Hiking

Meramec Campground

30 RV Sites

Meramec Campground in Stanton, Missouri, offers 30 full-hookup pull-through RV sites along the Meramec River, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 87 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year. Full-hookup and water-and-electric pull-through categories mean no backing at any site, with an outdoor pool, pond, and general store. Thirty sites span pull-thru, pull-thru water-and-electric 30/50-amp, and pull-thru water-and-electric 30-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 87 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric categories do not carry sewer at the site. An all-pull-through layout at 87 feet accommodates anything on the road. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, and restrooms handle the practical side. If you arrive at night with a reservation, your name will be on an envelope by the front door with a map and your site details inside. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a pond for fishing, an arcade, playground, community fire pit, and dog park filling the rest. Canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and swimming run on the river. Pets are welcome. Franklin County sits where the Meramec's spring-fed limestone clarity meets the forested Ozark foothills, and Meramec Caverns — Missouri's most famous cave system and a Route 66 landmark — is right here. Float trips, Meramec State Park, and St. Louis an hour east round it out. Summer float season drives demand. Reserve well ahead.

from $52/night

Pin Oak RV Resort

144 RV Sites, 5 Cabins

Pin Oak RV Resort in Villa Ridge, Missouri, is a full-hookup resort with cabin rentals, an outdoor pool, a lake with a beach, a recreation center and mini-golf, 40 miles west of St. Louis on the historic Route 66 corridor. Sites take rigs up to 65 feet, and each site allows a maximum of eight people. Full-hookup RV sites accommodate rigs to 65 feet. Cabin rentals serve guests traveling without an RV, and personal mailboxes and on-site laundry support the longer-stay and seasonal guests the resort draws. A general store stocks camp basics, propane fills and firewood are available, and bathrooms and showers are on site. WiFi reaches the property. No wristbands are required to use the amenities; visitors pay $10 per car and check in at the office, and they are welcome to use the pool and other facilities. On-site recreation is the resort's strength. An outdoor pool and a lake with its own beach cover the swimming season, and fishing is available on the property's lake and pond. Mini-golf, a ball field, sports courts, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes and shuffleboard spread across the grounds, with an arcade, ping pong and a craft room in the recreation center for indoor days. Walking and hiking trails run the property, a playground and a covered pavilion serve families and groups, and a fenced dog park is on site. Pets are welcome. Meramec Caverns is 10 miles east in Stanton — a 4.6-mile cave system with five stories of limestone formations and the barn-billboard advertising legacy that made it Route 66's most pre-advertised roadside stop. The Meramec River sustains one of Missouri's most actively paddled float corridors, and Hermann's German-heritage wineries are 35 miles west. Pin Oak operates year-round. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for Route 66 driving, cave touring and Meramec floating, and the winter months carry steady snowbird traffic using I-44 south. Reserve ahead for summer peak and for the April-to-October float season.

from $40/night

Ozark Outdoors Resort

Few Ozark destinations pack as much river adventure into a single address as Ozark Outdoors Resort, a sprawling riverfront property on the Meramec that has been welcoming families to Leasburg, Missouri, since 1960. The resort lines one and a half miles of the Meramec's scenic banks with more than 200 RV sites, motel rooms, cabins, and tent sites—enough variety to accommodate any travel style under the towering hardwoods and limestone bluffs that define this corner of Crawford County. A full roster of water-based recreation, aerial adventure, and evening dining ensures guests rarely need to leave the property once they've settled in. RV sites range from primitive to full hookup with 20/30/50-amp electrical service, water, and sewer, and a picnic table and fire ring accompany each site regardless of hookup level. Cabin options span rustic Country Log Cabins and Deluxe Kozy Cabins to motel rooms, condos, and group retreat lodging, giving the resort the flexibility to host family reunions, corporate outings, and church groups as easily as solo travelers. The Meramec Mercantile supplies camping essentials on-site, while the Paddlers Bar and Grill serves seasonal meals and cold drinks at the water's edge. Float trips on the Meramec, Courtois, and Huzzah Rivers form the beating heart of the Ozark Outdoors experience, with canoe, kayak, raft, and tube rentals available for half-day or multi-day journeys through crystalline Ozark spring-fed water. For those who prefer their adventure overhead, the Floating Treetops Aerial Park delivers 36 unique challenge elements across six ziplines suspended among the forest canopy—a course that engages first-time climbers and seasoned adventure seekers alike. Sand volleyball, horseshoes, and a swimming pool add land-based options when the river crowd thins in the late afternoon. The Meramec River corridor hosts some of Missouri's most spectacular cave country, with Onondaga Cave State Park just upstream offering guided boat and lantern tours through one of the Midwest's finest show caves. Meramec State Park, a few miles east on Highway 185, provides additional hiking trails, cave tours, and a family aquatic center popular with summer visitors. The resort's position between St. Louis—about 75 miles northeast—and the Missouri Ozarks interior makes it a natural launching point for exploring the Salem Plateau, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and the Current River corridor to the south. Float trip season runs April through October, with June and July delivering the warmest water and the most festive atmosphere on the Meramec, when the resort's campground fills with the laughter of families who have made the Ozark Outdoors float trip an annual tradition. Spring and fall bring lower crowds, quieter campsites, and a more contemplative Ozark experience for those who prefer their river adventure without holiday weekend energy. Reservations are strongly recommended for summer weekends and holiday blocks—the combination of riverfront camping and the Floating Treetops aerial park draws visitors from across the Midwest, and popular cabin styles book months in advance.

Candy Cane RV Park & Campground

9 RV Sites, 3 Tent Sites

Candy Cane RV Park & Campground in Steelville, Missouri, offers nine full-hookup RV sites and three tent sites three minutes from downtown, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 45 feet. An outdoor pool, mini-golf, and a family-owned operation that charges nothing extra for the shower house or dump station make this an intentionally small-scale Ozarks stop. Nine sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp back-in and 50-amp pull-through configurations, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Three tent sites cover simpler camping. Laundry, restrooms, showers, a dump station, and WiFi handle the practical side — and the shower house and dump station carry no charge, which small family-owned Ozark campgrounds maintain as a point of hospitality. An outdoor pool anchors the warm months, with an 18-hole miniature golf course, sports courts, basketball, volleyball, and a pavilion filling the grounds. Swimming, fishing, hiking, and picnicking run from the area, with live music through the season and a state park nearby. Pets are welcome. Steelville sits in the Meramec River valley at the heart of the Missouri Ozarks, where spring-fed streams, float rivers, and karst geology of the Salem Plateau created Missouri's float-trip camping culture. The Meramec River is five miles away and Meramec Spring Park — with its natural spring, trout hatchery, and trail system — is ten minutes out. Downtown Steelville's restaurants, including Rich's Famous Burgers and the Spare Rib Inn, are three minutes from the sites. Float season drives summer demand. With nine sites, reserve well ahead for any warm-weather weekend.

from $25/night

RJM Camping and RV

15 RV Sites

RJM Camping and RV in Wright City, MO, offers 15 RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and back-in sites for rigs up to 50 feet. Sites are back-ins carrying water and electric — there's no sewer at the site, so plan on the on-site dump station. The property is gated and rated big rig friendly, with a community fire pit and walking trails. Pets are welcome. The lots are fully rocked, which matters more than it sounds after a wet week. The appeal is seclusion: private sites on a quiet rural property with a pond, a shared fire pit, picnicking, and the kind of dark sky that makes stargazing worth staying up for. Wright City sits in the gently rolling countryside of Warren County, 45 miles west of St. Louis via Interstate 70 — close enough to the highway to be practical, far enough off it to be quiet. Rates and availability are on the booking page. With 15 sites, calling ahead is worth the minute on a holiday weekend.

from $25/night

Sinking Creek Ranch

19 RV Sites, 5 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites

Sinking Creek Ranch is a 277-acre wilderness ranch in Bunker, Missouri, bordered on three sides by Mark Twain National Forest. Twenty RV sites, five primitive tent sites, and five luxury glamping tents sit along a spring-fed creek in Reynolds County, one of the least populated counties in the state. Fifteen creekside full-hookup sites carry water, sewer, and 30/50 amp electric on gravel pads running 65 to 90 feet, with six sites at 80 feet or longer. Big rigs and toy haulers fit comfortably. Sites are back-in, each with a fire ring and picnic table. Five dry gravel sites round out the RV inventory. A dump station and fresh water fill are on site, and extra vehicles park free. One flat rate covers your rig, your whole group, extra vehicles, and your dog. No per-person charges, no per-vehicle fees, and electric is never metered. Weekly and monthly rates are available for extended stays, with electric included. Ride from your site. Over 7 miles of private single track for dirt bikes, a 4.5 mile loop for side-by-sides and four wheelers, and direct access to hundreds of miles of fire roads and blazed trails in Mark Twain National Forest. Helmets required, daylight riding only, and quiet hours are enforced from 9pm to 7am. The bathhouse is a log cabin with private hot showers, flush toilets, and complimentary coffee. Firewood and ice available on site. Starlink WiFi at the bathhouse. The night sky is a Bortle Class 2, among the darkest in the eastern United States, and the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye on a clear night. Walking trails run the property along the creek. Horses are welcome with advance notice. Pets are welcome at no charge. Check-in 3pm, check-out 11am. Self check-in instructions sent before arrival.

from $15/night

Deer Creek Campground

Deer Creek Campground sits on the spring-fed Black River in Lesterville, Missouri—a Reynolds County Ozark community about two hours southwest of St. Louis where the Black River's cold, clear current, high quality of water, and accessible float corridor have made it one of the premier river recreation destinations in the Missouri Ozarks. The campground's combination of RV sites, cabins, and tent camping with an in-house float trip outfitting operation makes it a genuine Ozark river camp where the water is not merely adjacent to the camping but central to the entire experience. RV sites with hookup options, cabins of various sizes, and tent sites accommodate the full range of camping preferences, with outdoor pool, playground, a large pirate ship play structure for children, volleyball court, fire rings, picnic tables, and a covered pavilion available for rental providing the on-property recreational infrastructure. A camp store handles supply needs. The campground's Black River position means that creek access is immediate—the spring-fed water characteristic of the Ozark streams maintains temperatures in the mid-60s through summer, providing the cold, refreshing float and swimming experience that distinguishes Ozark river recreation from the warmer lake swimming that characterizes most Midwest summer camping. Deer Creek is also a river outfitter, offering four- to ten-person rafts, party islands, canoes, kayaks, and tubes for a seven-mile guided floating trip on the Black River—a self-guided float through the Ozark woodland where the river's spring-fed clarity, boulder-lined pools, and gravel-bar swimming holes define a distinctly Missouri outdoor experience. The float trip returns guests to the campground via shuttle, and multiple daily launches accommodate camping guests who want to spend more of their day on the water than a single float covers. The combination of the campground's location on the float corridor and its outfitting operation makes it one of the more self-contained river camping operations in the Missouri Ozarks. The Reynolds County Ozarks are anchored by a series of Missouri state parks that collectively make the area one of the most park-dense recreational landscapes in the state: Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, where the Black River flows through volcanic rhyolite formations creating natural rock water slides and swimming pools unique in Missouri, is the most famous. Elephant Rocks State Park, a field of billion-year-old granite boulders among the oldest exposed rock in Missouri, provides geological wonder accessible to visitors of all mobility levels on its paved trail. Sam A. Baker State Park, one of Missouri's most beloved parks, provides additional Black River access with hiking and camping in the St. François Mountains terrain. Deer Creek Campground operates through the Missouri Ozarks river season, with peak float trip demand from Memorial Day through Labor Day when the Black River's consistent spring-fed flow and moderate gradient make it accessible to all experience levels. Fall brings cooler temperatures, reduced crowds, and the hardwood foliage of the Ozark plateau in its full color display from early to mid-October, when the river's accessibility continues but the social intensity of peak summer diminishes. The campground's proximity to Johnson's Shut-Ins and the geological wonder of the Reynolds County state park cluster makes it a natural combination of river camping and state park exploration in a stretch of the Ozarks that rewards a multi-day stay.

from $33/night

Little Sinkin Creek RV Resort & UTV Campground

2 Onsite RV/Trailers

Little Sinkin Creek RV Resort & UTV Campground in Bunker, Missouri, is built entirely around off-highway vehicle recreation, offering RV rentals — the Cherokee and the Cougar — alongside full-hookup sites on a big-rig-friendly property with direct trail access. A dump station and WiFi serve riders in one of the Ozarks' most trail-rich landscapes. The two on-site RV rentals, named the Cherokee and the Cougar, let riders arrive with a trailer full of machines and no rig at all. Full-hookup sites accommodate guests bringing their own, on a layout sized for big rigs hauling UTV trailers. A dump station and WiFi handle the practical side. Pets are welcome. Trail access is the entire proposition. UTV and ATV trails run directly from the campground, which removes the trailering-out routine that most OHV trips require. Fishing, swimming, boating, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and biking are all available in the surrounding country, and off-roading is the reason nearly everyone books. Bunker sits in Reynolds County, one of Missouri's least densely populated, in the heart of the Mark Twain National Forest. The Current River watershed, the volcanic shut-ins, and Taum Sauk Mountain — the state's highest summit — all converge within a short ride, which is why the OHV community treats this stretch of the Ozarks as a destination rather than a stop. Riding season runs spring through fall, with fall color weekends drawing the heaviest traffic. With two rentals and a small site count, reserve well ahead for any weekend.

Big Creek RV Park/ Arcadia Meadow Campground LLC

Big Creek RV Park and Arcadia Meadow Campground in Annapolis, MO, offers full-hookup RV sites carrying water, sewer, electric, and cable TV, with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table at each site. Both pull-thru and back-in layouts are available, and the park is rated big rig friendly. Contact them for site count, amp service, and maximum rig length, since those specifics aren't published here. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, propane fills, and a barn cover the practical side. Pets are welcome. An outdoor pool, a pond, creek frontage, sport courts, volleyball, horseshoes, a playground, and walking trails fill the wooded grounds, with swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, gem panning, birding, and stargazing. Annapolis sits on Highway 49 in Iron County in the St. Francois Mountains — some of the oldest and most geologically remarkable terrain in the American Midwest. Johnson's Shut-Ins, Elephant Rocks, Taum Sauk Mountain, Fort Davidson, and the Black River are all within easy reach. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Shut-Ins season fills this corner of Missouri — reserve ahead and confirm your rig's fit.

from $30/night

Happy Pappy's Montauk RV Park

8 RV Sites

Happy Pappy's Montauk RV Park in Salem, MO, offers 8 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites come as back-ins and pull-thrus, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. The park is open all year. A bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, and on-site dining cover the essentials, and pets are welcome with a playground on the grounds. A boat ramp and boat rentals put guests on the water, with hiking, fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, birding, picnicking, and Ozark dark-sky stargazing. The park sits less than a mile from Montauk State Park and its access to the Current River — spring-fed, pristine, and home to some of the best trout fishing in Missouri. Salem is in Dent County at the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest, where the Current begins its run south through the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Eight sites a mile from Montauk means trout season books out early.

from $39/night

Kaskaskia River Camping & RV Park

34 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites

Kaskaskia River Camping and RV Park in New Athens, Illinois, offers 34 full-hookup RV sites and seven tent sites on the riverbank, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet. Back-in categories at four amp combinations join pull-in and pull-through tiers, with a pavilion and direct river access. Thirty-four sites span back-in 20/30/50-amp, back-in 20/50-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, back-in 50-amp, pull-in 20/30/50-amp, and pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 90 feet. Listing the exact amp combination in every category removes any doubt about what you are plugging into, and 90 feet accommodates anything on the road with room to spare. Seven tent sites round out the lodging. A pavilion handles the practical side. The river carries the recreation, with boating, fishing, hiking, and biking all from the property. The amenity set is deliberately spare, which keeps rates low and suits a park built around the water rather than on-site programming. Pets are welcome. St. Clair County sits in the rolling agricultural country between East St. Louis and the old river towns of the American Bottom. The Kaskaskia is Illinois's second-longest river and runs navigable here, with a lock and dam system and good catfish and bass water. St. Louis is about 40 minutes northwest, which makes this a quiet base for the metro without metro pricing. Summer drives the heaviest demand, with spring and fall fishing strong and considerably easier availability. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $18/night

Perryville RV Resort

73 RV Sites, 8 Cabins

Perryville RV Resort in Perryville, MO, offers 73 full-hookup pull-thru RV sites and 8 cabins, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 63 feet. Sites come as 30-amp and 30/50-amp pull-thrus in standard and premium versions, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. Every site is a pull-thru. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, propane fills and exchange, a dump station, and one-bedroom deluxe cabins cover the rest. Wristbands are used on major holidays and for big events — check when you book. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. An outdoor pool, a pavilion, a playground, basketball, walking trails, a pond, and a lake fill the grounds, with fishing, swimming, and hiking. A state park is nearby. Perryville sits in the Mississippi River bluffs region of southeast Missouri, a historically layered corridor where French colonial settlement, Cherokee removal history, and river commerce have all left their marks. Rates by site category are on the booking page. Premium 30/50-amp pull-thrus book first.

from $48/night