Campgrounds and RV parks near Lake Timberline, MO

Off-road riding is a major draw. St. Joe State Park sets aside roughly 2,000 acres for off-road vehicle use, with woods trails, hill climbs, play areas and sand flats open to dirt bikes, ATVs and UTVs. Trails are marked with blue blazes and provide a mix of mud, sand and hard-packed dirt through rolling hillsides. The park also features four lakes, two swimming beaches, equestrian trails, hiking and bicycling trails, a water trail, and picnic sites. For quieter days, the Big River corridor offers paddling, wading, and fishing. Washington State Park holds the largest group of petroglyphs yet discovered in Missouri, with rock carvings attributed to Mississippian peoples between roughly 1000 and 1600 A.D., plus the 1000 Steps Trail built by Company 1743 of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Three hiking trails at St. Francois State Park, one with equestrian access, wind through the wooded hills and glades of the Coonville Creek Wild Area, and easy access to the Big River makes the park suitable for canoeing and floating.

The region has four clear seasons. Summers are hot and muggy, winters are cold with occasional snow, and skies are partly cloudy year round. Peak camping runs from late spring through early fall, with October drawing leaf-peepers to the Ozark ridges. Water and shower availability shifts with the calendar. At St. Francois State Park, water is not available in the park during the off-season from November through March. At Washington State Park, potable water and modern facilities are similarly limited during the winter months. Gate hours also change at St. Francois State Park: park gates close at 10 p.m. during the on-season and 6 p.m. during the off-season. Spring brings wildflowers and higher water, useful for paddling but occasionally disruptive. The Big River corridor experiences occasional flash flooding, and campers are required to have an immediate means of motorized transportation in case of evacuation. Summer weekends and three-day holidays fill fast at the ORV park, and fall is generally the most comfortable stretch for hiking and RV travel.

Expect wooded, hilly terrain with gravel and paved loops. St. Francois State Park's campground offers 63 widely spaced sites with water and a minimum 30-amp electrical hookup, plus showers, restrooms, laundry, and a dump station; pads handle back-ins or pull-throughs up to 45 feet in length. Washington State Park operates a campground with electric sites plus basic tent sites in a separate area. At St Joe, the ORV and equestrian loops are their own scene. Each campsite comes with a concrete pad, picnic table, BBQ grill and lantern holder, and amenities include a laundromat, hot showers, a dump station, and a kids playground. Note that generators are not allowed in either of the St. Joe campgrounds. Cell coverage is patchy in the wooded hollows, and evening quiet hours are enforced. Families will find playgrounds, swimming beaches, and short interpretive trails at all three state parks.