Thinking about booking a camping trip to Meramec Caverns Natural Campground, but not sure after reading the reviews? We were in the same boat here. We went for it. Here’s our honest opinion based on our personal experience.
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This post is about the campground and floating trip. For the cave tour and other things to do at Meramec Caverns - check out this post: Experience Meramec Caverns.
Booking a Campsite at Meramec Caverns
Booking a campsite was easy. We just went online to the stays section of Meramec Cavern’s site and clicked “book a campsite.” From there, we selected how many guests and sites we wanted.
We booked 2 sites (it was the same price to book a second site as it was to add an additional tent to one site), one with two guests, and one with four guests since we were meeting up with friends for this trip.
There are various site options:
Primitive Sites First come first serve - you cannot make reservations
Electric Tent Sites These can be reserved online - these are the sites we booked
Electric RV Sites (Under 30 Amp or up to 50 Amp) For Campers only (no tents, we asked)
Here’s what we liked/disliked:
✅Easy booking online
❌Very little info about the campsites online (no photos or anything!)
✅Helpful staff answered our questions when calling the 573.468.CAVE Phone line
❌Have to listen to pre-recorded messages in order to get through to a real person when calling
✅Plenty of availability when booking a few weeks in advance
❌Expensive campsites when compared to others, we paid over $120 for two electric tent sites for 2 nights
Checking In at Meramec Caverns Natural Campground
Here's how it started...
✅ Smooth Check-in
We arrived on a Friday just before the check in time (3pm) and were able to get checked in smoothly with the staff at the check in booth. We drove around until we found our sites.
✅ Beautiful Scenery
The grounds were beautiful. There is a nice, peaceful view of the Meramec River if you get close to the bank. There are lots of mature trees, some small pavilions scattered throughout, and amenities nearby.
❌ Sites Not Well-Defined
The electric sites have a post that is labeled with the site. One thing we disliked is that the sites were not well-marked and it was difficult to tell where one site ends and the next one starts.
We actually had an issue with the campers in the site next to us setting up multiple tents on what we believed was clearly on one of our sites. (We didn’t fuss about it since we were already set up and good with space we had between the 2 sites we reserved).
The campground didn’t start filling up until around 5pm. But when it did, it got busy. We finished setting up camp, made a fire, cooked dinner, and went for a swim.
❌Some Camper Etiquette Issues
I will make a note that if you camp much, you know that campers usually abide by a certain level of camping etiquette. We noticed some of that was lacking here.
A large group of campers were a bit rowdy up until 2 or 3 am. I did have to ask them to please keep the volume down since I was having trouble sleeping. They brushed off my request, but finally quieted down about an hour later. It didn’t seem like these were typical campers we encounter at campgrounds we visit.
☝ This is the Beach on the Campground, it was across from our campsite! ☝
Amenities
Not all campgrounds are created equal. Here's what you can expect at Meramec Caverns Natural Campground:
🚿 Shower House with a couple showers (not the cleanest)
🚻 Flush Toilets in Shower House
💩 Porta-Potties Nearby (well-kept)
💧 A Few Water Spigots scattered throughout the campground
🔌 Electricity on each site (except primitive sites)
👙 Beach (Posted “No Swimming” Sign but is not enforced)
🚗 On-site Parking at your campsite
🗑 Dumpsters available in multiple locations (near exit and shower house)
Missing or Lacking Amenities:
❌ No Fire Rings (just light a fire anywhere is what we were told to do by staff)
❌ Not guaranteed a picnic table (so get there early to drag one to your site if needed)
❌ No grills or grates for cooking over the fire (there might be a few on select sites)
We enjoyed the beach several times during our stay. The water starts shallow and gets up to chest height. There is a rope swing that we watched others have a blast with. The bottom is quite rocky, so we recommend bringing swimming shoes for the whole family and a life jacket for kiddos.
Floating the Meramec River
We wanted to float the Meramec River during our stay. We held off on booking the float to see what the weather would be like since we didn't care for their refund policy. It turned out fine and there were still some rentals available despite our last-minute booking.
Meramec Caverns offers these options:
Kayaks
Tandem kayaks
Rafts (various sizes, from 4-person to 12-person)
Canoes
Since we wanted to take our 6 year old, our options were limited to a raft since their age limits are very restrictive for kayaks and canoes (must be 10 years old to ride as a passenger and 13 for a single kayak). So, we went with a 6-person raft which has a minimum age of 3 years old.
Here are the steps to complete the float:
Book online or in person on site at the float trip building
Fill out your waivers for each floater and get your ticket which you’ll give to staff near the bus
Get on the bus, which you meet in the parking lot of the main cave building
Take a 15-20 minute ride to the put-in spot, which is inside Meramec State Park
Your boats will be waiting when you arrive, you’ll be given a paddle and you’re off to get a floating
Stop a few times to swim, picnic, or look for cool rocks or shells
Follow the River until you see Meramec Caverns take out spot ….3-4 hours later
Pull your boat out of the water (staff will be there to help)
Walk a short distance back to your car or your campsite
Our thoughts on the float trip:
✅ It was pretty…
❌ But not breathtaking.
✅ The water was deep enough that we only had to get out once to get across a shallow area.
❌ It was super crowded and there were people everywhere.
✅ There was a neat cave along the way you could float into
❌ No rapids or turns, pretty much a wide open trip the whole way
❌ Over-priced. We spent over $240 for a 6-person raft.
Tips
Take the High Ground It rained quite heavily during our stay. We got to see which areas flooded. The pavilions flooded quite badly. The primitive site area was like a pond. Set your tent up on a high point on your site and don’t depend on those shelters to keep you out of the rain! Bring your own pop-up canopy, ours was a lifesaver — keeping both us and our stuff dry.
Invest in a Toilet Tent The bathrooms are quite a walk away from most campsites. Porta potties are there but still a bit of a walk to many sites. We highly recommend investing in a toilet bucket and shower tent so that you can pick the best site without having to worry about how far from the bathroom it is. 👉Check out our Potty Tent Setup.
Skip the Raft The 6-person raft we went with was sturdy and large, but we found that it was bulky and difficult to steer (at full capacity). They provided only 2 paddles by default. We requested a third paddle and were allowed, but others were not granted the same edge. It was a lot of work. This was our first time trying a raft. It wasn’t for us. Next time, we would go with single kayaks or skip the float trip.
Stay Alert If you decide to swim (despite the signs warning you not to), be aware that there are motorized boats that fly down this river regularly. It was actually a bit frightening because they didn’t slow down near swimmers.
Bring a Griddle Since there are no grills or grates, it makes cooking over a fire more difficult. We invested in a Blackstone tabletop griddle and bought an adapter so we can use a regular size propane tank. We have enjoyed using it to cook breakfast, burgers, and more.
Our blackstone griddle has opened up our meal options for camping. Now, we don't have to depend on the campsite having a grill grate or worrying about rain putting out our fire and ruining dinner (been there, done that). We set this griddle up on the picnic table and cover it with a canopy for great meals, every time.
Things To Do During Your Stay at Meramec Caverns
🛶 Floating Reservations Available On Site (best for ages 10+) 👉Book Online
🌄 Cave Tours within walking distance (any age) (read our full review here)
🧗♀️ Ropes Course and Climbing Wall for ages 3+ 👉Climbing Wall Info
🪂 Ziplines for ages 10+ 👉Zipline Info
Things To Do Near Meramec Caverns
Is Meramec Caverns Natural Campground Worth it?
Meramec Caverns Natural Campground ended up exceeding our expectations after reading some bad reviews online. The grounds were beautiful and there was plenty to do. However, it was much more expensive than we are used to spending for camping.
It's worth checking out if you want to do the cave tour or other activities on site, but we probably won't be going back for a while since we've already checked out most of what Meramec Caverns offers (which is a lot!).
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