Best Cabin Camping near Wappapello, MO

As a child my family camped at Twin Rivers annually so it was really fun to go back in June. It is a popular spot for people who are there to float the Black River.
We were hiking the OT from Taum Sauk to Johnson Shut-ins so we opted for a camping cabin to keep it simple. We were delighted to find it had A/C! There are 4 small cabins with a double bunk, table and 2 chairs plus the A/C. There is as little porch: nice for sitting or gear stash. It was clean and simple. Bring your own bedding. Outside there is a big water spigot, picnic table, fire ring, and grill. You have access to the "beach" on the crystal clear Black River. There is a camp store with a good stock of what you forgot plus t-shirts etc.
I love Twin River's Landing and we hope to use that cabin again.

This 1200 acre property used to be the beautiful Cherokee Ridge Girl Scout camp until it was sold in 2019. We have went through extensive renovations and development to bring this property to the public so that it can be enjoyed by our guests. River access and our private gravel/sand bars are available exclusively to our guests and have provided some of the most peaceful weekends imaginable.

We have everything from glamping tents right on the river bluff (photos attached) to 12 fully equipped cabins with hot tubs overlooking the 22 acre lake with a beach and activities (photos attached)

We have 4 Conestoga Wagons that are heated and air conditioned (see photos attached). They are the definition of glamping.

50 RV sites with picnic tables fire/grill pits with a variety of 30 and 50 amp pull-through and back-in sites. We offer float trips, rental boats for the lake, and rental golf carts to adventure around the park.

The park is going through endless development to continue to provide everyone with the most enjoyable and peaceful vacation possible.

Please check out our website www.otahkilake.com

Campground Review

Huzzah Valley Resort (HVR) is not a typical campground. It’s a place built for and specializing in float trips. If you are picturing serenely paddling down a pristine river in a canoe listening to the sounds of birds and insects, you are in the wrong place, at least on a Saturday during the summer. This is more like a float trip with frat parties floating on by you, complete with loud music, floating cooler, floating beer pong tables, loads of drunk people and of course the antics of these drunk people. Not really the best place to take your kids on those summertime Saturdays. I knew this going into the weekend. Really, with campsite prices from $12.79 (for the family camping area) to $16.00 (for the loud area with no quiet hours, nicknamed the Zoo) per person, per night most people not looking for this experience are weeded out by price alone. All that being said party-barge type float trips are pretty much a rite of passage in Missouri.

My Husband and I went on this trip with a group of friends that are not as experienced campers as we are and opted to stay in a cabin. This was about $90 per person for the weekend. Our cabin sleeps 8 people with 1 queen bed in a room, 2 queen beds in a loft, and a double sofa sleeper. It included a kitchenette, full bathroom, fire ring, BBQ grill, picnic table. Aside from a microwave and a full size fridge, the cabin didn’t really offer any other amenities. We brought our own sheets and campstove. It was nice to be able to set up a crockpot before we got on the river and have dinner ready when we got back though. The cabin was reasonably sized and not a bad experience.

It was nice on Sunday morning to just get to enjoy our coffee as we watched hundreds of hungover people in the campground try to take down tents.

We floated from Scotia to Ozark Outdoors, which is a very pretty 5 mile float in the Huzzah. This meant we had to be bussed from HVR to the put in and from the take out back to HVR. The river was packed!! There were people as far as the eye could see and the raft/canoe/kayak traffic never broke up during our whole time on the river. Since it was not a holiday weekend, we were a little surprised by how crowded it was. This didn't stop is from having a great time though! We floated in a raft and a kayak and both experiences were very good.

The campsite offered tent sites as well as sites with full hookups for RVs. Each campsite has a fire grate and picnic table. There is a camp store on site that sells everything you could possibly forget, from matches to fishing poles to beer.

Product Review

As a Ranger for the Dyrt I get to try out products from time to time. One this trip I tested out Nature’s Coffee Kettle, which is billed as top quality coffee that you can take anywhere. They give you a reusable kettle bag and a filter bag of coffee. You can purchase refill packs to use in the same kettle bag. Kettle bags get up to 4 uses. You place the filter pack at the top of the bag, pour some boiling water over it and let it sit for a few minutes, then you pour the remaining water over the filter and wait a few more minutes for it to brew through the filter bag and drip into the bottom portion of the bag. Once it is done, you can pour yourself a cup of hot joe.

The coffee is very good. Even though the brewing process is a little complex (adding 1 cup of water, waiting a few minutes, adding 3 more cups, waiting more), it isn’t that difficult. The closable pour spout is nice to keep your coffee hot while you drink your first cup. The bag is a little flimsy and I was afraid the kettle would fall over while brewing, but it held up.  The kettle and bag are lightweight and can fold down pretty small. These are definitely much easier to use than an old school percolator, and take up less space. I feel like car camping is where these will shine. Although you do still have to pack a pot to boil the water.

They are even practical enough that I might try to take them backpacking at some point. I can’t imagine they will replace Starbucks Vias as my go-to coffee for backpacking though. It is still bigger, creates more trash, and you have to make 4 cups at once even though it is tastier.

Pros:

• Delicious coffee in a variety of roasts and types
• Lighter, smaller than traditional percolator
• Reusable kettle bags
• Screw cap to keep coffee hot
• They offer coffee, tea, and hot chocolate

Cons:

• Can only make 4 cups at a time
• Thin bag- makes it too hot to touch and have to be careful not to let it fall over while brewing
• Not light, small enough to take backpacking regularly

Large primitive sites with plenty of space and access to community water pump in each area. Full RV hookup sites with room for tent camping friends. Trash pickup. Bathrooms within walking distance, that are CLEAN, critter free, and well kept. Access to shower house near the main entrance. Laundry on site as well!

The site we stayed at was a premium tent/basic RV slot, so essentially we had access to an electrical outlet and our own water. The site was huge, plenty of space for our two tents, a pop up, and our "camp kitchen". Each site has a pretty well kept up picnic table and fire ring with cowboy stove (grate that flips over the fire..does the rest of the country use that phrase, too?)

We came in on a Thursday evening and had no issues checking in and getting settled. We floated the Black River Friday through the campground, and had a blast. Our 6 man raft was in great condition and we had no problems with pick up at the put out. Our bus driver was a magician, getting us back in record time. We camped for three nights. Quiet time beginning at 11pm didn't need enforcing, everyone was pleasant and friendly. The staff was phenomenal.

We are already planning our next trip out and cant wait to bring the kids!

For Labor Day we stayed at Big Spring State Park CG, near Van Buren, Missouri which is part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. 

We arrived Friday afternoon and set up camp in the 100 loop, which are primitive campsites with fire ring, picnic table and lantern hook. Nice shady outer ring with plenty of room to set up your area. The inner ring is less private and lacking in shade. There are trails from the back sites to the river and the wading/swimming was nice. Where your hiking shoes to get there, and pack your water shoes you’ll probably want them for the rocky river bottom. 

 In May 2017 the area had major flooding. ( A Park Ranger put on a very informative slide show about it Friday evening) The park is still in the process of rebuilding many of its structures. That being said there are porta pots in two of the campground loops and some of the trails are closed still. The actual showerhouse was extremely busy and not well maintained. Spiders galore, three claustrophobic shower stalls (one was inoperable) with questionable cleanliness and the configuration is just weird. I’ve said it before , it’s unfortunate that the state does not keep these awesome areas maintained. 

The campground was full but we still had privacy and the noise was never intrusive on our activities. 

Big Spring is pretty awesome. There is a trail that circles up around the spring to the far side and several areas to take pictures from. It’s worth the visit to see the spring. We will visit again but I think I will take my field shower!