Nice campground. Spots are a little cramped but there is running water and decent toilets. Absolutely beautiful area and the park rangers did a great job describing its history and landscape. Highly recommend taking a cave tour of Fisher Cave! So neat!
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.
Absolutely beautiful park. Well maintained trails and camp areas. The shut-ins provide the perfect spot for cooling off on a hot day after hiking nearby trails. Normally crowded with a consistent inflow of foot traffic but there is always enough space to have a good time.
The campground is an adventure to get to. Located on a winding road off of 72/21 just south of Arcadia. Nice campsites close to the creek. None are on top of each other so there is a nice bit of space between you and your neighbor which provides some privacy. Campsites are well maintained with fire rings and picnic tables in each site. There is a public pit toilet in the center of the campsites near the entrance. This is a nice location in close proximity to both Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shut-Ins.
The Bell Mountain Wilderness Area is about a 2.5 hour drive from the St. Louis area - mostly highway until the winding country roads for the last 30 mins. There are two entrances to the mountain. The first one you pass will put you straight into the Bell Mountain loop. Turn left and you’ll be headed up to the summit, turn right and you’ll be headed down to the creeks at the base. Travel a bIt further down the road (five mins or so) and you’ll find yourself at the second entrance which shares part of its path with the Ozark Trail. There are two campsites right near the small parking area, that you’ll pass before you cross the road and head on up the trail. The trail switchbacks multiple times as you work your way up to the split in the trail. Keep going straight/slightly right and you’ll stay on the Ozark Trail, turn to your left and you’ll find your self on the trail that leads to the Bell Mountain trail loop. As you come to the loop continue straight to the summit or do what we did and turn left to rock hop through the creeks in order to take in the full loop experience before reaching the top. The trail leading both down and back up from the creeks is very steep in some areas, and if you go during the spring/early summer like we did when the area experiences a good number of rains the trail can often be slick and muddy. The water in the creeks was cool and clear - great for resting tired feet. And the views from the summit were gorgeous - a great way to truly appreciate the area! There are a few campsites right near the summit - some better maintained than others due to frequent use. But any number of the large boulders and grassy areas provide a great place to camp for the night. If you enjoy low maintenance camping and the silence of being the only one for miles this is the camp for you!
Great campground with tent, rv, and cabin spots available. All within easy walking distance to the lake. Camp store and two boat rental spots allow for flexiblity on busier weekends. Numerous walking paths around the lake or smaller loops for those who prefer the land over the water. Can get very busy on holiday weekends during the summer.