In much of the state more than 40 percent of it falls on the ten wettest days of the year
Sleeping up high in a wet, thunderstorm-prone state
A roof tent suits Missouri well, because getting off damp ground matters more here than anywhere dry. Rainfall runs 35 to 55 inches a year and NOAA reports that in much of the state more than 40 percent of it comes on the ten wettest days, which is to say in hard storms. Ask a dealer about seam sealing, awning wind rating and how quickly the tent packs wet.
Pick the site with water in mind. Camping on a gravel bar in Ozark National Scenic Riverways is limited to people who float in, and a river campsite that looks fine at dusk can be a different place after upstream rain.
A roof tent gets you off the ground and sets up in minutes. It also puts weight on the highest point of the vehicle, and the rack underneath matters as much as the tent. A dealer who installs will check your roof's load ratings before anything else.
What they sell and install
01Hard-shell and soft-shell roof tents
02Awnings, annexes and insulation
03Racks and crossbars rated for the load
04Installation and removal
05Parts: covers, zippers, struts and poles
How to choose a roof tent
Open it, climb into it and close it before you buy it.
01Know your two roof numbers: the dynamic rating for driving and the static load for camping with people inside. They are different, and the rack has its own.
02Hard shells open fastest and cut through wind. Soft shells give more space for the weight and the money.
03Check the mattress, the ladder angle at your vehicle's height, and whether it closes with bedding inside.
04Ask about parts and repairs before you need them.
05Measure your garage door.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The roof decides what is possible.
01Vehicle, and what is on the roof or bed now
02How many people sleep in it
03The weather you camp in
04Garage height, if it lives indoors
05A budget range for the tent and the rack together
Questions people ask
Will a roof tent fit my vehicle?
Almost any vehicle can carry one with the right rack, but check the roof's dynamic load rating in the owner's manual and the rack's rating. The lower number is your limit while driving.
Hard shell or soft shell?
Hard shells are quicker, quieter in wind and better in rain and snow. Soft shells sleep more people for less money and weight, and take longer to pack. If you move camp every day, speed matters more than you expect.
Does a roof tent hurt fuel economy?
Yes, some, and you will hear it on the highway. Lower-profile tents and a fairing help. It is a trade most people accept for the sleep.
How high is Missouri?
From Poplar Bluff at 362 feet to Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,772.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
CassvilleSouthwest corner of the forest. The gravel half of the Sugar Camp scenic byway leaves Highway 112 just south of Roaring River State Park.1,307 ft
SpringfieldThe largest city in the southwest and the practical staging point for the Ava, Cassville and Willow Springs country. The Forest Service puts Table Rock Lake and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield just south of town on the forest’s southwestern boundary.1,303 ft
AvaAva-Cassville-Willow Springs Ranger Station at 1006 S. Jefferson. The Glade Top Trail scenic byway begins a few miles south of town off Highway 5.1,281 ft
SalemSalem Ranger District office at 1301 South Main Street. The road south leads to Loggers Lake, Sutton Bluff and the upper Current River.1,183 ft
RollaWhere I-44 crosses the forest. The Mark Twain National Forest supervisor’s office is at 401 Fairgrounds Road, and Fort Leonard Wood lies west with national forest on three sides of it.1,119 ft
West PlainsServices on US 63 in the Willow Springs country, between the Eleven Point and the North Fork.1,003 ft
IrontonArcadia Valley, under the state high point. Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Johnson’s Shut-Ins are both a short drive away.906 ft
PotosiPotosi and Fredericktown district country. Council Bluff and Red Bluff campgrounds run from late April to late October, and Council Bluff sits on the largest lake on the national forest.901 ft
Park HillsSt. Joe State Park sits on the edge of town, one of only two off-road riding areas in the Missouri park system and the one that takes four-wheel vehicles, on old lead tailings.760 ft
FredericktownThe town nearest Rockpile Mountain Wilderness and Marble Creek, in the old lead country of the St. Francois Mountains.741 ft
WarsawOn the Osage at Harry S. Truman Reservoir, with the Corps of Engineers project office and visitor center and a ring of lakeside campgrounds.715 ft
ColumbiaCentral Missouri on I-70, roughly midway along the 240-mile Katy Trail. Finger Lakes State Park and its off-road area lie just north of town, and Rock Bridge Memorial State Park maintains the Katy between Mokane and Pilot Grove.707 ft
EminenceBetween the Current and the Jacks Fork, with Alley Spring to the west and Round Spring to the north. The county roads that reach the legal fords run from here.669 ft
Van BurenHeadquarters of Ozark National Scenic Riverways and the Big Spring entrance station. Big Spring itself is four miles south.475 ft
DoniphanThe town for the Eleven Point Ranger District and the lower Current, close to the Arkansas line.402 ft
Poplar BluffSoutheast Missouri services where the Ozark hills meet the bootheel flatland. The Forest Service puts Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Wappapello on the forest’s eastern boundary.362 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Taum Sauk MountainThe highest point in Missouri, in Iron County. The USGS publishes 1,772 feet; our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,7711,772 ft
Taum Sauk Mountain State ParkHighway CC off Highway 21 south of Ironton1,772 ft
Buford MountainIn Iron County, north of Taum Sauk in the St. Francois Mountains1,745 ft
Bell MountainIn Iron County, the high ground inside the 9,143-acre Bell Mountain Wilderness1,703 ft
Blue Buck KnobIn Douglas County, the summit the national forest scenic byway is named for1,460 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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