$10
Big Spring
Total sites: 132
Available Tonight: 53
Available this Weekend: 53
Booking Window: 6 months
Available Tonight: 53
Available this Weekend: 53
Booking Window: 6 months
453 ft
61°F
45°F
45°F
weak
Big Spring Campground, MO - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map
Big Spring Campground in Carter County is located 1 hr 44 min southwest of Farmington, MO with an elevation of 453 feet. There are a total of 132 campsites including 3 tent-only sites. The campground is open all year. 119 sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 25 and 76 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring. 29 sites have electric hookups. Fees range from $20.00 to $140.00. Some amenities include shower, dump station, swimming, restroom, amphitheater, ramada, pay telephone, flush toilets. Activities include biking, fishing, horseback riding, hiking trails, floating sports.
Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)
Campsite Reviews (170)
4.1 out of 5
| 5 star | 52% | |
| 4 star | 22% | |
| 3 star | 8% | |
| 2 star | 8% | |
| 1 star | 7% |
@JesseO05234A38 · Camped on Oct 20, 2025 at Campsite #225
Peaceful setting. Note that Campground is being renovated - re-leveling campsites and resurfacing roads
@JeffJB6D8A874D · Camped on Oct 17, 2025 at Campsite #103
Big Spring Campground had a great dark sky festival, the newly paved campground loop was nice, the bathrooms were clean despite the USG shutdown, and the hot showers were nice!
@AndyW4975919 · Camped on Oct 16, 2025 at Campsite #210
Spring is easy to access and awe-inspiring. CCC lodge is pretty awesome also. Campground was nice.
@MarkH6047851 · Camped on Oct 15, 2025 at Campsite #G1
The park maintenance employee made sure to have the hot showers turned on, as it was close to the end of the season
@DaveW2940105 · Camped on Oct 8, 2025 at Campsite #307
Our visit occurred during shutdown. We saw very little official presence. The bathrooms were clean but the campground was unmowed. The spring itself was very impressive. We didn't stop at the entrance station since it was closed. It would have been nice to have had trail maps posted. Most of the campsites could not accommodate larger RVs or trailers. The sites were wide enough so that the trailer could be dropped and the tow vehicle park next.
@pieterl25B6830 · Camped on Oct 1, 2025 at Campsite #212
Staff was very helpful.
@DouglasS589227 · Camped on Sep 29, 2025 at Campsite #216
We were unable to get to the campground due to road paving. After 3 miles of hills and curvers we found the road blocked with no warning.After calling the office, we were advised to turn around and recover the 3 rugged miles and find a church on the corner of the new road to take 3 more miles to the campground.We never saw the church or road, we headed for home.I believe that staff should have notified us by email as to the closure, nothing was sent or received by us.Very bad experience.
@MattO7B0E949AB · Camped on Sep 26, 2025 at Campsite #420
We had an amazing time staying at Big spring. Very well maintained.
@BrendanK942111 · Camped on Sep 22, 2025 at Campsite #212
Very nice. Peaceful.
@WallacePC0FD5F · Camped on Sep 18, 2025 at Campsite #211
We love the Ozark National Riverway area. Big Springs Campground is our favorite! So peaceful and has been maintained nicely even after this spring flooding. We stayed in early spring before flood and again this fall. Great stop over for us. Excited to see what they do when the cabins and dining hall opens up next year, we hope.
@MarkC3752964 · Camped on Sep 17, 2025 at Campsite #218
As with many national parks, there are no sites with water hook ups. Its odd that a place built around a water feature and a river has no access to water for campers. So fill your tanks and adjust accordingly. And there was only one fairly small loop of about 20 spaces that had electricity. Mind knew there were six camping areas, but only one with electrical hook up. So if thats important, no before you go. The listing for this site showed it to be shady. It wasnt. It said it was a waterfront site. It wasnt. It said it was a concrete site which was half right. Half was concrete and half was dirt that had washed in making it less than level. The general consensus after four years of travel is that state parks are run far better than national. The amenities are better. There needs to be more information about where you can swim at Big spring. And this is no fault of the park, but the gnats and flies around anytime you were near the water were almost unbearable. Might have been the time of year, but it made being near the water less than enjoyable.
@RoseH4479749 · Camped on Sep 14, 2025 at Campsite #309
We were on a cross-country driving trip recently, arrived at Big Spring to camp in the HUGE campground (100+ spaces), and every site was marked "reservation only" through recreation.gov. There were a grand total of 3 other campers there that night! And not an official park person to be found!! We had already encountered the system at Great Sand Dunes, where we pulled in and were also told all sites were by reservation ONLY--tho there were still some empty ones. The website is difficult, if in remote area often don't have connectivity, and when on the road can't always reliably know where we will end up for the night. This reservation-only system does NOT work and we do NOT want it. It deprives the parks of income (could certainly have sold empty sites on first-come, first-serve basis). More important, it deprives visitors of the unique chance to camp under the stars in our amazing national parks. Ditch it and go back to hiring more NPS rangers!! Rose Houk
@EricaL19718AFE · Camped on Sep 13, 2025 at Campsite #407
We love camping at Big Spring. The gravel bars are wonderful. Great place for swimming! The hot showers are a great amenity to have while camping. We will return!
@DavidR6871281 · Camped on Sep 12, 2025 at Campsite #224
Campsite was clean and the amenities were in good order. This was an incredible location. The springs are beautiful and the river is crystal clear. We will definitely be back!
@HeatherM776338 · Camped on Sep 11, 2025 at Campsite #214
We moved our spot three times since after arriving we realized we would be in full sun. Then we found a better spot with partial day shade, but moved again to help accommodate another camper who needed a larger spot. We ended up closer to the river and it was a great location with lots of shade. The bathrooms were clean. I regretted not bringing the e bikes to ride to the showers and to Big Spring. The trails to the river cut through peoples camp sites and that felt a little awkward. There were little gnats on the first day and tons of flies on another, but the area was so pretty and conveniently located to the nearest town for groceries and river float activities.
@SM91455BEA9FB2 · Camped on Sep 11, 2025 at Campsite #202
a geologic marvel. staff helped me do my first online booking at recreation.gov. they were very helpful. what a neat area.
@NancyM7309003 · Camped on Sep 7, 2025 at Campsite #208
Chiggers but so beautiful
@Christoph82403 · Camped on Sep 4, 2025 at Campsite #212
Our trip was after Labor Day so the campground was not very populated. I like camping in the trees and grass so close to the river. Lots of trails to and from the river. The Spring itself is impressive. Bathroom facilities were clean and functional. Van Buren is a neat little town that can be explored in a couple hours.
@WayneH9910250 · Camped on Sep 3, 2025 at Campsite #226
This was our third visit to Big Spring. Our campsite was quite level and the electrical power was good. There aren't very many electrical sites compared to non-electric, and probably more than half were occupied. The rest of the campground was mostly empty,. The road getting there is quite hilly and none too wide, but for us it is worth the drive. The spring is awesome. The size of the waves it produces is impressive. This was an overnight stop for us on a cross-country trip so we didn't explore the area.
@BessieO0C1BFFA · Camped on Aug 22, 2025 at Campsite #227
Beautiful and the facilities are great! Enjoyed our stay.
@VirginiaW7C497 · Camped on Aug 20, 2025 at Campsite #113
What could you say when everything and everyone was just perfect. Thank You but wished the CCC buildings were open.
@SteveM7756642 · Camped on Aug 17, 2025 at Campsite #216
Sites were merely reasonable; some shaded some not. No wifi or cell service available.This relatively low rating is probably partially due to the time of year we visited. It was untolerably hot and the area was absolutely swarming with flies.On a positive note, the campground host was extremely helpful and very friendly.
@MarvinLE54CB5B · Camped on Aug 15, 2025 at Campsite #218
We had a great camping experience (camper). All the facilities buildings were in excellent shape and very clean. The camper sites are a bit on the smaller side and close together. It gets very busy during the evening but during the day when everyone is out on the river the campground is peaceful.
@lauram1165586 · Camped on Aug 13, 2025 at Campsite #213
We stayed 3 nights in August. It was hot & buggy. The bugs were gnats & they were relentless. We never saw campground hosts but saw their spot. One morning, we had a very loud family packing up BLASTING music with curse words BEFORE 7:00. It was so loud. The next NIGHT, a group of young people were up drinking and playing very loud music until after 2:00 AM. I honestly was worried a fight was going to breakout because of how loud it was. The scenery is beautiful but the camping environment should have been different; it should be peaceful at a campground.
@KatherineJ7299 · Camped on Aug 11, 2025 at Campsite #212
Had a wonderful time we love going to Big Springs. However our campsite had really tall grass and could have been mowed before we got there. (Only Complaint) Rocky Falls is a fun destination.
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