Camping in Missouri

Camping rules worth knowing in Missouri

Most forest campgrounds are open all year

The forest publishes opening dates for the handful that close, North Fork 1 April to 1 December, Watercress 1 May to 1 October, Council Bluff 23 April to 26 October, Loggers Lake 9 April to 26 October, and then states that any campground not listed is open year round. In a state with no snow season worth the name in the south, that is most of them. Source 15

On the riverways, camping is 14 days and vehicles stay out of the gravel

Camping is limited to 14 days in any 30 in the same campground, and all equipment including vehicles must be off the site at the end of it. Gravel bar camping is for visitors who arrive by boat, limited to five days at a site; anyone camping from a vehicle uses the primitive, backcountry or developed campgrounds. Vehicles may be left unattended over 24 hours only in designated parking areas, for up to seven days. Source 23

More than 300 conservation areas allow camping, and all of it is free

The Department of Conservation states that more than 300 of Missouri’s conservation areas offer camping, that all of it is free, and that most is first come, first served. There are no hookups anywhere on department land and campers bring their own water. Stays run 14 consecutive days in any 30, with a total of 30 camping days on all department land in a calendar year. Source 27

Table Rock has thirteen modern campgrounds

Thirteen modern campgrounds sit next to Table Rock Lake, which is the densest concentration of developed camping in this guide. Modern in Corps usage means hookups and facilities, so it is the answer for a rig that needs them rather than for a night on gravel. Source 48

The full guide to overlanding Missouri