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Average nightly rates132 total sites
RV Sites
126 sites
Tent Sites
6 sites
About Big Spring
Number of accommodations: 132
Activities & Attractions
Nearby
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Water Activities
Year-round
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Spring
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Fall
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Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
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- Showers
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Rates, Sites & Availability
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Reviews (302)
What Guests Are Saying
Big Spring State Park offers a beautiful and well-maintained campground with excellent access to the Current River and nearby attractions like Blue Spring and Rocky Falls. Many visitors appreciate the cleanliness of the facilities and the friendly staff, highlighting the park's peaceful atmosphere and various recreational opportunities, including hiking and swimming. However, some guests noted issues with restroom cleanliness and limited electric sites, as well as occasional disturbances from wildlife, particularly raccoons. Overall, it is a cherished spot for camping and outdoor activities.
What Guests Are Saying
Big Spring State Park offers a beautiful and well-maintained campground with excellent access to the Current River and nearby attractions like Blue Spring and Rocky Falls. Many visitors appreciate the cleanliness of the facilities and the friendly staff, highlighting the park's peaceful atmosphere and various recreational opportunities, including hiking and swimming. However, some guests noted issues with restroom cleanliness and limited electric sites, as well as occasional disturbances from wildlife, particularly raccoons. Overall, it is a cherished spot for camping and outdoor activities.
Review Summary
Bruce T
VerifiedMay 22, 2026 • Stayed at: 225, Loop: Loop 200
Big Spring Missouri, THE BIG SPRING is the star of the park, amazing ! As for staying there. They Need to fix the exhaust fans in the restrooms AND showers and set the automated time delays on them to maximum ! ! Sweltering hot in there all day and night, even when it was 48 F at night. Loop 200 is 'Electric Only'. So anyone with RV's will need to 'stop at the entrance to fill up your water tank', and then when you leave you'll be able to dump your black tank in the same area, and if not staying on Loop 200, you will need your inverter system working right. Restooms at the park have running water, as long as walking a little bit isn't a problem for your crew. The showers are quite a walk, probably about 6 city blocks to get over there from loop 100 & 200, and quite a bit further from the other loops. There is a boat launch and parking area in the South end of the park, which also is a 'pickup point' for the local tube and canoe rental float company. While the float company boasts their process of taking you upstream from the US-60 bridge, we prefer the float from the the US-60 bridge down to the boat access. All of the loops are VERY close to the Current River frontage, but there is not much river beach area available to those registered in the park. There are gravel bars and beach areas close-by, FYI, those are all privately owned. Looked like there might now be a decent gravel bar available to park users on the very North end of the park/river, but only when the water levels are at or below normal. We have camped at Big Spring for many years. There is a wide mixture of people there, some are very freindly, some are better left alone, some never come out of the RV once they park, and some are actually pretty rude over the smallest things. So probably only a 15 percent chance you'll hit it off with your neighbor. And, like other parks we attend, you have Crows during the day, and Raccoons during the night, keep food put away when nobody is watching it
Robert E
VerifiedMay 22, 2026 • Stayed at: 216, Loop: Loop 200
Beautiful park and well kept
Kristyn W
VerifiedMay 22, 2026 • Stayed at: 218, Loop: Loop 200
Great stay! Access to the river was easy and there were plenty of trails - long or short - for the dogs. Big Spring will become our go-to camping spot!
Gene Z
VerifiedMay 14, 2026 • Stayed at: 212, Loop: Loop 200
Excellent
Kathy M
VerifiedMay 13, 2026 • Stayed at: 215, Loop: Loop 200
Nice campgrounds, clean bathrooms, small rv pads
Bruce G
VerifiedMay 12, 2026 • Stayed at: 109, Loop: Loop 100
This is a wonderful place to stay. Always clean and well maintained. This is our 2nd time staying there.
Paul C
VerifiedMay 10, 2026 • Stayed at: 212, Loop: Loop 200
Just an overnight stay at the halfway point of our journey. Roads on and out were freshly paved and marked and the pads were all new. The only oddity was a lot of the RV spaces had the picnic tables and fire pits on the wrong side of the RV.
Nina J
VerifiedMay 9, 2026 • Stayed at: 306, Loop: Loop 300
This was very nice area that I thoroughly enjoyed birdwatching and exploring. There was only one incident that was bothersome and that was the Rangers treated me like I was a criminal. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there.
William N
VerifiedMay 9, 2026 • Stayed at: 212, Loop: Loop 200
Nice quiet campground. Not much to do but good for an overnight.
Michael W
VerifiedMay 7, 2026 • Stayed at: 120, Loop: Loop 100
Very quiet and peaceful .
Location Big Spring
Address:
Po Box 490
Van Buren, MO, 63965
United States
Big Spring Campground is located four miles (6.4 km) south of Van Buren, Missouri. Turn south on Missouri Highway 103 and continue south for four miles (6.4 km) to the Big Spring Unit of the park.
Big Spring Campground is accessible via Missouri Highway 103, which connects to the nearby town of Van Buren.
Elevation: 138 feet
4.7 mi drive to downtown Van Buren (about 11 min)
Policies & Rules
General
- If you arrive and another party is occupying your reserved campsite, please call Arrowhead Dispatch at 1-844-460-3604 for a Law Enforcement officer to be dispersed to your location for removal of the unauthorized party.
- 50-amp electric hookups are now available in the 200 loop only (bring converters if necessary).
- There is no direct water hook up at the campsites. You may fill your tanks at the station near the front entrance.
- There are no sewer hookups. A dump station is available at the campground entrance.
- Two tents or 1 RV and 1 tent per site only on Standard Family sites
- Modern restrooms are open April 15-Oct. 15. During other times visitors will be directed to an alternative, which may be a short distance from their campsite.
- No glass bottled beverages are allowed in tubes or non-motorized vessels
- All reservations and reservation changes MUST be completed through the Recreation.gov user profile or by calling toll free 1+877-444-6777.
- For more information about the campground, please call (573) 323-4236 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30pm weekdays, or e-mail OZAR_Campground_Operations@nps.gov.
- Free standing Hammocks only. NO hammocks are allowed to be tied to trees.
- Water systems shut off Oct. 15-April 14. (Water off means most bathrooms and faucets in campgrounds will be closed and facilities winterized, including picnic pavilions. The exception are the heated shower houses/flush restrooms at Round Spring, Big Spring and Alley Spring campgrounds.)
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Last updated: September 2, 2026
