Our family stayed here for one night dry camping. The base is nice and has shopping and nice commissary but nobody has heard of a campground here. You have to ask directions to the golf coarse and then look for signs to the river, if you go into base housing you missed the turn. There's really no signs anywhere, you just park near the parking area near the canoe boat ramp and that's it. Your really in the middle of nowhere but AT LEAST it's free.
Have to be honest here. Trees over hang roads to the point have to drive on field. great location, to bad its not taken care of great place to spend a few days of boondocking. might be mowed might not. Not sure if this is where one poster camp. there is a a quarry that says closed one mile inside the Fort with to johns. Other wise the first sight on the right can handle any size rig just have to get around the low trees. we are a 38 ft fifth wheel and sight was level. East gate was open on Saturday.
Head east on 1st street and you will see a sign for the River Recreation Area "Picnic Fish Camp" it says, so, although not supported or advertised by MWR this is a base approved camping area with no fees or checkin required. Within a mile of the main base area you will begin to see gravel pullouts along the road. I pulled into a very large one at a closed quarry site, it could easily accommodate 30 or 40 of the biggest rigs! Its quiet, convenient, yet out of the way, and I'm the only one here. If you are just passing through and want a nice spot to dry camp this place would be hard to beat.
Rose and I stayed here 2 times this past summer and had a great time. It is boondocking at its best. Both times there was no one else there. We stayed there from Sunday night and left on Thursday afternoon each time. The fishing was great both times. On base is a rather large spring that is stocked with rainbow trout. We caught two each. Also the Big Piney river runs right by the campground. Our campsite was under a large oak tree and the people before us mowed the site with a lawn mower. The parking pad was gravel and level with a table on a concrete pad and fire ring. Our 35 ft motor home with toad fit it easily. We picked up some litter from all campsites. You can get water at the Sportsman Center. We plan on going back next summer!
I agree with the other post. We came through just for one night. The camp site is very remote and very quiet. There we three other RV's in the area but seen no one. It did appear that 2 of them had been there for some time. The grass had just been bush hogged off. For those that don't know what this is, it is a tractor with a hug mower on the back. They cut the weeds down to about 6 inches. The site we were on was next to the small creek and under a tree. The site was very cluttered with beer cans and trash. We were going to police call the site, but ran out of time. Please note( chiggers have ate me up) so make sure you take plenty of spray. Yes, this is about as close to boon-docking as you can get. We parked under a tree for shade so our Datastorm was of no use. We found free WI-FI at the Technology Center which was very fast. When entering the main gate make sure you stay all the way to the right if you are over 12 feet tall. Security will check inside your RV which was no problem for us. Security was very very pleasant as well as where you sign in at the Sportsman Center. Post CSM needs to get involved with cleaning the trash up. We plan on going back through in August and will stay 2 to three night again. Can't beat the value.
My wife and I stayed at this campground four nights in 10/04 while visiting family stationed at the base. This is a dry campground area that appears to be well known to those who fish the river, have rough-it camp outs on weekends, and take their dogs for exercise and a swim. There are several graded dirt back-in campsites with picnic tables indicating some level of installation support. There was a travel trailer parked in a nearby open field suggesting that users may park in undesignated places over an approximate 10-acre area. Security personnel are present at the gate when it is open, and military police periodically patrol nearby. The roads are hardtop from the post to the gate. However, the roads around the camping area are dirt. There is a variety of wildlife along the roads, so drive carefully, especially at night. It is too bad the installation commander does not develop, upgrade, and advertise this area as a recreation area for family and visitor use. It was an enjoyably quiet and peaceful place to stay for while using on-post medical care, shopping, and visiting family and friends. We would again use the campground if planning to spend a few days at Fort Leonard Wood, and we are sure local users have an appreciation for it's availability. The campground is a long distance from the interstate to justify a cross-country traveler overnight stop; however, if someone wants to stop, plan to arrive long before darkness to set up camp in this remote area. Some travelers may consider this campground to be one notch away from boon docking. I give the campground two stars.