Best Glamping near Zalma, MO

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

We had a good time camping on the back loop. Sites 105 to 111. Full hook up, shade and near river. Plenty of room on the gravel bar to have fun.

We floated. They picked us up and dropped us off at our camp sites since we had a large group. Expensive to float but we had a good time. Floated on Sunday to avoid the crazies on Saturday.

Shower houses were not clean.... luckily we didn't have to use them.

We've also stayed with a large group at Hiller House. Sleeps 20 with it's own private, clean shower house connected with normal bathroom. The house sleeps a large group and has plenty of room outside to do group activities. Kitchen is small but has a 20 foot picnic table in dining area. We were able to watch 4th of July fireworks from the porch. Need to drive from the house to the water but they pick up for floats.

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!

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

Multiple weekends spent at this campsite, both with and without family.  RV sites are clean, mostly level, and well spaced out, with quiet hours rules to accommodate families.  The "Zoo" is for the younger and rowdier crowd, and is located north of HWY 8, away from the family-friendly sites, and has later quiet hours and is known for its party-like atmosphere.  Campers in this area are effectively "locked in" after a certain time, to prevent the rowdiness from spilling over after hours.  Amenities are plentiful, and the camp store is larger than most convenience stores you'd find on the highway.  Floating options are plentiful, with multiple routes and raft/canoe/tube options available.  Either float away from your campsite, with a shuttled return, or take the shuttle to the put-in, upstream, and float back to your campsite.  An annual tradition!

Campground Review Hawn State Park is beautiful! It is one of my favorite state parks. It offers a variety of hiking trails, a nice play ground, plentiful picnic tables, and is some of the best scenery in Missouri. The pine trees that surround the parking lot give you a sense of the grandeur of this place before you ever leave your car. Then you walk to the beginning of the Whispering Pines trail and see the creek flowing, and know this place is going to be worth it. Don't get me wrong, this trail is rated as rugged, and they aren't joking around with that. If you are backpacking give yourself plenty of time to make it to camp, there are some big hills involved. Big, rocky hills. Once you get to one of the three established backcountry sites you find a generally flat area to sleep, a good amount of cleared land for activities, and a fire ring (although techincally no fires are allowed in the backcountry there). The camping is serene. I stayed at campsite 2 this time and got to listen to the trickle of a small waterfall near my site all evening, I mean, until it started raining. The hike is always worth it. This is an extremely popular trail in Missouri because of its beauty and promiximty to St. Louis (about 1.25hrs), so expect to make some new friends at your campsite. All backcountry sites are first come, first serve and free! No permit is needed, just sign in at the trail head. If you are not a fan of ruffin’ it, there are basic ($13/night) and electric ($21-23/night) drive up campsites with a showerhouse nearby. These are reservable in advanced for an additional fee. I would recommend advanced reservation on weekends in peak season. The campground is well maintained with fire rings, parking pads, and picnic tables at each site. Outside of the shower house, all other restrooms are vault toilets in the front country area (no privies in the backcountry, bring your shovel). This campground is worth a stay and hike around, even if it is on one of the shorter, easier trails.

Product Review I’ve always wanted to be a Park Ranger, exploring the wilderness for a living. I guess being a Dyrt Ranger is a pretty good substitute, especially since I got the opportunity to review the Gregory Maven Backpack recently. I have to admit, I was a little reticent to try out a new backpack. My my current pack was trusty, familiar and had been with me on so many adventures. It had seen me through my longest hikes, to the most interesting places, and mostly, it was my first. It was going to take a pretty amazing pack to get me to forsake my good ol, patch-covered Kelty. I can safely say I will never use that Kelty again. Not only is the Gregory about 100xs lighter (obviously that's a literal, scientific calculation), but it has so many features that set it apart. The first I noticed and loved was the horizontal water bottle holder. Trying to reach behind you and pull a bottle upward while walking is on par with an Olympic event, especially after you've spent 10 sweaty hours out on the trail. This pocket makes it so much easier and less of a gymnastics routine to get a drink. This alone would sell me on the pack. But let me sing more of its praises. The sunglasses wrangler on the shoulder strap is so flipping handy, I can't believe I haven't seen one before! The water bladder holder doubles as a day pack, which I love because, duh, it'll hold your water when you go off on an adventure. The material on the pack all seemed nice and durable. The padding was comfortable and it was so easy to adjust to fit me. The pockets on the hip belt are always welcome! I had to hand-craft one for my old pack, I was glad to see them on this pack ready to go. The only thing with them is if you are a little bigger in the hips, you do have to use awkward t-rex arms to reach over/back to zip them up. Also some of the label on the adjustment tab for one started coming off. Not that it's the end of the world, you just expect new things to stay new for a little while. The included rain cover was PHENOMENAL! Normally when a pack comes with a rain cover it will only cover your pack. Anything you have attached to the outside is screwed. This cover was spacious! My camp shoes, ground pad, etc. did not have to worry about the rain. Things I do miss from my old pack: A few more pockets so that it's easier to keep your gear organized and find items in a hurry. I understand this lack of pockets helps keep the pack weight down and I would rather have my pack lighter than pocket-y. I also missed my front zipper so I didn't have to pull everything out of my pack to find something. A few other less awesome things: The sizing on the website was a little confusing, it was hard to know if the sx/sm, sm/md sizes were for the hip belt or back panel. Honestly, I'm still not sure, but I'm leaning toward back panel. I did view this through a mobile platform, so it may be better on PC. Also, the bigger volume size packs are only offered in blue or gray. The colors are nice looking, but I wish an aqua, pink, or purple was available too. I can hike long distances and be feminine too, but maybe I'm the only one that feels that way though. These misses are small and I'm honestly thinking of using this pack as my luggage for vacation in a few weeks. If I do, I'll post pictures. And I will definitely be using it on future trips.

https://backcountrymara.wordpress.com/2018/03/29/gregory-maven-backpack/