This past weekend, we made our way down to one of my favorite areas in the state for a camping weekend in Van Buren, Missouri along with my parents! We first fell for this area in 2017, when we floated the Current River with my family and as we discover more and more we fall deeper in love with this super special part of the state. This was our first trip here in our camper, and I can guarantee you that it will not be the last.
Any time we visit a new area or camp somewhere new, we try to make it a 3-day weekend. Matt is fortunate enough to have a job that will frequently allow him to work 4-10’s. So, we left Friday morning and drove through some moody, rainy weather – our favorite – and arrived in Van Buren in the early afternoon. We checked into a new-to-us campground and discovered we were going to get to try something new: backing into a campsite!
Although we back the camper into its parking spot after each trip, this was our first time having to back between obstacles on both side in a much tighter capacity. We make a good team and have found the best way for us to communicate how the trailer needs to be turned. We have found that calling each other and talking over bluetooth in the car is super effective for us. I have to say, guys, Matt killed it. We got it navigated between a tree + building and our electrical box + the camper next door and we were rewarded with one of the most picturesque campsites we’ve had yet. Our camper backed up to a stunning view of the Current River and we had a fire pit and decent-sized sitting space to enjoy these views too.
Camper Equipment We Always Have With Us
My parents arrived about the time we were finishing setting up. They came down to check out our scenic spot – admittedly, we selfishly gave them the non-view, but pull-thru site. After getting settled we decided we should go see a spring! My mom wanted to nest a bit more and opted to start fixing the family brats while we stole my dad and took off for a mini adventure at Big Spring, a short 10-minute drive from our campsite.
Big Spring is just that, a really big spring. In fact, it’s the biggest in the state pumping out about 286 million gallons of water each day. But it’s not just the biggest in the state; it’s actually one of the top three largest springs in the entire country – depending on rainfall, it can be the largest on any given day. This spring tucked up in the alcove of a bluff and the pure, deep blue color bubbles out fading to lighter shades of cerulean and teal as the water flows out into the shallower river.
We’ve been here a handful of times, but this was our first time taking the kiddos. Charleigh is at the age where she’s all about sticks and rocks, but she also has this sweet and innocent sense of wonder about just about everything she encounters – especially nature. So, as we approached the spring and her little legs picked up speed to see it sooner, it made my heart swell. My dad helped her navigate her way to the edge of the spring so that she could truly see it bubble out. I loved watching her face when she threw a stick in and saw it bubble up and over. We intended to do the whole CCC trail that runs back behind the spring and up the bluff, but my dad slipped and twisted his ankle, so we decided to go back to the campground, hang out and eat dinner.
Generously, my parents offered to watch the kiddos for a bit if we wanted to go do part of that trail. They technically offered to watch for the whole thing, but we always feel guilty, so we just did a small section along the bluff. Even still, it was really stunning and also we both felt so light and so fast hiking without the little ones literally strapped to us. The trail back there is beautiful and offered up a few alternative angles of Big Spring along with the serenely shaded path.
While driving back, we noticed that the sunset looked pretty spectacular, so we decided to take a tiny detour to try to see it better. The Skyline Drive was just up the road from our campground, so we decided to give it a go. Guys, some of the people who live along this road have views that are seriously be enviable. We were about to turn around and call it a loss because buildings or thick forests were obscuring the view, but I said we should go just 5 minutes further and I’m so glad we did. The trees opened up to the most beautiful sunset view! What a treat.
We collected the kiddos and hung out a few minutes longer before getting them back to our camper to call it night. Nights in the camper are some of my favorite nights. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not perfect or always easy and they’re not what I imagined when we first purchased the camper – especially since Charleigh has kicked Matt out of the bed into the kids’ bunks. But I really love when Charleigh gets all snuggly and we read 7 or 8 books tucked into the camper bed before lights out. Perfect first night of our weekend in Van Buren.
Matt woke us up the next morning to show us the thick fog engulfing the Current River before we loaded up the kids and went back to Blue Spring to do a foggy morning hike. The fog was perfectly placed and just thin enough that the light tore through it into the most picturesque god-rays. The trail was really pretty, but we didn’t make it all the way to the spring because we had to meet back at the campground for a morning of exploring!
After collecting my parents, we took off to explore more of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, starting with Blue Spring. This is my favorite spring in the state. It’s one of those places that no matter how many times I’ve visited it, my heart still gets a little bit swoony looking at it. This spring is calmer than big spring, but it’s the most vivid blue due to its extreme depth – the Statue of Liberty would be fully submerged in this spring.
Charleigh hiked this whole trail on her own, I love seeing her little legs grow and thrive. Her curiosity has only intensified with being down on the ground. It brings me joy to see her become a little nature lover in her own right.
Read Our Detailed Post on Blue Spring HERE
Our next excursion was to Rocky Falls. A 40-foot waterfall that has a little shut-in. Typically we’ve gone in the spring or fall when the waterfall was even fuller and also the water itself was really cool. So this was the first time we’ve really gotten into the water. Charleigh, our little fish, was thrilled! Liam tolerated having his toes dipped in the water, but I can’t wait to see him interact with all this more next year. This wasn’t a new stop for us, but we got to experience it in an all new way. We parked a camp chair in the water for whoever had Liam and then we all waded into the deeper pools. After a bit, my dad and I decided we wanted to climb to the top of the falls. With the current flow, it was a pretty easy climb. It gave a different perspective of a frequented place and was just fun to do. When we came back down and were raving about how fun it was, Matt decided he wanted to climb too! So I got the pleasure of climbing up there twice.
We were all hungry for some lunch by the time we finished at Rocky Falls, so we went back to the campground to make a bite to eat. Because we had such a scenic campsite we dragged our picnic table over to get the best view, my parents brought down sandwich stuff and we had a very relaxing and scenic lunch. Charleigh especially loved watching the boats go by.
After lunch on our water-themed adventure of the day was Echo Bluff State Park. They have the perfect section of rapids that we let Charleigh float down on. She wasn’t too sure what to think, but just like at Rocky Falls, the water was refreshingly cool and clear! I’m really looking forward to the camping trip we already have booked there in 2024.
The last stop for the afternoon was round spring. It’s a quick .1 mile stroll up to the top. Charleigh and I went up first because my mom had forgotten her phone at Echo Bluff so Matt took her back because he was waiting in the truck while Liam was sleeping. My dad met us on the way back, so we went back up with him because he had stayed behind. It made for a really fun father/daughter/granddaughter impromptu play session! Round Spring has a playground in its parking area, so we got to swing and slide and play while we waited on Matt, Liam and my mom to get back. That time is one of those things that wasn’t “supposed” to happen, but is now a sweet memory that I’ll hold dear forever.
We had intended to fix dinner, but after an entire day of exploring, we decided to just pick up pizza and hang out. That was the right choice. We went back to our campsite for an easy dinner. No cleanup necessary. After dinner, my dad made a fire in the fire pit. The weather had cooled enough that it was actually nice to sit by the fire. We kicked back and relaxed and watched the boats and floaters drift down the river. My mom sweetly brought marshmallows and after we put Liam down, we all enjoyed delicious, toasty marshmallows. It was the perfect night to end the camping weekend.
The next morning, we woke up, packed up our stuff and hit the road late in the morning. The whole drive back home, we spent the time talking about how perfect the weekend was and how much we enjoyed getting out and about out there. It was the most unbelievable mid-July weather, one of my favorite parts of the state and with some of the people I love most. We got home with our cups all sorts of full!
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