Berryman Trail

Location – 4/5 This trail was located off highway 44 or 55 but decently easy to get to. This was a popular mountain biking and trail running trail, but it was also a great backpacking trail if you wanted to get in some miles. The trailhead was near the Berryman campground and there was plenty of parking. Campground – 3/5 Brazil Creek Campground We backpacked for 3 days and 2 nights. The first night we Continue Reading

St. Francois State Park

Location – 5/5 St. Francois was a campground we decided to visit because it was only 45 minutes from our house. The state park is located in Bonne Terre, MO off Highway 67. The drive was very easy. Campground – 3/5 The sites at St. Francois are fairly close together, which is normal for a state park. We had enough room for our things but no room to spare. We camped at the north loop Continue Reading

Sam A. Baker State Park

Location – 5/5 We visited Sam A. Baker State Park for Memorial Day weekend, our first car camping of the season. The state park is located in Patterson, MO off Highway 67. The drive was straight forward and very easy. Campground – 3/5 We camped on the largest camping holiday weekend of the year, so it may have been a bit more crowded than usual, but the entire campground was packed! This included very drunken, Continue Reading

Whispering Pines Trail at Hawn State Park

Location – 5/5 Hawn State Park was suggested to us over and over so we decided to check it out. The Whispering Pines Trail consists of 10 campsites which requires a permit to stay overnight, and they go quickly, so be sure to sign up early. The AllTrails mileage is off based on the route I created (5.8 mi. in from trailhead to campsite 10, 1.5 mi. out) compared to reality (7.6 mi. in, 2 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

Maramec Spring Park

Location – 5/5 We visited Maramec Spring Park as part of a non-school sponsored gathering as COVID had prevented everyone from seeing each other for almost 7 months. The quarantine afterwards was almost worth it so the kids could finally play with other humans. Maramec Spring Park is located in St. James, MO and right off Highway 44. Campground – 4/5 The campground we stayed at was a big loop with a large open area in 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

Spring Lake Ranch

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, Continue Reading