Camping

Missouri is all about adventure. That must be why our state has spawned two terrific outdoor equipment companies. Everyone knows about Bass Pro, but there’s a family-run outdoor equipment company, too.

Parks and trails lace Missouri like cracks in cobblestone, places where you can escape from urban life and commune with nature among windswept glades and shady forests. It’s a wild world from sweeping vistas atop Bell Mountain to waters of the Eleven Point River flowing into the early morning mist. As inviting as the whip-poor-will’s call in the dark, Missouri’s wilderness beckons exploration.

Camp Long Creek at Big Cedar sits on the lakeshore, next to Bass Pro Shops Long Creek Marina, and features 64 units that include shepherd’s huts, luxury “glamping” tents, and couples’ and family cottages. The campground is set to open in May.

Here's our guide to Missouri campsites for summer 2018. Where are you pitching a tent this summer?

Life on the river carries its own unique lessons. Here, the senses are on overload in this peaceful environment. There were times when the only sound was of the paddles dipping and lifting in the current.