If you’ve been coming to this campground for decades as my family has, prepare yourself. They’ve taken this hidden gem abounding with rustic, quiet character and turned it into a busy RV park. Most spots are not ideal for tent camping. The beaches are too small to accommodate the number of people now coming in. It’s just heartbreaking. It’s our ancestral home and we just don’t know if we can handle going back. The whole vibe is drastically different. It’s looks like every other RV park out there. It used to be a short walk to get to the water. Not anymore. They also got rid of the picnic area close to the water. It was extremely inconvenient getting my elderly mother down to the water (and then finding a beach spot on our side of the creek was impossible).

We stayed two nights Group Site A. It’s far removed from the other campsites…and the bathroom. It looks like there used to be a trail back to the bathroom but it’s overgrown now. The water spigot was out of order but as we already had to drive up to the bathrooms, we just took the water cooler. The water is strongly chlorinated. That being said, the staff is very friendly and helpful. The Cub Scouts loved the site, the Natural Wonders Trail, and the visitors’ center. We will definitely go again but only if we get the site closer to the bathrooms.

For our annual cousin campout in our ancestral home of Davisville we reserved site 24 and the group site (2) directly behind it. It was beautiful and perfect (a long walk from parking on the group site to cooking on the group site). Unfortunately it was in a flash flood hazard zone and hurricane Barry was dumping rain on us. There are new campsites under construction, farther back from the river. We’ll still try to get the old sites in the future but it will be nice to have another option if the weather isn’t cooperating. The Huzzah creek is rocky but beautiful. You have to be careful because there are sudden drop-offs, it can be two feet deep and then you take a few steps and it’s seven feet deep. The campground host is diligent but he slips around like a shadow in the night, don’t let it freak you out. I just hope with the new sites and even a shower house Red Bluff doesn’t get crowded. It would break my heart.

We stayed in the group site in River bend loop. Despite being a holiday weekend the atmosphere was very chill. Kids were all over the place on their bikes like it was the 80’s. It was quiet and clean. Our site was right next to the campground hosts who were very nice and very involved (they even found my parents who made the mistake of taking the first Silver Mines exit). There is no cell reception. There IS a WalMart nearby in case you forget something. When we were here the water was very swift but not very deep. Along the river’s edge there are little pools and waterways among the boulders and the toddlers loved playing there. We had a great time and definitely wouldn’t mind going back. Only drawback: the bathrooms were sketchy inside and foul smelling (and I’m used to vault toilets).

This summer we stayed at site 26 which is a double electric site. Lots of shade and several level spots for tents. It’s right next to the vault toilet, whose stench only wafted over to the campsite a few times, and right across from the spigot. There were maybe five other campsites booked while we were there (weekdays in mid-July). As ever the creek was beautiful. Parents take caution, the water can be very shallow in some spots and suddenly drop off to six or seven feet deep. It was teeming with tadpoles and crawdads and various fish this summer. The raccoons weren’t quite as aggressive this summer but we still had a couple fights wake us up. My sons like to stay up late and do battle with the raccoons. Also, not a single tick on any of us this year. This may have been one of our most enjoyable summers camping in my ancestral home.

We stayed at site 324 which is a Premium Electric Family site. It was Memorial Day weekend. There were two tables, two fire rings, and plenty of shade. There were also plenty of red wasps as they had taken up residence in one of the trees. The bathroom was one site away as was the spigot. Also, we had great cell service. The park rangers are on their game, constantly patrolling.We expected it to be noisy and crowded because of the holiday but it wasn’t at all. We could see through the trees but not easily access it. It’s a short drive down to the beach which is a sandy/rock mix that beautifully exfoliated my feet. The water was perfect and the kids had a great time that made all the work worthwhile. They already talk about going back again next year. “It isn’t the river (Red Bluff-Davisville,MO) but we should come back.”

We stayed here with the Boy Scouts for Fall Camporee. The boys all loved it. There’s a river nearby with a rocky beach to keep the kids busy. You can go tubing or canoeing. There’s a restaurant and store. The shower house is clean and well lit. My only problem with this campground is that it is so expensive. We could never go here on our own. $12.50 per adult and $7.50 per youth. Yikes!

We stayed at site 21. We were supposed to be at a different site but didn’t Iike it when we got there and the campground host let us choose another unreserved site. This site was completely shaded, primitive, a mix of rocky and grassy and mostly level. It rained on us all weekend and I tried not to freak out because this area is known for flash floods (that’s why it’s so rocky). The spigot was right next to our site so that was handy. There are two vault toilets, one in the center of the loop and the other down the path in the picture. Lots of ticks, LOTS of brazen raccoons, horseflies galore. No cell service. At all. You come here for the Huzzah Creek, which is a glorious place especially for kids.

This is a really well kept campground. The sites are beautiful, the shower houses are clean. The lake is beautiful…if you can see it. We have five sons and one of our musts for a campground is easily accesible water to play in. This is NOT the campground for that. This is a man-made lake and there are sharp drop offs all the way around. It was SO hot when we stayed and we couldn’t get to the water. And we had to find something else to entertain our littles. They did have a fun program at the amphitheater. If we had a boat and the kids were older we might go back but probably not, I really prefer having a beach.

This campground is in a small village that is my ancestral home. As a kid I spent my summers just up the road at my grandparents’ house. That being said, you don’t go to this campground to be comfortable. It’s fairly primitive. One loop is mostly rocks. It didn’t used to be that way but there was a devastating flood a few years back and now if you camp in that loop you’re likely going to be on rocks. Unfortunately the far end of the other loop is mostly rock now too. There are vault toilets, a grand total of three in the campground. They are usually kept clean. No showers. Water is at the spigot. The campground host doesn’t bother with quiet hours. The raccoon population is out of control. Basically if you’re camping here it’s just for the crystal clear waters of the Huzzah Creek. There are large boulders to jump from, some small fish to catch, tadpoles to observe, and lots of pretty shells to dig out of the rocky beach. The river will keep the kids busy all day. Most of the sites on the straights are grassy. The loops tend to be rocky. Ample shade at most sites as well as an abundance of ticks, chiggers, and horseflies.