Richland Creek Recreation Area

We camped here again in late September. This is a primitive campground in a wilderness area. We had the whole place to ourselves for the entire three days we camped there. Vault toilets are the only amenities, and there is no cell service in the campground. But a great place to get Lost in the Ozarks!

Great location. No water since the well hasn’t been tested according to one of the park maintenance folks. Swimming in the creek and hiking to the falls is awesome. Trees are dense, so solar and Starlink is tough here.

Beautiful camping location! If you get there on a Friday, you'll more than likely have about half the camp to pick from. On Saturday the site tend to fill up.

Our favorite spot is campsite 8 and 10. They are near the Richland Creek Trail and it always takes you down to a cool little area along the Falling Waters Creek. Very peaceful in the morning to visit the river area below the camps.

Included in our photos are nearby falls: Six Fingers, Fuzzybutt, Horsetail and Falling Water. All of those are supremely easy or short hikes. Perfect if you are bringing a new camper/hiker with you to introduce to the hobby.

Restrooms are very clean! Just the standard nonelectric/plumbing kind, but i was surprised with how clean they were. Definitely a bonus!

If you like the feeling of being remote, this is a great place for you! I've been coming to this wilderness area for over 35 years and I never tire of its beauty. It's an official Dark Sky park, so your views of the stars, albeit through heavy forest, will be fantastic. I saw 3 shooting stars in one night on my most recent visit. It does take a while to get here. Be prepared to drive very slowly, like 10-15mph for the last 12 miles or so when coming in from the south on 16E, to forest service rd 1205, to Richland Creek Rd. This route travels along Falling Water Creek and has a couple of great waterfall views along the way. There are vault toilets and seasonal water, no showers.

Be advised! Utilize a four-wheel drive vehicle coming here, or at least one that can deal with some serious bumps. There were some real difficult parts of the road that had us bumping, and the bridge leading up to the place was washed out by about a foot by recent rains, so be prepared if you're coming in after it rains!

The campsites were lovely and the trails were great, a lovely mountain area to settle in right off the blue, blue creek. It can be chilly right off the water, though, so pack extra warmth if you're not going in the dead of summer. Also, pack toilet paper. The bathrooms were out.

Also for those wondering: AT&T and Verizon has no service except for the top of the hill leading in about 10 minutes from the campsite. Had to head up the hill all the way to let my parents know I arrived safe to the site, so you're not going to have any problems disconnecting from tech.