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

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

McCully Heritage Project

Location – 4/5 The lack of pictures and reviews on Hipcamp made it difficult to choose the best of the 4 available sites, but the reviews were good and the pictures looked promising so we decide to stay here and picked a site at random. We finally arrived and were greeted by the host, who was very nice, and she instructed us that our SUV should barely (luckily) make the dip in the road coming 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