Josh S.

Jefferson City, MO

Joined April 2019

First to Review
Great little hideaway. FCFS

Great little river access. Has a shaded grassy area for camping. No power vault toilets. Be prepared for some neighbors and young visitors through the night.

Awesome Location on Pomme De Terre verify your site!!!!

First off I would say that this is a five star capable campground but little things dropped it in my book. 

To lead the way Nemo Landing listed on The Dyrt is actually the marina and the campground is on the opposite side of the highway not a biggie but worth noting. We stayed in sites 62 and 66. On Rec.Gov Site both appeared to be almost waterfront and they were located in a much different spot. We ended up on the main drive path 4 sites above the water. The sites themselves are gravel pads with 6x6 tie borders. All sites are REALLY CLOSE to eachother. Not a huge issue for me. 

We were walking distance to the shower house and it was absolutely a disaster. Standing water in the floor, all 4 contained a toilet and shower and all four had spigot issues. Again not a deal breaker for me. The only reason I dropped this to a 3 and not a 4 star revue was the layout of the sites. Most of the pads were wide enough for 2 campers yet due to layout you could barely get a truck in the sites let alone a camper. Low power lines, support lines for giant power towers across driveways and the last issue was no room to back in a camper. We ended up helping several couple back in their sites as they were having issues.  So please verify your site before booking. 

Other than these issues the water was busy but close and the entire campground is swim-able from any site. I enjoyed my weekend but will probably book elsewhere on this fantastic lake if possible.

A true diamond in the Ozarks. Cold water and Shady days

We Stayed in site  174. While this location was right next to dumpsters it was also adjacent to a gravel bar access for the entire park.  Our trip was amazing. Site 174 and most around it had quite a bit of shade and plenty of room for kids, dogs, and our 4 hammocks.

Our campground hosts were knowledgeable and on top of things with seeming overbearing. Campground is obviously hit and miss as far as neighbors but here you have enough room to make your own oasis. 

Clean Shower houses and historic visitor centers. We cant say enough about how much we love this campground. Do yourself a favor and book it early they fill fast.

Full hookups but sketchy

Clean grounds, close to a conservation boat ramp and again full hookups. That’s about where it ends.

Most sites appear to be year-round Occupied. Fifth wheels with buried to sewer lines And people riding their lawn mowers outside their campers.

All things being equal it seems like more of a trailer park with a few camping vacancies.

Ranger Review: GCI Outdoor Master Cook Station at Mark Twain State Park

Campground Review:

Mark Twain state Park is an absolute blast. approximately 30 minutes from Hannibal MO this park sits on Mark Twain Lake. Several hiking trails in the area will get you in touch with nature and an abundance of deer. Large playgrounds in the camping area's as well as visitor center areas. All loops in this park have electric and basic sites. No water hookups aside from host sites. Best part is all shower houses fairly new. We never located any vault toilets but found all three loops had their own shower house.

Park has a boat ramp with ample parking and if you have better luck than I did a fish cleaning station. While having a boat ramp close may be a deterrent it was rare to have much boat noise with the tall trees surrounding these large private sites. 

We stayed in site 76 in puma loop which was a sloping site but it was massive. The lots on either side of ours were similar in layout but much more level. 76 also has a path to the waterfront which we utilized daily.

It rained on us for most of our stay we found Mark twain state park to be well worth the trip. 

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time- today I am testing the GCI Outdoors Master Cook Station. 

While looking at GCIOutdoors.com for the right item for my family to try out we were amazed at the function of their site.  We were able to compare multiple items flawlessly and despite  much debate locate an item we believed may reduce our overall need to pack everything including the kitchen sink. The cook station didn't immediately jump off the page for my wife. She had her heart set on a new rocker chair of which GCI Outdoors has an amazing selection. However, I was able to win her over after pointing out the endless options the Master Cook Station (AKA My Kitchen) Offers.

My Kitchen provides functionality as a table, a cook top, a drying rack, food storage, and does so taking up the same amount of space as a folding chair. Our first night in camp the dreaded dinner bell began ringing and my loving wife walked over to our new kitchen. After cooking, plating, and eating from this beast she looked at me and said, "Never again will I doubt your decision making about anything." (or at least thats how I remember it.) She actual was really impressed how this cook station had taking the stress out of meal time. With a built in sink we were able to cook, eat, and clean from a singular location and when done we could either fold it up and tuck it away or use it for evening activities. 

As a pop up camper space is always limited and at a premium. The GCI Outdoor Master Cook Station not only met our expectations it surpassed them. This swiss army table will be a must have among all of our friends and the high quality of this product tells me that we will get to show it off for quite some time.

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.

Ranger Review: Icemule Pro X-Large 33L Cooler at Pittsburg State Park

Campground Review:

We stayed at this beautiful Missouri State Park on memorial weekend in 2019. This park is park of Pomme De Terre lake and 1 of 2 state parks on the lake, Pittsburgh and Hermitage. There are several local private campgrounds in the area but non match what you'll find at these two campgrounds. Pittsburgh is described as the more secluded of the two and thats just the way we like it. 

We arrived to find that the normal lake level had risen from 830 ft to 860+. needless to say almost all lakeside camground were closed. We arrived at our site and identified that we had 13 inches until our site was to be claimed by the lake. The campground hosts actually informed us that over half of their sites were flooded or in immediate danger of flooding. They were able to offer us a different site as most people apparently decided to no show. We were relocated to site 323 in the Pittsburgh campground. A side note that almost every loop in this campground had empty sites and all those who were displaced were able to be relocated in the park at NO ADDITIONAL FEE for upgraded sites. 

Site 323 was simply amazing. A level concrete pad with enough wooded area around to fully eliminate view of neighbors on either side. We camp out of a 95 Coleman Pop up so it was perfect for us. It is on a significant slope so tent camping would be hard. This site is walking distance to vault toilets, and clean water. After an impromptu wiffleball game broke out with the multiple campers across from us we decided to explore the campground.

Loop 100 is tightly packed RV sites with no real privacy but all your creature comforts . Loop 200 is electric sites well spaced with lake access to most. This appeared to be the most tent and camper friendly loop.  Both 100 and 200 loops are close to shower house and main playground.

Loop 300 is electric with most sites of the lake side coming with elevated gravel pads for grilling and watching the water. Most sites are on decent grades so the state park pics on their site would be a good idea to look at.

Loop 400 is the basic loop and from what I could tell stays fairly level with large grassy areas to tent in. 

All loops have a vault toilet placed evenly on the loop and access to water from a spigot. They all utilize the same road in and the same plumbed bathroom / showerhouse. To my surprise these were all very clean and stayed that way all weekend. 

There is only 1 trail for hiking and at 3 miles is worth the trip. It goes out to a point overlooking all of the park and most of Pomme De Terre Lake. We got to see this but in a little different way than planned. Due to flooding the trail was almost completely underwater. 

A small marina with rentals and fishing docks is just across the street. They serve normal pub food and were very happy to serve. Lines there can be long as it is also a very busy boat ramp. 

The state park has its own swimming beach and due to flooding it was closed. So instead we utilized the parking lot, Playground, and Pavilion as a launch point for our kayaking adventures. All in all this trip went from possible disaster to an amazing adventure on the water. The lake is very clear and paddling through the tree tops normally 20 feet off the ground was surreal. Pittsburgh won us over with customer service and a unique experience we will all remember. 

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt I sometimes get to test and evaluate quality products from amazing sponsors today I am submitting a review of my new Icemule Pro X-Large Cooler.https://icemulecoolers.com/collections/pro-coolers/products/the-icemule-pro-x-large

So as I said before I didnt get to hike with this bad boy but it did spend everyday as our family take and use cooler. 

First and foremost I have to say upon receiving this thing I was shocked at the size. It is definitely extra large. My 7 year old would not be packing this thing around but Icemule has several size options so no real issue there. I chose the xl specifically to use while kayaking on this trip. I would be providing food and drink for up to 8 separate people and would be on the water for  long periods of time. I currently own a Yeti and Wally World Rotomold but cant use them due to their size on our boat.  Well this is where it gets good. I loaded all three coolers and set out with my Icemule in tow. I left the two hard coolers with family at the pavilion. Similar contents and each cooler received 1 bag of ice in the morning. The Icemule stood stride for stride with the yeti in fact I will attach photos to prove it.  The Icemule form fit itself into the storage space on my kayak and at the end of the day had just a little ice left. The Yeti had a little more ice but nothing significant. I will also note that the Icemule was in the open sun on the back of a kayak in 90 degree temps. I was ecstatic with the result. This thing is amazing. 

Now for the nitty gritty. My Icemule comes in several colors. I chose black as it matched my yak LOL. I can say the 24 can capacity is definitely modest but I wouldn't recommend exceeding it by much as all that weight adds up. Not heeding my own advice I topped this thing off and really put it and my back through the ringer. All the stitching and seam weld held up very well. Not a single issue even when over loaded. All clips and straps are high quality and very durable.

All in all I made room for 6 different coolers in my garage as they will all be resting comfortably there. The Icemule is now our families go to for all our cooler needs.

Great Campground awesome water

17 Full service sites. A very clean facility with full plumbing. Sites are a little small and back up to a fairly busy road but no real issue here.

A full disc golf course nearby and several ball fields. We love this park.

The lake offers amazing fishing wether from boat or shore. Lots of bass crappie and catfish. Lake has a motor restriction and a bait shop. Lots of fun places to paddle and only a short drive to town. Several fishing dock open for public use. There is also a wetland bird watching area below the lake.

This park has everything you’d expect from a major state park and is a hidden gem in central Missouri.

Great trails quiet camp

Great hiking trails and helpful hosts. Sites are all very level. Marsh nearby so be prepared for buggy atmosphere. Cool local towns with historic areas. Quiet camp definitely check with programs as there are only a few sites. Trails through marsh on raised platform are awesome. Woke up with a little friend in our tent lol wife was not pleased. All in all abundant wildlife and a calm cool getaway.

Beautiful water lots of neighbors

Sam A Baker is an amazing state park. Great access to water and awesome landscapes. There’s lots of hiking available but we spent most of our time in the water. You can actually tube from one end of the park by the visitor center to the boat ramp on the other end. Sites are fairly close in some areas and on top of each other in others. All in all loved our stay an we will be back.

It’s a campground sorta

More like a parking lot in the middle of an atv/gun range park.

Lakes are awesome water accessible in multiple areas. Campsites are close and used primarily by off road enthusiast. Loud and constant coming and going. Groups get wild at night.

Great for kayaking and fishing.

Great dry dock area

Wonderful open areas for camping. Fire pits aplenty. Great hiking trails to meadows and forest. Several sites all first come first serve. No power and vault toilets. Donation camping so late night arrivals can get scetchy.

In the process of rebuilding

Fantastic campground. Had all porta potties. Bathrooms were being rebuilt over half were done. Float trip start point for one company. Great water and amazing water. Red wheelhouse on campus is breathtaking. A must visit in Missouri.

Great weekend primal campground

Had a blast here. Lots of hiking and amazing trails.

Very much a mosquito paradise. Visitor center was antiquated but informative.

Lots of driveable attractions nearby we visited while buying more repellant.

Pittsburgh Loop

Scenic Views overlooking the beautiful lake. Each site in the electric loop has a private path to the waters edge. Sites viewable by map next to water. There were a few bugs but nothing too bad. Amazing trip and we will return for sure. Only on real hiking trail on Pittsburgh loop but it was filled with bluff views and lots of wildlife as well as a public beach.

Beauty Elegance Activities and technology

Amazing state park with wonderful new visitor center. Lots of history and it has completely been rebuilt. Campground was clean and well managed. Lots of wildlife and amazing science at work. Must see in Missouri.