This past weekend was one for the books, for sure. Since I started working with the Young Women (girls ages 11-18) at church, I’ve done my fair share of camping. If you’ve been here a while, you know that camping isn’t my favorite thing. I’m more outdoorsy than I used to be, but I will ALWAYS prefer sleeping in my comfy bed over a tent or cabin. But, I just so happened to marry someone who LOVES camping. And honestly, we didn’t go camping much in our earlier years of marriage simply because I hated it so much. I’ve since seen the light and realized that camping ISN’T the worst thing in the world, so we’ve tried to make a habit of doing AT LEAST one family camping trip each summer. Last year, we camped in Lake of the Ozarks, and this year, we decided to try out Gasconade Hills Resort in Richland.

Gasconade Hills Resort in Richland, Missouri

We had a few reasons for choosing this specific resort. One reason was that it came very highly recommended by my husband’s coworker. But honestly the biggest reason was its close proximity to Fort Leonard Wood. It is less than a 30-minute drive to the campsite from our front door. And, since we were bringing our puppy along for his first camping trip, we decided it would be a good test-run since we could just run him back home if it became an issue (spoiler: we did end up bringing him home).

Before I get into ALL the details of the resort and all the things we loved, let me first share a few things that we DIDN’T love. For starters, the resort does have a swimming pool that claims to open starting in May. However, it was not open during our visit this past weekend. We were told there was some work that needed to be done on the pool, but that they would start filling it on Friday. By Friday afternoon we were told the pool would be ready on Saturday, but it still wasn’t. Honestly, the pool (or lack thereof) wasn’t a big deal as access to the Gasconade River was so easy and the waters were calm enough for the kids to swim. But I feel it’s important to point out for those visiting: I do NOT know if you’ll have access to the swimming pool.

The only other thing we didn’t love about the camp is a little more petty and really unavoidable. The resort is located right off of Spring Road in Richland, which SEEMED like a slow road upon our arrival. But as it turned out, there was weirdly a LOT of passing cars day and night – and typically going much faster than the 25 mph speed limit. As our tent was separated from the road only by a thin forest of trees, you can imagine it was pretty loud. During the day it was fine, but at night it got to be a little much. Like I said, unavoidable (it’s not like they could put the campsites further from the road because the Gasconade River is like… RIGHT THERE), but it’s something to be aware of if you choose to use one of the primitive camping sites.

Aside from those two things, our experience was nothing but fantastic at this resort. They had so many fun activities FOR FREE – bikes you can use, sports equipment, a volleyball net, ping-pong, foosball, giant Jenga and Connect Four, plus the river front. There are also float trips that you can pay for where they’ll provide you with a raft or canoe, as well as a ride to the start of the trip. The price was a little hefty for us to make on a whim, but it seemed that most families staying at the resort chose to do a float trip.

We stayed in one of the primitive campsites and we had no complaints. We were a little further from the bathrooms than we would have liked, but we had PLENTY of space at our campsite. When we camped at Lake of the Ozarks, our biggest complaint was how close we felt to other campsites. We didn’t have the same problem at Gasconade Hills. We had enough space for two tents, our volleyball net (which is regulation size and takes up a lot of space), two cars, and for our dog to be tied up with a 23-foot leash and have plenty of room to walk around. We also had a picnic table, fire pit, and camping chairs set up around the firepit. It seemed that our site was the largest of the primitive sites, but each of them had ample room.

The resort offers RV, cabin, and tent camping. Prices vary by type of site and season (the site for more information is linked below in the “things to know” section) so I won’t be giving a full account of all pricing here. Regardless of what kind of site you choose, I would recommend checking out the resort map and contacting the resort directly if you are wanting a specific site.

Another HUGE thing that we loved about Gasconade Hills Resort: we didn’t find a single tick (IYKYK). When we pulled up and found that the tent camping area was basically just a grassy field, we immediately knew the ticks were going to be a problem. So you can imagine our surprise when at the end of the first day, we still hadn’t found any. We asked the owners and, as it turns out, they religiously treat the grass for ticks. Their efforts paid off and did not go unappreciated by us! If you’re easily creeped out by the nasty little things and avoid camping because of them, check out this resort!

’til next time…

Ash

Things to know about Gasconade Hills Resort

Directions: Gasconade Hills Resort is located off of Route 66 in Richland. From Fort Leonard Wood, take I-44 West to exit 145 to Highway 133 and turn left. Then turn left onto Route 66, followed by a right on Spring Road. Follow Spring Road a couple miles down until you get to Gasconade Hills Resort. You can also just type in Gasconade Hills Resort into Google Maps and that should work fine.

Parking: You are able to park your car for free at the site after you have registered at the front office. They will provide a parking pass to place in your dashboard. Make sure to register EACH vehicle that you plan to park there.

Available Sites: RV sites, cabins, and tent sites are all available at different levels of luxury. Check out the Gasconade Hills Resort Website for information regarding specific sites, as well as pricing.
Link: Cabin and Camper Information
Link: RV and Tent Camping Information

Cost: Varies by campsite and season. Visit the above links for more information on specific pricing.

Amenities: There are bathrooms located on the side of the store (and these are HANDS DOWN the cleanest camping bathrooms we have ever experienced). There are only two bathrooms, but even on Friday and Saturday when it got really busy, we rarely had to wait for the bathroom. Each bathroom has a shower and the bathroom on the left has a baby changing station as well. There is wood available for purchase at $8/bundle, as well as bags of ice for sale ranging from $3-$5. The resort store boasts a variety of snacks, as well as random toys like bubbles and bug catchers for the little ones.

Pets: Gasconade Hills Resort is pet friendly, although not all sites are pet friendly. Make sure to make it known in your booking request if you plan to bring a pet with you.

Things to do: In addition to relaxing at your campsite, Gasconade Hills Resort also boasts a multitude of other family-friendly activities. Rafting, canoeing, and kayaking trips are available for extra fees (visit the Gasconade Hills Resort “Float with us” section of the website), but if you’re not looking to spend more money, there are other options as well. There is a whole game pavilion with ping-pong, giant Jenga, giant Connect Four, foosball, and other games. There’s also a volleyball/badminton net, and a net for Gaga ball. There’s horseshoes, a basketball court, multiple playgrounds, and a pool (although, as explained in the post, I cannot guarantee the pool will be open). And that’s not even mentioning the easy access to the river. Whatever your preference, there is something for everyone at this resort.