Location – 4/5
Spring Lake Ranch is located near Potosi, Missouri. It is on the Sayersbrook Lake. What used to be a Bison ranch is now a premier campground. We found this location on Hipcamp. It’s right next to the Mark Twain National Forest in Potosi, MO and through long, winding roads. The location is used for events with a big lodge for rent, and has lots of different types of lodging such as cabins, tent campsites, and even a treehouse.
Campground – 4/5
For the tent camping, there are sites down by the water (Site A), 2 tent sites further back (Site B and Site C) and a private tent site across an old scary bridge. Each letter site has multiple numbered plots. The sites are pretty close together so be prepared to see and hear your neighbors. Due to this being a private campground the price is a bit more than the state parks, but it is well worth it.
We stayed at site A plot 2 which is right up next to the water, and by far the best site in the entire location. Plots 2 and 3 are right on the water and plots 1 and 4 are directly behind them. When we got there, someone had replaced plot 2’s sign with plot 1, so we just set it back to what it should be and hoped for the best. I imagine it was because the last people there booked site 1 which isn’t directly on the water, so they took matters into their own hands. Each plot in site A had sufficient trees for hanging a hammock or two. The ground is mostly dirt, hard and rocky, so we had to use a hammer to drive our stakes and ended up end up ruining a couple.
Activities – 5/5
Swimming, Boating, Horseback Riding
The lake is very large and you can swim, canoe, and kayak. The lake doesn’t smell fishy and there is a small beach area next to Site 2. A few hundred feet away there is a small beach area and docks that you can jump off of. The dock area also had a large bar and event area which was closed (probably due to COVID). There are some electrical outlets there if you need them in a pinch. They also had horseback riding you could reserve.
Hiking – 5/5
We took a hiking path that is just over 2 miles long with some off-shoots. There’s a bridge that is fun (although a bit scary) to cross. It’s slightly uphill but not too bad. Near the bridge are some goats you can stop to pet behind the fence. There were lots of wildflowers and birds to look keep you entertained while hiking.
Amenities 5/5
Bathrooms
The bathrooms are some of the nicest we’ve seen at a campsite. They are cleaned regularly and have private showers and flush toilets, as well as electrical outlets. The bathrooms are only a couple hundred feet away from Site A.
Firewood and Shopping
Firewood and ice were available to purchase. $5 gets you around 10 pieces of milled wood scraps.
Paddles and fishing poles were available to rent. All the boats are already on the beach ready to use. They also have some things for sale in their store where you check in in case you forgot anything.
Overall Rating – 5/5
Overall we give this site 5 out of 5. We know it didn’t get 5’s across the board but this is by far the best campsite we’ve ever stayed at our entire lives. So we feel like closeness of camp neighbors and the windy roads to get here are well worth it. We highly recommend this site and will be coming back many more times!
