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Best Equestrian Camping in Missouri

821 Reviews

A hefty sum of forty-one state parks with more than 3,600 campsites makes camping in Missouri a breeze to plan and enjoy. Long known as “The Cave State,” Missouri has nearly 6,400 historic caves to offer the archeologists at heart. And with abundant shoreline space, water activities are surprisingly easy to find at Missouri campsites. So round up the crew and grab your gear – it’s time to make memories camping in Missouri!

Thanks to the Lake of the Ozarks, the state has over 1,150 miles of shoreline, making camping in Missouri a must for water lovers. Experience the Ozarks’ breathtaking outdoors in the beautiful Ozark Mountains at one of Elk River’s three campgrounds, which offer rafting, canoeing, camping and angling.

Looking for a little history lesson along with your camping adventure? Look no further than Missouri’s intricate cave scene. Meramec Caverns located in the Ozarks is a 4.5-mile cave system that has existed for the past 400 million years. Meramec Caverns is just one hour from the heart of St. Louis, and offers lodging, camping, and canoeing in addition to guided tours of the cave.

The quaint and historic Graham Cave State Park is just over an hour west of St. Louis, and offers a walk through ancient history along with year-round camping availability, five hiking trails, and over 386 scenic acres to explore. Take a trip down literature lane and visit the famous Mark Twain Cave near Hannibal, MO. Mark Twain, a Hannibal native himself, incorporates the maze-like cave in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Cave-lovers can also descend into the Onondaga Cave State Park to view towering stalagmites, stalactites, and active flowstones.

Get away and explore Missouri’s scenic shoreline spots and cave wonders. With The Dyrt, you can be sure to find the best camping in Missouri along the way.

Map showing campgrounds in MissouriExplore the Map

Best Equestrian Sites in Missouri (81)

    1. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park

    56 Reviews
    Black, MO
    Website
    +1 (573) 546-2450

    $11 - $32 / night

    "Johnson Shut-Ins State Park is located on the Black River in Missouri, just south of St. Louis. This makes it a popular location on hot summer days, especially weekends."

    "It is located on the Black River, and the water flowing through the shut-ins is crystal clear and cool."

    2. Sam A. Baker State Park Campground

    48 Reviews
    Patterson, MO
    Website
    +1 (573) 856-4411

    "We enjoyed our 1.5 mile hike to get to the river access to float. We brought our own flotation devices and really enjoyed every aspect of the seclusion."

    "There are 2 huge campgrounds (around 100 sites each!) and a nice paved bike path connecting them."

    3. Cuivre River State Park Campground

    43 Reviews
    Troy, MO
    Website
    +1 (636) 528-7247

    $15 - $38 / night

    "Plenty of gorgeous campsites and a lake to swim and kayak! And if you need a place to camp with your horse they have an entire equestrian section. Close to St."

    "Our site, though, was the smallest in the loop, tucked away in the weeds, and the only area to pitch our tent was on a slight slope."

    4. Timbuktu Campground — Echo Bluff State Park

    37 Reviews
    Eminence, MO
    Website
    +1 (573) 751-5211

    "This is really the gem of Missouri state parks. Rv sites are all full 30/50 amp with water and sewer. All spots have plenty of room but are back in. The pads are perfectly level and are concrete."

    "Echo Bluff State Park is nestled in the heart of Missouri's Ozarks. This natural haven offers a perfect retreat for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers."

    5. Watkins Mill State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Excelsior Springs, MO
    Website
    +1 (816) 580-3387

    $12 - $42 / night

    "This place offers peace and quiet outside of a small town with close by amenities. Clean and helpful staff"

    "Watkins mill SP is located a short distance from Kansas City off I-35 near Kearney. The park has a large lake that you can fish and boat as well as multiple hiking options."

    6. Weston Bend State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Weston, MO
    Website
    +1 (816) 640-5443

    $12 - $48 / night

    "The site is long but has a 1/4 moon turn so we had to pull back around to get better positioned on the pad so we could disconnect our 39’ 5th wheel and F450 for our 3-night stay."

    "We enjoy camping there to get away from routine and responsibilities and simply hang out at our camper. The campground is wooded, generally cool, and peaceful."

    7. Wallace State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Cameron, MO
    Website
    +1 (816) 632-3745

    "Great MO state park, close to the city with easy access to 35 N. Trails, lakes, camping, great spot! If you don’t want/need electric, try campground 1, the spots are tucked into the trees."

    "Not far off of RT 36 going East through Missouri. Cost only $13 with hot showers. Nice campsite with table and fire pit. The night of our stay the ranger did a naturalist talk about stream life."

    8. St. Louis West / Historic Route 66 KOA

    30 Reviews
    Eureka, MO
    Website
    +1 (636) 257-3018

    "Our site was gravel to park on with grass around it. Close to train tracks and highway, but didn’t notice with AC on in the camper. Close to 6 flags."

    "This campground is fairly close to downtown and very close to lots of shopping. A great place to stay to stock up on supplies before heading west."

    9. Knob Noster State Park Campground

    28 Reviews
    Knob Noster, MO
    Website
    +1 (660) 563-2463

    $11 - $23 / night

    "This state park is a hidden gem in central Missouri. It has something to offer everyone in the family. There are several small lakes and plenty of hiking trails to keep everyone busy."

    "Knob Noster State Park is close to Whiteman AFB and towns nearby for amenities. The park is clean and quiet. Weekends often mean a nearly full campground so make sure to reserve ahead!"

    10. Crow's Creek Campground

    28 Reviews
    Smithville, MO
    Website

    "We live near Crow’s Creek, and enjoy making spur of the moment camping trips here throughout the year. There are many spacious tent sites with great views of the lake."

    "We love taking our horses to Crows creek, there is an amazing barn with stalls and it’s withing viewing distance of your camper/tent so you don’t have to worry."

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos in Missouri

18 Photos of 81 Missouri Campgrounds

Equestrian Camping Reviews in Missouri

821 Reviews of 81 Missouri Campgrounds

  • Josh S.
    May. 30, 2019

    Scrivner Road Conservation Area

    A hidden gem tucked away in rural Cole County

    First off there is camping here!!!! This Missouri Conservation area is a Swiss Army knife of rugged of the path camping. Rivers, Lakes, Gun range, Horses and hiking can all be enjoyed here. First come first serve basic camp area on the river. It has 1 fire ring in a gravel turnaround. Don’t let this fool you. This area has an abundance of wildlife equestrian trails and hiking. Getting too hot paddle on the lake located on the left Forck after entering. The area has a handgun, and rifle range with vault toilets. The pictures speak for themselves. Love this spot and will be planning another trip soon.

  • iloveitontop R.
    Sep. 13, 2016

    St. Joe State Park Campground

    Great place if you are boating or ORV.

    Nice park with a large camp sites with premiere off-road vehicle area. The park also features four lakes, two swimming beaches, equestrian trails, a hiking and bicycling trail and picnic sites, as well as two campgrounds capable of accommodating campers with ORV or horse trailers.

  • Linda H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 25, 2024

    Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area

    Forest and Lake Dry camping

    Heavily forested with a lake. Trails and camping areas in woods are setup for equestrian with good trails for hikers, bikers and horses. Camping at lake is open gravel or grass. Nice fishing lake with docks, boat ramp and vault toilet and the only one provided. Parked lakeside. Quite night with one fishing boat late morning. Get a brochure with park map at entrance as roads pass through park and private property.

  • Matt S.
    Sep. 3, 2016

    St. Francois State Park Campground

    St. Francois SP is Fair to Average.

    This campground was packed, but it started off on the wrong foot. The entrance comes up quick and is right off a state highway with traffic moving between 65-80 mph so of course I passed the entrance and had to double back.

    When I pulled into the park there was bunch of construction. There were a few trails but honestly it really seemed like an RV park with very few tents. The showers and bathrooms were clean but there were too many people, it was very crowded.

    I should add as a positive that here were equestrian trails and a large parking lot to park your horse trailer.

    St. Francois State Park is close to St. Louis so it is probably a popular destination, it just didn't feel like camping. I'm sure it will improve a little when the construction is completed, but I doubt it will be above three stars.

  • Annie C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 29, 2017

    Greensfelder County Park

    Ranger Review: Greensfelder County Park Camping

    Campground Review: This is a nice little hidden gem outside St Louis in a great county park. If you are a Six Flags kinda person, the amusement park sits at the southern entrance to Greensfelder. The park itself has some great hiking and biking trails, but the big draw is equestrian in nature (including eventing jumps along some of the trails). This campground caters to the horse-set, with more campsites attached to the equestrian park than not, which means you should make reservations in advance as it is a busy little campground. The equestrian camping area has a standing stall type open barn, a round pen for turn out, and large campsites designed for horse trailers. All of the sites with electric are meant for horse trailers as there are no amenities for RV's. The showers and toilets are in the horse camping portion of the campground. The non-horse camping area seemed to be an afterthought, and is along side a park artery leading to a boarding barn and more trails. I did like that there were two trail heads on opposite sides of the camping lot, and the trails were well marked. Expect this campground area to be busy as it is the staging area for equestrians who use the park.

    Product Review: In July I won some gear from Primus for reviewing some campgrounds I visited earlier this summer. This was the first opportunity I had to try out my Primus Profile Camp Stove. This is a nice car camping stove; at eleven pounds, it isn't something to carry far. Things I liked about it include the wind guards, the latching lid, and the fairly thin profile when collapsed. For a two burner stove, it really didn't take up much room in my trunk and it is sturdy enough that I wasn't worried about piling gear on top of it. However, while new out of the box, the igniter didn't work. Glad I always pack a lighter. It's not going to boil water in record time, but certainly held a steady flame and was easy to adjust. I have other stoves, but this one seems like it will be my go to when car camping with friends as I can cook more on two burners than one. https://primus.us/collections/camping-stoves

  • Grant M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 27, 2021

    St. Joe State Park Campground

    Good for ATV’s, also good for horses and people.

    So, as one of Missouri’s atv parks, this can be a load one. But, you can camp at campground 2, and you’re dealing with a MUCH more classic camping scenario. The park is big enough you don’t hear the small engine vehicles over here.

    The campground 2 sites are set up for horses, something I know almost nothing about, but they make the sites larger to accommodate equestrian needs and that’s nice. Hiking, MTB, and horse trails are separate from the atv trails. There’s even a nice 11 mile long paved trail that has some hills but will work for kids/strollers/etc.

    There are a number of more interesting parks in the area for what I think of as a true camping experience, but this is a good one if you’re also on the pokemon plan (gotta camp ‘em all). If you like atv/utv/dirt bike stuff, man, campground one is for you, and it looks like a blast, read up on the lead mine tailing warnings.

  • Lindsey C.
    Aug. 10, 2020

    Sam A. Baker State Park Campground

    Fun Campground

    We enjoyed our 1.5 mile hike to get to the river access to float. We brought our own flotation devices and really enjoyed every aspect of the seclusion. They have equestrian trails as well and we got to see horses while floating too. The water was crystal clear and we even found quartz in some rocks in the water.

  • J K.
    Aug. 6, 2019

    Cuivre River State Park Campground

    Beautiful park with everything you need!

    This is a perfect place to enjoy with the family. Plenty of gorgeous campsites and a lake to swim and kayak! And if you need a place to camp with your horse they have an entire equestrian section. Close to St. Louis but far enough out to enjoy peace and quiet!

  • David L.
    Jun. 22, 2019

    Swan Creek

    Dispersed Camping Galore

    Has great dispresed camping, free, creek is accessible, has equestrian area to camp with horses, bout 45 minutes to a hour from Springfield. No service for ATT.

Guide to Missouri

Horse camping in Missouri offers a unique opportunity to explore the state's beautiful landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine friends. With a variety of campgrounds equipped with essential amenities, equestrian enthusiasts can find the perfect spot to unwind and ride.

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