Family Camping Destinations in Missouri

Camping is a great way to enjoy quality family time and it is a great way to teach your children a little about nature. You can gaze at the stars, watch the wildlife, hike, fish, swim and enjoy time together without spending much more than the price of gasoline and food.

Missouri has a wealth of camping facilities that satisfy the needs of those seeking a ‘rugged’ experience and those seeking a ‘more civilized’ experience, including electrical hook-ups! The following State Parks are among my favorites.

Bennett Spring State Park
Bennett Spring is a beautiful haven for trout fisherman. The spring emits 100,000,000 gallons of water daily. 150 years ago farmers camped in the valley while they waited for the mill to grind their grain. Today campers, fishermen, hikers and nature lovers flock to the popular destination. There are basic housekeeping cabins to rent as well as parking slabs for RVs that have electric and water hook-ups and my favorite campsites – the primitives. A trout hatchery is an interesting diversion as well as their swimming pool for campers. Fishing guides are also available. Bennett Spring is centrally located, near Lebanon, MO.

St. Joe State Park
St. Joe State Park arose after St. Joe Minerals Corp. donated the land to the state of Missouri and it is located in the ‘Old Lead Belt’ of southeastern MO. The camping facilities can accommodate those with horses as well as off-road vehicles (ORV) and has trails specifically for ORV riding, equestrian, hikers, and bicyclists. The park contains lakes for fishing and swimming and acres of wilderness for hiking. Some of the campsites are trailside for the backpackers and wilderness-inclined among us. Other sites have pull-throughs for RV and horse trailers. There are historic mill buildings, antique mining equipment, and a mining museum with an impressive array of geological specimens for your perusal. St. Joe State Park is near Park Hills, Missouri.

Lewis and Clark State Park
Northeastern Missouri offers the Lewis and Clark State Park, which sits next to the Lewis and Clark Lake, an interesting oxbow lake approximately 75 minutes N-NW of Kansas City, Missouri. Their campsites include barbecue grills and a table, restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, and include basic camping or electrical hook-ups. Biking enthusiasts interested in Lewis and Clark’s trail may want to check out the Katy Trail. The Katy Trail is a biking/hiking trail that follows part of Lewis and Clark’s path during their 1804-1806 expedition. Check out the Katy Trail State Park from the Missouri State Parks link provided at the end of this article.

Lead Mine Conservation Area
When you want to really get away from it all the Lead Mine Conservation Area in Dallas County is the place to go. These acres are nestled in the middle of ‘nowhere’ and provide 6 hiking trails, 5 of which may be used for biking and trail rides, as well. This is a favorite equestrian trail ride area for many local people and one of Missouri’s best-kept conservation area ‘secrets’. There are 59 designated primitive camping areas, 2 permanent streams (and a few intermittent streams) with good fishing (crappie, bass, sunfish), and good deer and turkey hunting in season. There is an unsupervised target shooting area and a glade restoration trail for hiking only. The length of the hiking trails range from 0.5 mile to an 8.6-mile multi-use trail. For more information use the ‘search’ function at the bottom of the Missouri State Parks home page.

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So, you’ve decided to take the family camping this summer but aren’t sure what you’ll need to ensure a smooth experience? Memories of camping from childhood are enough to make you want to take your children but inadequate in helping you remember what might be needed. My list of essential items is not exhaustive, but it should meet the basic needs of anyone wanting to experience the joys of a family campout. Once you get out there you might wish you had packed binoculars for stargazing or bird watching, so I’ll list that item second only to the first-aid kit!

Camping checklist

• First-aid kit – I make sure I have diphenhydramine hydrochloride – one brand is Benadryl – for allergies.
• Binoculars
• Bug spray with DEET
• Portable radio
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Tent
• Bedroll and pillow
• Foam pad or air mattress to soften the hard ground
• Cooking utensils
• Charcoal and starter fluid if the campground permits open fires
• Propane camp stove if open fires are not permitted
• Matches
• Bucket to hold water for fire extinguishing
• Cooler with ice
• Food and drink
• Map
• Let a neighbor or relative know your destination and planned date of return.
• Pack your address book or a note with important numbers including your family doctor and the number of the nearest hospital.
• Extra clothing and rain gear
• Hiking is a fun family activity. Be sure to pack hiking shoes and a compass (if you will be hiking in unfamiliar territory).
• Check in with campground, park or area managers when you arrive and leave.
• Finally, check the weather forecast for your destination before you leave.
• Supplies for whatever you choose to do during the day: Fishing? Swimming? Hiking? Canoeing?

Cooking may be avoided if you plan sandwiches and fruits for meals. Packing for a non-cooking camping trip is much lighter than packing for cooked meals.

Depending on the weather forecast you may prefer a bedroll to a sleeping bag. If you use a sleeping bag it will be helpful to pack a sheet to use if the weather is really warm at night.

Camping does not have to be an expensive hobby. If you don’t have a tent ask friends and relatives for a loaner. You may construct your own tent from 2 plastic tarps if you want to get closer to the experience of ‘roughing it’. Tie a rope between two trees or cross poles. Hang the tarp on the rope with the middle of the tarp on the rope and both sides reaching the ground. Stretch the sides of the tarp tightly and stake them down; your tarp should look like an upside-down ‘V’ when you’re finished. If it rains, the inverted ‘V’ shape should help keep you dry. The second tarp would be stretched on the ground to help keep your bedding dry.

Before setting up the tent choose a campsite on higher ground in case it rains. If I camp in a campground that provides showers and restrooms I prefer to pitch camp away from that location because it can get noisy and I lose a bit of the ‘roughing it’ feel that I enjoy.

If you plan to cook (even the simplest of camping foods such as hot dogs and marshmallows) make sure you check with the campground management before you pack; they may not allow fires of any kind, even a propane camp stove. Be sure to have water in your bucket before you begin cooking and douse the flames before leaving or sleeping.