitors must bring their own. There is no overnight camping allowed in the day use area. Dispersed camping (no amenities provided) is allowed in area across from Noblett Trailhead (old Oak Hill camping area) and below dam (old Sycamore Loop camping area). A parking area for the pavilion and the adjacent trail is available.
The pavilion is set in a forest of oak and pine trees, on the Salem Plateau. It is near Noblett Lake and south of the town of Willow Springs.
West Plains, Willow Springs, Cabool and Mountain Grove are the closest towns.
$50 / night
$5 / night
Swan Creek is an 8,488 acre area that provides for year-round nonmotorized dispersed recreation use as it is a designated Semi-Primitive Nonmotorized (SPNM) Area. There are approximately 20 miles of moderately used riding, hiking, and mountain bike trails available. Swan Creek itself offers swimming, fishing, and a non-potable water supply. For more detail of the trail visit Map of the Trail System. Trail System Map (printable) and Trail System Map GEO Referenced for use with Map Apps
Two of America's clearest spring-fed rivers combine to create the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in the rolling, forested landscape of Akers. Visitors to the campground enjoy various water activities, as well as hiking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing.
The crystal-clear Current River flows past the campground, offering excellent canoeing, tubing, swimming and fishing. Over 130 miles of waterways exist within the park. Canoe and kayak rentals and outfitters can be found nearby. Several miles of hiking and horseback riding trails crisscross the region, include the Alley Overlook Trail, Chubb Hollow Trail, Ozark Trail, Cave Spring Trail and Big Springs Trail.
Known for its caves, springs, sinkholes and losing streams, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways have over 300 identified caves within its boundaries. The caves range in size from a rock overhang to almost seven miles of identified passages. Eight caves, including an open sinkhole, have been designated as outstanding natural features. The Ozark forest is mostly White oak and Shortleaf pine, Missouri's only native pine species. Along the rivers, Sycamores, Cottonwoods, River birch and maples are common. Redbud and dogwood are also abundant, putting on a spectacular show during most spring months.
This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (573) 323-4236.
Scenic Round Spring Cave is nearby, with ranger-guided tours offered daily during summer months. Historic and picturesque Alley Mill and Alley Spring are nearby. The mill is open daily in the summer and ranger-offered tours are available upon request.
$25 / night
Guide
Tent camped here with a group of private boat paddlers from all over the country. Campground operations had not really started for the season. I arrived after dark and could not find the tent campsites. Nearly drove into deep mud on gravel road past RV sites. Fortunately had just enough cell signal to access their website. Found a campground map three layers deep on reservation page and located my group.
Tent sites were well-located along the river with basic tables and fire rings. I never found the store to be open so paid camping fee at bar and cafe at entrance. Great breakfast. $25/night for tents. Grass had not been mowed and was deep in tent area. RV sites appear to be a work in progress with much erosion around the new pads and access road. What may have been a shower house had key code locks but there was never anyone to ask. Bathrooms near the entrance lacked tp in some stalls. All one afternoon and evening a group of kids with gas weed trimmers noisely worked on a slope adjacent to the RV area.
This campground should improve over time a the management appears to be developing the grounds.
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!
Scout
Even though their website says they have tent camping they DO NOT
Scout
Park is clean and well run. Along the beautiful White River, trout heaven. 3 “cabins” available, these are park model RVs in permanent spots along the River. Tent sites with no hookups available, but not at rivers edge. You can put a tent on an RV spot. Programs available from park rangers. Store in campgrounds has most of what you may have forgotten. Tent sites have trees for setting a hammock, some better than others.
Guide
Love the area. Tent sites are close to water, great fishing. Clean facilities and friendly staff!
Ranger
Went here for a Jeep Jamboree and had a great time. There are several areas to tent camp and have great amenities as well. Toilets, showers, food, etc. The hosts are very hospitable and treat you great!
TravelerQuite tent sites with restrooms in each loop and new shower house. Spring, mill, and the trails around the spring are a must!
Scout
Wonderful out of the way hidden gem! Owner is friendly and place is so very well kept! This was a last minute stay for us as our original campsite flooded. What a blessing in disguise! Ponds for fishing and swimming. On site kayaks. RV camping. Tent camping and monthly music festivals!
LegendMainly an RV campground with some tent sites. Camped with our camper van at site #35 along the White River. Long walk to the restroom from here. The RV sites have paved drives & offer views of the river. Most sites are small, feels crowded, although there were many unoccupied "Reserved" sites. No privacy between most sites; can easily hear conversations from neighboring sites. Table, firepit, water & electric hookups included. The restroom/shower house is clean & warm. Campground is popular with fishermen. Big Bluff hiking trail nearby; excellent trail. T-Mobile service is very good. Campground is clean & well maintained. To us, the layout of the RV sites along the river had a mobile home park feel to it. The 20 tent sites are in a wooded section away from the river. These sites appear to be spacious- more so than the RV sites.
Guide
While this is mostly an RV campground there are some tent campsites that are out of the way and usually free. It is an off-roading park so be aware of the noise.
GuideWe had a great time camping Memorial Day Weekend. We tent camped. The campsite was really nice and everyone was very friendly. The visitor center is awesome and the park had several activities available. We went to an owl talk and a bear talk that was very informative. We also did the lake cruise. I would highly recommend this park. This is my favorite camping spot.
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!!!
GuideWe stay here 3 or 4 times a year, they have lots to offer. Bike/hiking trails, horse shoe pits, basketball court, a very large picnic area a store with thing's if you forget something, very nice bathrooms with showers. They offer tent camping area that's pretty nice, and rv camp site with Full hook ups and some with just water and electric. It's a must see, also, some site are available year round
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!
RangerI’ve camped here 2x for Jeepstock in September. Brandon, the owners closes the park for the event but it’s still maxes the facilities capacity. The tent camping is questionable, but lots of great electric sites. Generator camping is far away from everyone else so that’s nice.
There’s limited bathrooms and showers but I think that’s going to change soon with additions to the grounds. Nice new cabins are being added yearly. If you ha e a chance to visit SMORR, I would recommend it!
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
Traveler
I grew up around here so I return often. The trout fishing can't be beat. This campground is right on the banks of the White River. I tent camped. There is a nice large pavilion with picnic tables as well as really clean shower and toilets.
The owners were a delight to get to know and can rent canoes or even get you a fishing guide.
It is near a bridge so the first night we could hear the traffic but by the next day it became like background noise.
My highlight was the way the fog rolls in at night and disappears in the morning. It was so pretty over the river. Wish I had gotten a picture.
GuidePROS- First the floating was excellent on the northfolk River. Great wildlife along the way including cranes, turtles, ducks, fish. Fantastic on site restaurant with bar and grill that has Saturday karaoke and Friday live bands. The best showers with privacy and cleanliness. Has extras on site like cornhole, basketball, Foosball, and a pool table. The campsites were large. The tent sites were shady and grassy with even ground and near the river. CONS- The RV sites have zero shade and very little grass so it's mostly clay mud on the ground, which would have been fine but since it rained it made a giant mud soup mess. The cost is higher than the recreation government sites online for camping.
Legend
We stopped for 1 night on the way to Wyoming it is way off the beaten path but what a nice campground. The owners were selling it when we were there they had it a long time. The Pool was so cool and refreshing and no one was there. There's nothing around there so come prepared. There are rolling hills, narrow road and paved.
We almost had the place to ourselves so quiet and well maintained.
FEATURES AND SERVICES: Large, Clean Sites Full Hookups Pull-thrus and Back-ins 20, 30, and 50 AMP Mostly Shaded Picnic Tables Tent Sites 17 Sites and a Library.
Clean Restrooms Laundry Modem Hookup and Fax Service In Ground Pool Playground Shuffleboard and Horseshoes Catch and Release Pond Fishing Animal Friendly People Friendly Recreation Hall Recreation Room.
TravelerWe requested a handicapped tent site near the restroom. Large site but not marked and the other campers kept walking through our site to use the wheelchair ramp for the restrooms The toilets were basically not handicapped accessible but the showers were not at all. I have 1 arm and 1 leg there were no shower seats. No place for a family member to assist me.
Gift shop was averagely priced but we found the food a tad expensive and bland.
The people were friendly but could not help much (staff) with directions to handicapped accessible fishing areas.
We enjoyed our trip but did not catch anything.
Also the daily fishing passes were a bit pricy but ok. No choice but to purchase them because you can't fish without one.
Legend
When it comes to this location I liked the overall spacing of sites and the shaded tent area. This was so appealing when I pulled in. At first I had eyed just a site by the water but when I saw these they were a bit further away but seemed to be just what I was looking for in the midst of the heat.
Many people come to this area to put a kayak in the water and enjoy, and while I wanted to do that it seemed a bit crowded for my liking as a novice. You wouldn't expect that from the water but I get turned around easily and I didn't want to be out there in the way. Instead I enjoyed the other activities and just being at camp itself.
A bit more about the options for water recreation. They do have rentals and a shuttle service to accommodate you returning following a paddle, that seemed very reasonably priced.
Camp was very nice with lush green grass, access to fire rings and picnic tables. It wasn't to loud although you could hear the sounds of campers around you pretty easily.
They also had cabin options here, I didn't explore them this time around but they looked nice and the placement wasn't to close to one another. The RV area was well spaced and had great areas for leveling out with ease, shade coverings for the exposed sites and similar amenities to the tent camping.
Legend
Family style theme campgrounds are always fun. Not really so much about the hiking and outdoors as many other camps in the area but the amenities and attraction of the campgrounds are usually the selling point.
I have seen many Jellystone Parks in the past, and I will say this one is a bit less themed than others. However what it lacks in theming it does make up for in charm as the cast and staff are extra friendly and involved. They ensure that children have interactions with Yogi and that there are plenty of fun activities for the entire family to enjoy!!
They host daily activity times for foam parties, scavenger hunts, interactions and crafts which is really fun and makes for a great family style outing especially for the younger kiddos. Additionally they have a splash pad, swimming pool, hiking areas which are a bit less challenging, playground and ranger station.
Though they do have an all inclusive style approach to entertainment they also have show tickets available for purchase for venturing into Branson itself, a great touch for additional entertainment as there are many things the entire family will enjoy.
Tent camping along with RV camping and Cabins is available but something unique to the park is the RV rental service where you can rent an RV to stay in, something not to many parks in Branson offer.
When I visited the park, some of the amenities and special attractions were currently closed due to the conditions going on in the world, but they still made sure to make it an exciting experience for all staying there.
Guide
We arrived very late on the way back to Florida from Utah and did not need any hookups. She let us park in the tent area with our rooftop tent on the Tacoma-no charge. This campground is directly across the street from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home
TravelerPretty campground with river access and accessible restrooms. Showers were a little far from our loop. I wish the sites had tent pads as it was hard to find a flat spot to place the tent and several holes in the terrain. There is NO cell signal, so I highly recommend you take a weather radio. I wish we had.
LegendThis is primarily an RV park next to the White River with a small area for tents way in the back. The campground has its own boat launch. Every site seems to have the usual picnic table and firepit, but in the tent area you will likely have to share those. The tent area is really just a nice grassy area in back, with a creek/ditch flowing through the middle. There is room for tents on both sides of this creek/ditch that can be hopped over or walked over on a little foot bridge. You will hear the neighbors cows back here as well. The bathroom and shower house are older and in need of updating, but were clean enough. Definitely take time and go across the historic bridge to the park across the river- this is where you can see a large spring that flows into the White River. There is also a public boat launch here and great playgrounds, so if you brought your boat, you can just boat across the river and back. In town are several restaurants to pick from if you didn’t catch your own dinner.
Ranger
On North Fork river, open sites w fire pits. Best for tents n small rigs, vault toilets. No other facilities, river is popular for water activities, kayaking, canoe, river trips fishing.
Tent camping near Vanzant, Missouri, offers a variety of scenic spots perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Vanzant, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Vanzant, MO is Rippee Conservation Area with a 4.3-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Vanzant, MO?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Vanzant, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
