Taum Sauk Mountain State Park Campground

Very nice secluded camping. Only a handful of other campers at the site. Nice fire pits and picnic tables with access to small pit bathrooms. Easy access to the mountain overlook and trailheads. Parking at the sites is about 50-100ft away from the table and fire pit. Wish we could’ve gotten our van closer.

This campground is perfect for a little getaway. Some spots are elevated so you don’t have to camp on the ground. All of them come with a picnic table and fire ring. The campground is on the honor system, so you fill out a envelope when you arrive.

Peaceful just like always.

We stayed here for two nights and had a great time. Campsite is well taken care of despite being pretty remote and there was only one other person staying there. Abundant with wildlife, and tree stargazing is 10/10. It’s also fairly close to Johnson Shut-Ins, Elephant Rock, and many other wild areas. We definitely will be back!

We stayed here on a Tuesday evening in early November. It was election night so we were happy to not have a cell signal for the night. 😊 The sites are all walk in but it’s a short walk from your car to the site. Very rocky ground so be careful where you put your tent. Pit toilets are located at the entrance to the campground. We didn’t see where the water was but it was supposed to be off for the season anyway so we were prepared. We did the hike to the highest point in Missouri and then to a small waterfall. We were racing the sunset so we didn’t get to spend as much time as we would have liked. There were only two other campers and all was quiet.

Camped for a couple days during fall. The scenery was gorgeous!

Are you a person who enjoys the outdoors more than the couch? Do you thrive in medium/tough hikes where the possible main cause of death is by "neck chaffing due to skin stickyness?" Do fetid sauna-temperatured bathrooms and nightly raccoon raids tickle your camping funny bone? Then this location is for you! 

We are looking at 12 first, honor, come first served sites, with 2 larger special use ones. 

The flora is rich and thick, with good shade on all sites. The drawback is the amount of poison ivy, so be careful. 

Trash hooks are provided for all campsites but you'll need to take the trash out when you leave, as there's no collection. FURTHERMORE, many of the hooks are 4x4 posts which raccoons can easily climb, so you'll need to be proactive and put it all in your car. No bears, in my experience, are in the area so that should not be a big deal. Also, don’t forget to put all the food in the car as well as the little pests will tear through anything that is left behind-they’ve once stole one of my Olights, leaving only the butt and the battery behind. 

Great for tent as well as hammocks. I've done both and, by far, the second it the way to go. Make sure that the site is free from the possibility of deadfalls, which happens all over. The dept of conservation does a good job cutting the dangerous trees but, sometimes, sh*t happens… Good fire rings with grates, as well as picnic tables are provided. 

Fauna is everywhere! This is a great base for you to go out birding. I've found animals from Luna Moths to Copperheads in the surrounding areas. There is a very small pond in between all the sites. The noise at night is ABSOLUTELY deafening-I Love it! If this was the 60's and frogs were musicians, the place should be named Woodstock.

There's "drinkable" water on site but I would boil it, filter, and have it blessed before consuming it, if I were you…although that will not improve the taste of your instant coffee, sorry. 

Temperatures are often manageable, especially at night as the place tends to fluctuate within 20 degrees between midday and 10pm- it's quite nice. 

Mosquitoes are a nonsense that can be easily avoided by you not being a dummy and, 1. not camping next to the pond, 2. applying repellent. 

This is one of my favorite sites in Missouri. Even if all sites are to be taken you'd still feel that there is enough space between you and the sucker next door. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my next post,"Mina Sauk Spigot."

The views, the views, the views!! After the hiking the campground pales in your thoughts. Primitive sites, in the trees and clean facilities covers it. The hiking though, bring your comfy boots, pack your day bag and bring your snacks and water.

Great primitive campground with clean facilities, plenty of trails and off the beaten path enough to give plenty privacy

Beautiful park. Stayed one night well maintained. Pretty busy but I was here before school started so lots of families out. Be sure to stop by elephant rock.

I LOVED this place. Great for all kinds of camping with beautiful trails and Missouri’s largest waterfall. It is also Missouri’s highest point.

First come first serve. You will have to get there early to ensure a spot. Great hiking and access to the Ozark Trail. Great views for early mornings. The site we got set up at had plenty of trees to set up hammocks, but some of the sites were not set up from hammock camping.

My husband and I stayed here last December before starting the Taum Sauk to Johnson Shut-Ins portion of the Ozark Trail. The hike to Mina Sauk falls and Devil's Toll is always worth it.

We were the only people in the campground that night, which was a little freaky, but also very peaceful. A few cars did drive through the campground later at night, but they didn't stop.

The campsite had a picnic table, fire ring and tent area.

The water was turned off at the time of year we were there and the pit toilets were pretty full, but otherwise still clean.

We stayed in the group site. It is very close to several points of interest- Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob, Elephant Rocks & Johnson Shut- ins.

super price for the group site

Wonderful campground with maintained sites and space to camp where you would. Taum Sauk Park has a portion of the Ozark Trail traversing it’s highest point. Highly recommend hiking the small ~4-5 mile loop to catch some of the amazing views and rock formations. There are also numerous sites along the trail that have been camped in on a regular basis and so are easy to spot.

The campground is based off first-come first-serve. They offer vault toilets and water and only tent camping.

Taum Sauk Mountain is known for being the highest peak in Missouri but has a lot more to offer with its breathtaking views. There are three trails that are within Taum Sauk Mountain and you don’t want to miss out on these views!

Taum Sauk Mountain- Missouri‘s highest point trail is not a long hike, just a little under 2 miles and rated moderate.

Mina Sauk Falls trail is a little under 4 miles and rated moderate. Best to hike after a heavy rainfall to see the waterfall but don’t let that stop you if it hasn’t rained in awhile, still beautiful to see.

Ozark Trails meets with Mina Sauk Falls and then runs off on own again. Its about a 14 mile trail and rated Hard.

Be sure to wear good hiking shoes!

I downloaded the AllTrails app, which if you dont have I highly recommend downloading it. This app is very helpful finding trails near you and even locates where you are at on the trail.

Self-service campsites, the closest you can get to backpacking with access to a toilet! (Vault toilet) The sites are all secluded from each other by trees and are very beautiful. The overlook to the valley is beautiful, especially for sunrise, and another short walk will take you to the marker for MO highest point.

I like this camp site because you are within the trees the whole time. It is tent camping only. Where we camped, the ground was covered in moss. That made for very soft sleeping, except for the few large rocks spread over the area. We had room for two portable canopies and about 35 cub scouts and family members.

Very simple campground lets you feel close to the lovely nature here. The trail options are either a short loop or a loooong out and back along the famous Ozark Trail. Not much else to do (no water activites) so if you’re not planning to hike a lot or just hang out/grill, you might want to plan some time off site.

Yay: Trails through all kinds of forests, waterways and waterfalls. Educational displays.

Nay: TENT CAMPING ONLY!!! My friend had been turned away on a previous trip! (There are some other parks nearby if you are in an RV.) Fills up fast.

Surprise: Hike the tallest mountain in MO, not a long hike. Endless green rolling vistas! Also had deer at our tent.

This being my first experience with a first come first serve campground, I was nervous coming in as we arrived fairly late on a Friday night. To my pleasure, we found a campsite to ourselves. My boyfriend and I travel and camp together and like to find sites that are quiet and give you a sense that you're a lot further from the city then we are. We were happy with the spaciousness and the distance between the sites. A few of the first sites looked much closer together and would make a great place for a larger group. I believe we were at site 8 near the back of the road where it felt quietier. Unfortunately though the second night a group of young boy scouts camped right behind us in the large communal spot, which made for a very loud night and early morning. Other than that, we really enjoyed the space and proximity to trails including the Mina Sauk Falls. There is your standard bug covered vault toilet and a spigot for water at the front. The best part was a designated leveled area for tents that made sleeping so very comfortable. Would definitely return, just maybe would go furather from the large communal spot.

I had a great time at Taum Sauk Mountain. I came down to check out the area to see if it would be a good place to do a Boy Scout High Adventure for my son's troop. It is only tent sites, no RV's, campers or pop ups. I prefer setting up my tent and sleeping under the stars so I loved camping here.

There are not a lot of campsites and they are reserved on a first come first served basis. There are only pit toilets and no showers but if you are in a pinch you can power your phones from the outlet outside of the pit toilets and there is a water fountain with a spigot right next to the pit toilets as well.

Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest point in Missouri with a beautiful overlook. It also has a tower if you are not afraid of heights and can make it up the 91 steps to the top. There is a lot of wildlife. I saw several deer myself and my neighbors had a pack of raccoons who terrorized the food they left out on their picnic table. Be sure to keep your food and belongings in your car or hung up in a tree or on one of the posts set up in the camp site.

This is a great park for scenery, wildlife, and solitude.

Gave this campground a 5-star rating, but it probably should only be a 4 star. It only has about 12 basic tent campsites, no water or electrical at the sites. The campsites were nicely spaced, most have a lot of shade, each has a picnic table and a place to make a fire. No trailers allowed at camp sites, just tents. There is one or two special-use camping areas that can be used for groups such as boy scouts, etc. It appears you can pay in advance and reserve some campsites, so that you be sure to get one for your trip. I went in late May on the Mon-Tue of-after Memorial Day weekend and was able to find an available campsite even though I did not have a reservation. Camping fees/rates were posted on a board near the restroom building by the honor system camping fee pay station.
The restroom bldg only has pit toilets, not flush toilets. But they were cleaned very well by the workers on the 2nd day I was there. Also worth noting is that there is water faucet an a drinking fountain next to the restroom bldg, so you can get fresh water if needed. OK, so this sounds normal to average, so why give this campground a good rating? Because of location to the great stuff near-by on this mountain.
Missouri's High Point is here on this mountain. There is a very nice overlook w/ viewing platform w/ handrails very close to the campground. Some awesome hiking trails are worth checking out, although they are a bit rugged in places where you could twist an ankle. One of the trails will take you to a nice waterfall, which is Missouri's highest falls. Note that I would not call it MO's largest waterfall. Further to all of this great stuff is that the birds were plentiful and quite active when I was there. Easy to watch and listen to them at the camping area, and at the overlook viewing platform. Birds were pretty much everywhere. There is also a look-out tower up on the mountain, which is probably used as a fire watch tower. A few pictures attached.