Searching for the perfect place to pitch your tent near Wappapello? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Wappapello, Missouri's most popular destinations.
This is also a Silvopasture Forest Farm so expect rewilded critters scampering around. All pets must be leashed at all times. All children are to be instructed to never chase a critter. We'd love to invite them to our daily feeding time to offer them a chance to get closer. They may even see Stormy, our rewilded bunny.
We only have one outhouse in the woods next to tent campgrounds about 100 meters away so if you can, bring your own buckets with toilet seat lids theyre cheap and we have a hungry methane digester you can dump it in. We need volunteers to help us build a bigger bathroom and bathhouse. Let us know if you wanna help. We are just starting out so there are a few construction sites with materials we are using to build with to recycle into other needed raw materials. So our apologies for the mess, but it really is us having an abundance of building materials and not enough people to help us build. If you wanna help Check out our EcoJunk Division :)
$35 - $50 / night
This recreation area is part of Wappapello Lake
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
Float Camp Picnic Area is located only 150 feet from the cool waters of the crystal clear Current River. Visitors enjoy floating the river, fishing and hiking. A campground is only a half-mile away for those who want to stay longer than a day.
The swift-moving river allows for enjoyable float trips, as well as canoeing and great fishing. Swimming is also a popular pastime. Visitors enjoy horseshoe pits and volleyball courts, as well as hiking and other recreational opportunities nearby.
The day-use picnic area offers an accessible group shelter that can accommodate up to 75 people. The site is equipped with electricity, tables and grills. Individual sites are available on a first come, first served basis. Accessible vault toilets, drinking water and trash collection are provided.
The picnic area is nestled under a mature forest of hardwoods, which offers plentiful shade. It is adjacent to the Current River.
Doniphan is four miles away and offers float trip outfitters, restaurants and lodging.
$50 / night
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.
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
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.
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.
ScoutTent camping back away from the RVs & we were the only people. Gorgeous river to view just a few steps away & the night sky view was fantastic. LOVED the bathroom & shower facilities!
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.
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.
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.
TravelerSmall lake. Has tent camping or cabins. All roads are gravel. We have stayed in the cabins. It was a double bed and also had a set of bunks. So plenty of room. Lake has sandy beaches. Small playset I the water for kids.
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
This camp site has RV hook-ups and tent camping. There are trees throughout the campground if you're looking to set up a hammock. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table and is a mix of grass and light gravel. Pit toilets, no showers. Water spigots throughout the camp ground. Keep an eye out for snakes though! I nearly stepped on a copper head in the outhouse! Camp sites are a 2 minute walk to the St. Francois River. Great hiking along the river and good fishing, swimming and kayaking in the river! Also not to far from the Castor River Shut-ins if you're looking to pack two rivers into one trip. We just celebrated my husband's birthday here last weekend, though we have been a few times before. Always a blast!
Scout
There’s a nice river next to the campground for swimming and boating. The whole place is a nice quiet setting. The sites themselves are not on top of each other. I’ve had good Verizon signal here.
Currently has 8 electric only sites, and 12 tent sites. All are first come, first serve. There are water spigots available for fresh water. The only dump station is in town at the Rocky River Resort, $10. The host told me that the three year plan is to have all sites set up for water and electric, with a dump station at the top of the hill. I’m staying here 5 days, spot #4, and the campground hosts are a nice couple. I’d recommend it.
Guide
We've stayed here for 3 of our Current River float trips. I LOVE THIS CAMPGROUND!! The tent sites are great, the ground is wonderful and not rocky. It's very well maintained. The little store where you check in is so convenient for anything you may have forgotten...and the staff is friendly and helpful!! You can even have pizza delivered to your site, and are within walking distance to an ice cream shop, yet you don't feel like you're out of town. It's right on the river and next to the float check in area. The bathrooms and showers are clean. There is just so much convenience it's crazy. And the absolute best is that there is campground karaoke on Saturday nights when the sun goes down!! I love how that gets the campground to gather and have some fun together! I honestly wish I could live here for the summer.
Traveler
Huzzah offers “Everything” ! From tents to amazing large group houses, Huzzah can accommodate whatever your family or group are looking for.
Amenities are to long to list, but with canoeing, rafting, tube rentals to horseback riding, you will surely be pleased.
The family store offers everything you would expect and more.
Huzzah Bobs cooks up an amazing breakfast buffet, or you may want to include a BBQ dinner in your package to eliminate the hassle of cooking after a long day floating on the river.
Tent campsites are Huge! I can’t review the water and electric sites “we are tent campers”, but they appear more than adequate.
My husband have been going there for over 25 yrs, some of my fondest family memories are at Huzzah.
Now our children are married with children of their own, and our family tradition continues on through another generation. Our daughter and her family even travel all the way from Canada tor a Huzzah adventure.
You truly will not be disappointed! The crystal clear waters will definitely take your breath away!
Traveler
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!
RangerCampground 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:
Cons:
Scout
The Greenville Recreation Campsite has much shade, level concrete pads, a picnic table and fire ring at each of the 100+ camp sites. There are walking and biking trails. Boating, swimming & fishing access is available at nearby Lake Wappapello. The campsite is actually located in the area of Old Greenville. The city was moved when the Corps of Engineers built Wappapello Dam and this area was flooded. There are still old foundations of the court house and various homes. There are also markers telling the history of the area. Truly a neat place to visit!
Legend
Lake Wappapello SP is a refreshing little get away. We took a girls weekend in the fall and enjoyed the trails and fall foliage...which was mostly already on the ground. The lake, though to cold to enjoy , was beautiful. We followed a wandering trail around the edge which was interesting to attempt to follow due to the leaves on the ground. There are two campgrounds, one is closed for the season. The other had nice size sites with facilities. I like the separate “patio” with cooking and dining area. Needless to say it was quiet, off season leaves the area empty. There are a lot of things to see in the area and Lake Wappapello is a nice base to travel from or you can stay at the lake exclusively and enjoy water sports and hiking.
Guide
Lower Peoples Creek is on beautiful Wappapello Lake, MO. It has nicely spaced sites and well maintained facilities. There is a public swimming beach and boat ramps located at the entrance. In addition, there is a private beach area (not for swimming) where you can pull your boat up if you are a patron of the campground.
ScoutI would have given a 5 star rating other than the showers are summer camp style meaning you share with everyone but there are curtains but no privacy now for the sites you have 50 amp water and sewer and no one bothers you compared to my horrible experience at wappapello lake at peoples creek and Redman I am appalled at the way I was treated by the volunteers at both lakes they are racist and will never go back!!! one other thing is here you also share with a cemetery there is one right next to my camp with in walking distance my kids did not like that but not a bother to me and I was treated so much better here they let u camp and don’t care the color of your skin or your age what’s funny though is the gentleman wasn’t even part of our group but she thought he was at Redman lake I never told her differently cause it shouldn’t have mattered oh but it did so to have the volunteers like that the army corps should really be aware of how there volunteers are treating guests it’s terrible but anyways back to this one other than the few things that I stated it’s a good park and I would come back!
GuideWe booked online, from the photos of site 48 at the Ridge Campground loop, there was plenty of space for our tent & to enjoy our weekend camping. We could not have been more WRONG! This site is TINY! Not even enough room for our tent, the fire pit is nearly touching the picnic table & a drainage line runs right through the site. The grass was SO tall, leaves & Brush everywhere. The site & fire pit were full of trash! I pulled countless bottle caps out of my dogs mouth, and had to clean up broken glass as well. We spoke with the host & moved one site over, to #49. This site was bigger & looked more appealing. We were still WRONG! The ticks, ants & mosquitoes were thick (I know were outside, and I understand - but the amount of ticks I picked off ourselves, our tent, our chairs, table etc was more than normal.) when breaking down our tent we found a nest of black ants, millions of them, all through our tarps.
The bathrooms in this loop are large, but they are much older. They were dirty - constant trash on the floors, including sanitary pad wrappers & bloody tissues. The soap dispenser was broken, and someone had busted the lid off to get to the soap inside. There were dead bugs all over the counter & the showers didn’t drain, they had standing water. When we drove through the Asher loop it was like a different campground! I couldn’t believe the difference and was quite upset. Just because Ridge is the older part of the park doesn’t mean it should be maintained any different. We will NOT return to the Ridge campground, but would love to stay at Asher one day.
ScoutCamp host was nice and river was also very nice but campground was really tight. We had camper 5 feet off back window and tents on are side not much space
ScoutWe love it here. Sites that can accommodate tents and/or RVs. Its clean and well maintained. Multiple access points to the water. Educational programs and entertainment of some sort most every weekend. Pet friendly.
GuideWill definitely be back here. Clear waters to swim in. Clean restrooms. Spacious tent spaces. Nice trails. We went and saw the park rangers showing us all kinds of different snakes in the area. Kids loved it.
GuideGreat park. I did the backpacking with 1 night of hammock camping. They have 3 actual tent shelters on the trail but it is over grown by #3 there’s also aquatic trails so be ware of the horses.
Traveler
Each year I travel to the area to shoot professional fireworks for the 4th of July. I have recently taken up primitive camping (late in life, but love it now) and this campground provided a wonderful experience to accompany my favorite time of year. We found an absolutely beautiful spot along the Black River, for only $10/night! Plenty of space for our sleeping tent and supply tent, a picnic table, lantern pole, and a bench by the river. Showers and bathrooms were clean and plenty of hot water. The few folks we spoke to were friendly and pleasant. We even found a great swimming hole nearby. This was my second week-long primitive camping trip, and far from my last. It was a peaceful and beautiful spot in a lovely part of the Mark Twain Forest. Definitely recommend for primitive camping and/or some great nature activities.
Wappapello, Missouri, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and relaxation in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
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