Best Dispersed Camping near Vienna, MO

All and all nice place. Some roads are gravel and chalky leading there (my cars still covered and I'm in Colorado now!) Pit Toilets were nice, one for campground. 2 potable water sites. Campsites were not well defined and judging by the beer cans in some site fire rings it might get rowdy on the weekend.

This campground is pretty stripped down. There are vault toilets and that's it for amenities. However, it is also one of my favorites close to home to hike. The campsites are always clean, but you almost always find litter in the fire rings. You have to gather your own wood or bring approved stuff in, but it is perfect for a quick overnight trip.

First of all this is way down Berryman Rd. Go look up Michael Berryman (RIP) and his movies, then come back to me.

Got that picture? Ok great.

First thing you see when you turn off the highway is a tiny Baptist (first red flag) church and graveyard to set the tone.

If that doesn't put you off, make sure your car can handle terrain and you can handle your car. This is barely a road. It's a trail of moguls for your tires. Fallen trees and branches that narrow the lane and threaten to scrape the sides of your vehicle. One tree overhead barely cleared my car. Puddles that could be who know how deep or what's in them (I may be the red flag here). You can not turn around anywhere on this road; you have to go to the end where there's a loop or worst case scenario reverse out while ideally not in a state of panic.

I however as a cultist who worships at the altar of my Subaru's cargo hatch forged ahead because gotta get that creekside spot.

Anyway I got to the site without popping any tires and half set up before going for a walk. There's not a lot of walkable ground out there, really just the flat ground around the campsites and the road. Road was barely even an option. Water-filled pits made the muddy road difficult to traverse and eventually prevented me from going any further. The brush and reedy grass were too thick to walk through safely to get around, and in places the roadside embankments were too steep and loose to climb up and around puddles.

I did see a big ol mudbug, which was cool, but it was terribly quiet out there during my short walk. I was glad to get back to my car, where up the low cliff on the opposite side of the creek was a nicer-looking house with the sounds of people hanging out on the deck.

As night fell and the animal sounds picked up, I decided to sleep in my car instead of the tent. If you're ever out and you hear the animals and insects go silent, and then the next thing you hear is dogs barking, you should also probably sleep in your car.

After a hot and filling foil wrap dinner, I enjoyed some of the good green, because who doesn't like a sleep aid that also activates the amygdala, especially in these particular conditions. I'm soaking up the stars and the moon and the sound of running water, when suddenly I heard a heavy-bodied splash in the creek right by me.

And when I tell you I bolted to the car so fast leaving behind a tangled trail of chair, blanket, charger cable, etc

Because the shore on my side of the creek is flat. Waltz right on up from the creek. Nope not here not me.

Anyway nothing ended up happening, I slept fine, woke up to a bright sun and beautiful view. I did still get out of there pretty fast.

⭐5/7 might go spook myself again

There was easy access to the campground. There were designated spots to camp that had a picnic table and camp grill. Didn't like people just sitting in parked cars in the campground. Quite place to camp for the night.

We arrived on Wednesday and camped for a couple of days, very beautiful and peaceful and just gorgeous, no toilets and no electricity and no cell signal but it was amazing