Lea B.

Pineville , MO

Joined September 2019

Summer Struggles

Overnight stay. Heavily wooded area. Lots of wildlife (deer hanging out in neighboring campsite). Grass was overgrown on site. Firewood we bought wouldn’t burn. Very buggy (swarming at your face). Had to drive to the shower house. There seemed to be a lot to see at this park and I’m sure it is lovely in the fall and winter. I would come back again in better weather.

Be Ready for the Bugs

Pros: Loved camping on the beach. No problem on the sand. No problem finding a space even on a busy Sunday afternoon. Water was great!

Cons: No trash cans in site. The bugs were immune to EVERY form of insect repellent we threw at them.

That being said. We’d go back.

Busy Place

Overnight stay here on our way to Galveston. Busy campground and we were the only tent in site, however, the loop we were in was spaced out nicely (D loop). This camp was clean. Has disc golf, trails, a pavilion, a basketball net, boat dock, volleyball net, and a swim beach. Apparently they also have church services on Sunday. While we were there the beach was flooded and, unfortunately, there was not anywhere else to swim (bummer) as the perimeter of the park is lined with large rocks. Shower house had showers separate from the restrooms. Lots of shade. Easy on/off from a major highway.

Unexpected Find

Overnight stay at this park on our way home from Galveston. $12 for full hookups. $6 for primitive. We paid for full hookups since the primitive area was overgrown and VERY primitive. We were able to just pull in and find a lovely, level, shady spot. We had electricity and a covered pavilion, but no water spigot at our site. Other sites had water but some were set up for RV connections not for filling up jugs. We simply used a spigot that happened to be at an empty site nearby. The camp host chatted up my husband while he was getting water and didn’t seem to mind. This park has a day use area that includes playgrounds, disc golf, fishing piers, and a swim beach (that we made good use of). We were disappointed because the shower in the bathhouse didn’t seem to work. It wasn’t until the next morning that another camper clued us in about the “private” shower for campers (get the code from the host). That made a world of difference! We found the park to be quiet (mostly retirees there), clean, and quaint. The local sheriff’s office sits at the entrance so we felt very safe there too. Also don’t miss the little Mexican restaurant down the road!

Loved this Park!

This has to be one of my favorite campgrounds. So scenic and beautiful (even in November). Lots of trails to explore, a visitor's center, during non-pandemic times they have a swimming pool, store, and restaurant by the little lake. Love all the CCC history! The cleanest shower house I've been to in quite some time. We stayed in Camp loop A, basic sites. We were right by Lee Creek, so we enjoyed "babbling brook" sounds all night! The spots are spacious and well-shaded, and offer a level gravel tent pad at each site. The ONLY suggestion I can make is to bring a small shovel to clean out the fire rings, because ours looked like it hadn't been cleaned all season. Six inches of wet ash isn't conducive for building a nice campfire.

Private and Nearly Perfect

Just got home from a weekend stay at site C19 at Hawker Point COE Park. This particular site was just up the hill from the lake and completely private. The walk to the lake was about 50 yards and a little steep but we managed to carry two kayaks down and up without too much trouble (and we are a middle-aged couple), and it was totally worth the effort because it was as if we had our own private cove.

The site is very spacious and shaded with plenty of trees for our hammocks and clothesline. Lots of level places for tents. The park attendants were very friendly and helpful.

C19 has no electricity or water and the closest vault toilet is a good walk down the road. The shower houses were driving distance away. We have a shower tent, so that wasn’t an issue for us.

We drove through the rest of this park to check out A and B campground loops. A loop consists of full hookup sites and many sit right on the water. Little shade and crowded, but if you like to play on the lake all day these might be for you. B loop had pretty wooded sites but many were not close to the water. C loop is where it’s at!

Has Its Pros and Cons

Big M is a cozy campground on the west side of Table Rock Lake. We camped in mid July in a rooftop tent, and chose spot #40. This spot was level for our tent trailer (paved surface), but if you have a traditional tent there isn’t really a level spot in the grassy area. It is just below the bathrooms which is good, but does mean increased foot traffic close by. It also sits just above spot #39, so you are looking down at the lake and staring right at them. During our time there the camp was slightly flooded and the black flies were ridiculous. Don’t know if the two are related, but it seems worth mentioning. This site is heavily shaded and has plenty of trees for hammocks. The view of the lake is of an inlet behind the marina. We could get our kayaks to the water but had to carry them across the road and down a pretty steep hill. The camp does have a cute marina with a store and a restaurant. The store sells fishing supplies, some souvenirs, sodas, and ice cream. Definitely check it out. Only four showers (family style units) for the whole park though, and we had to drive to them from our site, and while they were very clean, the first night we had only cold water and the second night only hot. The park was tidy and quiet, though, and worth another visit.

Perfect for Our Needs

Stayed in campsite #5 in a rooftop tent. Level spot. Heavily shaded. Lots of trees for hammocks. Immediate access to the lake from this site for our kayaks. Short distance from bathrooms/shower house. Plenty of showers and bathrooms (both family style and community style options available). We were there in mid July and we had a pleasant cool breeze off the lake and not much of an insect problem. The only negative issue we had was that the fire ring hadn’t been cleaned out in a while. We had a ton of ashes we had to clear out ourselves just to be able to build a fire and as we walked around we noticed other fire rings were much the same. Some even had a lot of trash left in them. Also sketchy cell service and check in time is 6:00 pm which is kind of late. Overall, though, a great experience!

Second Time

Camped here twice in tents and kayaks. Enjoyed it immensely because sites 12 - 15 have easy access to the water. Large swimming area. Nice fishing spots. The campground is built on a hill, so from the sites previously mentioned there is a fairly good trek up the hill to the toilets/showers. Only two shower stalls available so on a busy night, you might have to wait. This place has a very popular day use area, but it does make for great people watching. Boat docks are busy places into the night. The attendants take good care of the place, and you are a short drive to Eureka Springs and Berryville, Arkansas. Also there is a convenience store and a Dollar General just a few miles away.