Oak Point Campground

Location – 3/5 We visited Oak Point Campground for an easy weekend getaway. This park is located near Golcanda, IL and is about 10 minutes from Lake Glendale swimming area. Lake Glendale area is a quick detour off Interstate 24 and decently easy to find. Campground – 4/5 One of the nice things about these campsites are the simplicity of them. There’s not much around but a nice flat private area, which is really all Continue Reading

Cedar Creek Trail

Location – 4/5 We called an audible for this place due to possible tornadoes in the area we had planned to go. The drive out was pretty easy as we just stayed on Interstate 64 a majority of the way and we parked by the church on the side of the road by the trailhead. There was no designated parking at this trailhead, but we ran into no issues. We planned out around a 5 Continue Reading

Bell Mountain Wilderness and Trail

Location – 4/5 This was our very first overnight backpacking trip ever. We didn’t know what to expect or what we were doing at all but we decided to suck it up and give it a shot. We decided our first foray into backpacking would be just a short ~5 mile each way out and back. Getting to the trailhead was not bad, but just a few long and winding roads. Parking was fine when Continue Reading

Redbud Campground at Bell Smith Springs

Location – 2/5 It was Labor Day 2020 weekend and we had originally planned to stay at Oak Point Campground in Golconda, IL on Lake Glendale. The site was first come first serve and as we arrived around 4pm, we were informed they were totally booked as of 30 minutes ago. She let us know there was a more primitive first come first serve campsite called Rosebud up the road that had sites available. The Continue Reading

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park

Location – 4/5 Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park is a park on the East Fork Black River in Reynolds County, Missouri. The park flooded in 2005, caused by a pump storage plant reservoir failing, and the park was rebuilt and reopened in 2006 through 2010, including a new campground. We visited in July 2020 and it was hot. We’d definitely recommend trying to go when it’s a little cooler as the swimming area is a car ride away. The drive Continue Reading