lake of the ozarks state park

Went to the beach. Nice beach area, had public restrooms, good parking. Beach is very rocky and you will need to wear shoes even in the water.

It was a little hard to find the correct address to put into Google Maps, but I did a little sleuthing and figured out that if you type in “Out Post Road, Kaiser, MO”, that will get you where you need to go. I would still suggest arriving before dark if it’s your first time there, because it’s easy to miss a sign telling you which way to go. The website and the confirmation email say that you need to call a number to get the code to open the lockbox with the cabin key. This is not true. When you arrive at the cabin, you’ll find a piece of paper with the code hanging on the lockbox. It was as easy as that! We didn’t check in or check out, either (but I’m still not sure if we were supposed to….)It was a chilly 30° when we got there, so we cranked up the heater and tried to start a fire. There’s firewood conveniently located in a box next to the wood burning stove. It took us awhile to get the fire started (we went out and bought some fire starters at Wal-Mart the next day….made it WAY easier), and even once we got it lit, it was still pretty chilly inside. By the time we went to bed it was a little warmer, especially since we slept in the loft. The 2nd day was much warmer inside. Comfortable enough to be in a t-shirt, whereas the night before I had multiple layers on. Here’s one of the best parts of the cabin……electricity! The website does mention that the cabin is electric, but it fails to mention that there’s a mini fridge and microwave. That was a pleasant surprise! We also brought a crockpot and a hotplate to cook on since we knew it was going to be pretty cold outside (there’s a fire pit with a grate on it for cooking when it’s not so frigid outside). There’s one light near the door and “kitchen” area. Even so, it’s pretty dimly lit at night, especially under the loft where the table and futon/couch are. We went out and bought a lantern to use on the 2nd day. There are 2 outlets, one in the kitchen area, and one by the microwave and fridge. The cabins are a fair distance apart, but at night I felt a little like I was in a fishbowl. There are nails on either side of most of the windows, so it looks like previous campers made makeshift curtains. I will probably bring a blanket/towel/fabric the next time we go. The beds, while better than the ground, are hard. The “cushions” don’t give at all. I will definitely bring a mattress topper the next time we’re there. The futon on the main level folds down to a full-sized bed. There are 2 beds in the loft as well. The website says that they’re sized between a twin and a full, but our full-sized sheet fit perfectly on it. There is a shower house/bathroom located centrally between all the cabins. It was heated, but I’m not sure if it’s air conditioned during the summer months. They aren’t fancy by any means, but better than going to the bathroom outside or in a vault toilet! There weren’t any bugs since it’s November, but we did see 1 mouse. He hid most of the time, but we heard him out running around in the middle of the night. Make sure to put your food in a tub or rigid containers, or it might become a midnight snack! This is probably not important to real campers, but the cell service there is pretty good. I can’t fall asleep without having the tv on in the background, so it was great to be able to stream Netflix on my phone while I drifted off. It was also nice to be able to Instagram my experience and check Facebook a few times ;)

Best place is to be by the water which is all the way to the end of the campground. I believe they call it campground 4. We stayed in campground 1. No sewer but there is a drain and place to fill your freshwater tanks as you come in. Bathrooms/showers are nice. Almost all sites are wooded. Deer just strolling around the park. There is a small laundry. We stayed beginning of November 2014. We would go back! Some very nice handicapped accessible spots too.

we are tent campers and though this park wouldn't be my favorite spot ( I like the national forests better cause they have more privacy) I enjoyed my stay.Most of the camp ground was empty so it had that isolation feel I love so much.I highly recommend getting a reservation before camping as a great many sites are reservation only and if you got here late there might not be any sites left .We chose a site by the water, what a beautiful view! The staff was friendly and the rest rooms were very nice and clean.only problem was they didn't have soap,they didn't even have soap dispensers.So you'll have to pack your own.

This park is HUGE! and quite beautiful. It was quiet and serene, being at the far south end of the area's water, away from the busy tourist spots. We were able to get a nice site with a peaceful water view. Easy walk over to the beach for a refreshing float. The trails are challenging. Volunteer hosts are friendly and helpful. Bathrooms/showers showing a little age but very clean. Lake of the Ozarks area overall is not easy to get around. This park is a quiet respite that's worth the drive.

We stayed 4 nights over Labor Day weekend and had a blast. We had site 121 and it was perfect for popup and/or tent because it is across from the shower house and the park. There were a ton of barking dogs but we are noticing that at many state parks these days. Some of the sites back right up to other sites and cuts down on some privacy. The shower houses were not kept very clean at all. On Friday at 4pm the rests rooms were out of toilet paper and at 10 am Saturday no one had cleaned it or replaced paper. Several people we caught unhappy! The floors were never clean. I actually stopped the park super and told him. He said it was hard to keep because a guy cleaned them and had a hard time emptying the woman's to clean. If it's cleaned at the same time each day people know to wait out. The lady at the store in the park was so nice to talk with. We rented a canoe and had a great trip in it. The beach was great for my little ones. We had fun fishing too. If you walk the trails apply tick repellant! We were covered in seed ticks. Loved this park. The marina has no actual grocery items and the young girl there locks the door way early and doesn't let you in so make it to the marina well before closing. We explored all the park areas and saw turkey and deer roaming. Over all we loved the park but the unkept shower house could impact if we return soon. With 3 small girls that is a very important part of a trip. I understand the park was full but this was just neglect.

Highlight of our trip. Beach #1: Warm, swimmable water, shallow, fun small waves from faraway boats, nearby restrooms, not crowded despite weekendCanoe rental: Very affordable, in good shape, enabled us to paddle near amazing limestone cliffs (they do expect you to know what you are doing so have someone who has canoed before with you)

Lake of the Ozarks State Park is a lovely state park. We were in an RV and had lots of spots to chose from. Bathrooms were clean as were the showers. Quiet family camping. They have yurts for rent that appeared accessible to all. Lots of wonderful trails, we don't have horses but lots of folks were there with their horses. We only stayed one night but wish we could have stayed much longer.

We selected this State Park as part of our journey through MO aftering spending a few days in Saint Charles and St. Louis. We love to camp, hike, backpack and often stay in stay parks, tents, and have also stayed in yurts before. It was nice that the yurt had a couple of lights, microwave, tiny fridge, and locking door. The walk to the restroom was a bit farther than we expected... There was no view to speak of - completely obscured with the trees. There were just two showers/sex at the central shower - not an issue since the park was mostly vacant when we were there. However, there was very litle warm water - just ~2 minutes of lukewarm and then cold. We mentioned it to the staff who inquired and they just indicated that you had "to fiddle with it." We hiked, geocached, rented a boat one day, and visited the Grand Glaize Beach one hot afternoon. When we arrived at ~1:30 pm - it was suggested that we drive back into town because we would not be allowed to check in until 3 even though the yurt was vacant. We checked on our boat rental reservation - this was the most hassle we have every had. We rent a boat every year at a Arkansas or TN State Park - never this much trouble. The marina was understaffed and it seemed like they did not process rentals too often. They did not want to honor the length of our reservation and asked for a check for the deposit (which we did not bring because it was never mentioned when we made the reservation). We did have a great time on the lake that day but it took nearly an hour the day before to work out all the details, confusion, and paperwork... There were flyers all over advertising a program - we went and waited for 20 minutes only to discover that it was from the week before. Most parks we've stayed have daily programs at their nature centers and ampitheatres... We also went to the grand glaize beach. We were not impressed - it was rocks with an abundance of goose poop. It was so smelly, you could not stand to sit on the beach. Again, we are accustomed to lake water swimming but this was pretty murky and smelly... The other drawback was the ticks. We are accustomed to camping, hiking, ticks, and bugs. In fact, we treat our clothes with permethrin at the beginning of the summer. I ended up with about 10 painful tick bites - mostly the tiny seed ticks. They were abundant - climbing on the picnic table on the concrete pad! We enjoyed our early summer get-away with a less expensive yurt option but we probably would not return to this park. We have sites closer to home with better-than-average features and amenities compared to this site.

Family camp at Lake of the Ozarks State Park at Kaiser, Mo over Memorial day. 4 days in camp. Facilities are clean well kept and maintained. Shower houses/rest rooms are way above average for a camp grounds. Camping of all types from tents to hi dollar Motor home. We were in our low dollar Minnie Winnie:-). Water front campsites should be reserved weeks ahead since they are the most preferred. They do have several camping sites for handicapped and are handicap friendly.Park personnel were very friendly and helpful.Only down side was the park store. Take everything you need since they handle very little inventory and are not open during demand hours. However you are only about 8 miles from major shopping centers at Osage Beach. Also a large outlet mall at Osage Beach for the ladies. I would have rated it excellent except for the park store. They did have ice for coolers and Ice Cream for the kids.

Was nice. Bathroom and showers clean.camp sites need a good cleaning and trees trimmed. We came in a 38' Challenger. Had limbs brushing against the sides of our coach.

We booked 2 nights by phone and I feel that pertinent information was not given to me when I reserved the two campsites. I was not told that the water wasn't turned on and that the shower houses were not open yet, so after we got there, we had to go back out to walmart and buy jugs of water to use for cooking. Then of course there has to be one goof ball to ruin the weekend for everyone. On saturday, we had to call the park ranger because 2 idiots in a jeep wrangler decided they wanted to use section 4, which is where we were staying, as their own personal 4 wheeling playground. They came screaming through, squealing tires and spinning up the grass. We had 12 people on this camping trip, 5 of which were kids, and craziness like this happens. When the park ranger got there, he told us he had already warned them once that day. I'm sorry, but I think in a state park, if you are breaking the rules then you should be asked to leave. Not only out of respect, but for the safety of the other campers. We only saw one employee, besides the park ranger, the entire time we were there, and he only came through to tell us to pick up whatever wood we wanted to and burn it so he wouldn't have to pick it up later. This was our first trip ever to this campground and it will most likely be our last. The campground is beautiful, but I was not pleased with the way things turned out. In the future, tell your campers that there is no water or showers available beforehand and try to have someone available in case there is trouble.

We rented a yurt for two nights. It was really great! It came with an air conditioner, heater, lights, refrigerator and microwave. I also like that it had a locking door. Outside was a charcoal grill and fire ring. I took the yurt with a lake view but due to trees really couldn't see the lake. That yurt is also the one that allows animals so there was a fair amount of dog hair inside. Since I couldn't see the water I think I would go with the other one next time. The playground was right across the street which was very convenient. The showers and restrooms were clean and close by as well. There was a storm one night but we stayed dry and comfortable inside. The AC wasn't enough during the heat of the day but opening the vent on top helped a lot. It was also a good time to visit the beach and caves.

nice big family beach on the lake. Nice shower houses and bathrooms. We've had many family picnics there. Nice playgrounds. Good store where you can rent boats.

The beach was created by bringing in rocky sand. It hurts your feet to walk on it. The beach area is a good size and there are trees nearby to provide shade for those not playing in the water. It would be nice to have some picnic tables there as well. There is a bath house with showers and changing facilities.