Steamboat Junction Campground

We had a great stay before the season officially opened, Dan had the deluxe cabin ready for us, and it's super cute and clean, had everything we needed, and the hot shower hit the spot.

Very nice scenic campground. Nice hot shower after a day cycling on the Katy Trail. Honor system snacks and drinks in the refrigerator where you self-register for your campsite. Had a nice chat with the owner after setting up my tent.

I stopped here on my round trip Katy Trail ride in September. It's a nice quiet campground on top of the hill behind the owner's home. There is a shower house, water hydrants, porta potty, picnic benches, fire pits and electrical outlets all for $10. It was hot and I was dead tired. I had done 78 miles on a fully loaded bike. I talked to the owner for a bit and asked him if there was any real food nearby because all I had in my panniers was trail mix and jerky. He said no but I could purchase snacks and drinks from the refrigerator and he offered me a can of beanie weenies from his house which I gratefully accepted. I was so tired and hungry that cold can of beanie weenies tasted delicious.

Stayed at this lovely campground with our travel trailer in October. The owner, Dan, was there mowing when we arrived. Very nice, very clean and very reasonably priced. Right on the trail. Will definitely be back.

We were planning to stay at Bluffton Barn, since we had heard so many good reviews about Doug. We figured because we had one tent, we didn’t need to make a reservation but that was poor planning on our part. My wife and I were traveling with our six small children under 12, and Doug didn’t have no wife capacity for us that evening. He recommended this campsite, I’m glad we found it. Very spacious campsite in a beautiful setting. It was really hot that day, and the owner was there for the weekend, he brought us an extension cord and box fan to put in our tent, it was amazing! He also fired up his washer and dryer to let us do a few loads of laundry. Will definitely stay here again, so I’d still like to Stay with Doug at Bluffton Barn another time.

No "wife capacity"?

Is doug running a single-men only place?

:)

The only thing I can figure is voice activated for "enough". Maybe his dog was barking in the background?

Steamboat junction is closed until an unspecified time in april. there is no water or snacks available. as a note, you can camp in the park in rhineland, which is six miles to the east.

So you got free water from me at Bluffton Barn, make this post but don't mention that or that I am open and have camping as well as rooms and food. What a remarkable human being.

The is a small building by the trail with a pay box and a refrigerator with pop, Gatorade, and snacks in it. The owner lives in the house in front. The camping is not visible from the trail. It is behind the house. A large area that several hundred could camp at. It has hookups, Tent camping for 1-2 people is $10. The cleanest porta potty i have ever seen. A separate shower building with a sink. Tables and fire rings.

Just spent a night at Steamboat Junction Campground, as pleasant & clean as we remembered a few years back. Right off the Katy Trail, w/ nice tent sites set back away from the road & bike trail. Owner is friendly and accommodating. Was able to contact via phone w/ questions. Very quick to respond.

Their honor-system snack fridge saved me yesterday when I was running low on water on the shadeless stretch from Rhineland! Don't forget to have some small bills on you to take advantage of this :)

Is there shuttle service from bluffton to st.charles?

Call Doug at the Bluffton Barn. 314-753-1521 or 573-236-4575

Call


Bike Stop Cafe
Restaurant, Bike Shop, Water, Restroom, Shuttle
St Charles / St Charles MO
Mile marker 39.5
701 S Riverside Drive
636-724-9900

Do they allow campfires?

Yes

Still a super clean and nice campground and shower stop.

We loved this campground. 2 people for $10., envelope slot. There is refrigerator space for campers, and the campsites are up on a nice, cool, shaded knoll. Porta john super clean, great shower house. We camped here 3 nights, over 3 weeks, it's a cool micro-climate there. we had a hard time finding it by car, look for the old yellow ford pickup; that's the place. The last night, a local dog, Aurora came down to visit us, was kinda nice. Sept., 2017

We camped here over the weekend and it was a great experience. There are several spots for tent camping towards the back of the property, close to a small shack that has a shower and sink, and a porta-potty that was well kept. There's a fridge with sodas/snacks near the entrance, and if no one is there working, you can just drop your money in a slot to pay for what you need. There are also small air conditioned cabins available for rent.

Went by this place on Memorial weekend and the snack bar was closed. very disappointing :(

Are there any trees suitable for hanging hammocks in? Instead of tent camping..

It's probably best to contact the campground to see if that is okay with them don't ya think?

What was the verdict. Are hammocks allowed ?

Is the campground still open in mid November? Looking to possibly take a group on a bike packing trip around that time, and possibly staying the night at the Steamboat. If it's open, are all the usual amenities still available? Thanks a lot!

Best to call and ask them...

Camped here with my daughter this past weekend. Campsites were very nice, plenty of room. Not sure if it was intentional but there were some big piles of branches and sticks that were great for kindling. We were pleased with everything. Will definitely come back.

Hey Matt, let us know the name of the campsite. Thanks. Cathy

Sorry, I would have thought it automatically would have tagged it since I wrote this as a comment under the Steamboat Junction link in the trip planner, but it didn't.

Great place for camping.

I felt the spirit hospitality. Nice warm, clean shower. Clean camping area and portable toilet. I did primitive camping and went up the hill a little further - I checked with the owner first. Thank you to these folks.

Overnighted here this weekend and couldn't be happier! After Day 1 of our Katy Trail hike, we were thrilled to find our cabin ready for our arrival. Everything was very clean inside and the grounds were spotless. We stayed in the 2-story cabin with our 2 kids, which was perfect after they added cots for them in the bedroom with us. Perfect little kitchenette, bathroom w/ shower, small dining area, microwave, fridge downstairs, with the bedroom upstairs. Fantastic value! Would highly recommend.

Nice campground but the shower house was amazing. Very clean and roomy. Stopped at first of June on a Monday and owner was not around. Other campers had called and were told to fill out a form and put it in an evelope with the payment for the night at the little stand near the entrace to the campground. That is what I did too. There is a slot in to drop the money and registration. The stand refigerator was stocked with different things to eat and drink with prices on each item. Choose what you want and drop money into same drop location for camp fees. Because of the name, expected it to be on the river but it isn't. Nice campground.

We also stayed at this campground a couple of weeks ago, but we stayed in a cabin and it was great. AC and indoor bathroom- Will stay the next time we come thru.

My son and I stayed in a cabin this week. Clean linens on a comfortable bed and air conditioning for $30. The owner was quite friendly.

Great place to stay on the trail. Super clean shower and well maintained camping area. Me and My son stopped on our Father/son bike trip. The refreshment stand was a life saver according to my 11 year old. he needed a candy fix.

My husband, son, and I camped here one night--one of the best campgrounds we've ever visited! Extremely clean and well-kept, and beautiful to boot! We'll be back.

Good to know as I plan on biking and camping along the trail this August!!

My son and I camped here on our bike trip from Jefferson City to Hermann. We were very happy with our stay. The owners were very nice and the place was very clean and well maintained. Highly recommended.

My brother-in-law and I stayed here one night the end of September, 2011. This is the model that all Katy Trail campgrounds should emulate. Along with the extraodinarilly clean facilities, I especially liked the lack of area lighting and the sounds of the owls and other wildlife at night.

I agree. One of the best there is.

I was low on water during one of the hottest days of the year when I came upon the campground. It was a Thursday (July 22) and the campground was not open, but I decided to see if there was someplace to find water. They have a refrigerator with drinks, snacks, and sandwiches in the shed near the trail. It is on the honor system and was a welcome stop. Bought water and a soda by slipping my money into the slot. I sat and enjoyed the view for a few minutes while hydrating and resting my legs.

Where was it?

Yes! Honor system drinks, sandwiches, etc. in a beautiful setting. We came through during the heat wave and the Yohoo's gave us the fuel to go on. Like the Tebbets Shelter Hostel, this rest stop (we didn't experience the camping) expresses the best of the spirit of the Katy Trail.

Must be Steamboat Junction at Bluffton. :)

Camped one night here--great facilities--great price--beautiful location. Lots of bugs--so bring your spray. But I'll be back. The 2-story cabin looked great and was only $30.

One story cabin is $30, 2 story is $75.

It is a beautiful setting, clean facilities, but oh, the bugs are something terrible. We stayed there a couple of years ago and we now refer to it as "mosquito gulch" We had bug spray and some fogger and a campfire and nothing deterred those bugs.

i stayed here mid may. not a bad place.Sandra the owner was a great host,talked my ear off, but gave me the history of the place.two thumbs up.

Absolutely wonderful for riders during the week, it is the only place around that has food! Stayed here and late June, 2010 and couldn't have asked for more. There was no one there but we just called the number on the pamphlet and she was more than happy to help with all of our questions. The campsites are actually way in the back, and that is where the bugs are bad. There were only two of us though, so we set up our tent right behind the snack stand and didn't have a problem with the bugs. There is only a port-a-potty, which I didn't use, but the shower was extremely clean. If you are looking for a hot meal, the bed and breakfast (left at the road right before steamboat junction if you are heading east) has pizza's for $10.

You say "The place around the corner has pizza for $10"....your talking about the Rendleman Home B&B and Camping in Bluffton..on Hwy 94 just up from the trail when you cross Hwy 94...If you make a reservation ahead they also serve dinner and breakfast (killer hot meals) for both campers and B&B guests.

My son and I stayed in one of their cabins the second night on the trail. It was 100% better than I was expecting. The price was awsome. This was one of the cleanest places I've seen. I have never in my life seen a port-a-pottie as clean as this one. It was a long walk to get to the showers, but worth it, very clean.

Does anyone have pictures of the campground? Particularly the cabins? We're thinking of stopping here on our trip next summer.

Stayed in the bunkhouse summer 2007 while backpacking from Herman to Coopers Landing. It provided just the basics bed and air and a very old TV, no bathroom but there are facilities that have bathroom. Was a nice place to stay and get out of the rain

I stayed at the campground and the cabin on an out and back in June 08.Cabin is just as described above. Just a comfortable bed t.v. and air. (T.V. might not work now.) It is nowhere near the size of a motel room, but if you want a comfortable bed, air, and no mosquitos, this is the place. If you camp and remember only one thing to bring, make it insect repellant.

Very nice people, good rates and incredibly good hot showers!!!

This campground and the property it sits on was my childhood home (circa 1967 - 1981) It was a farm at the time (cattle, horses, chickens, 300 acres farmland) I grew up running around this area, back when the Missouri Pacific railroad traveled up and down what is now the Katy Trail. My family sold the farm after my grandparents passed away and we lost contact with it altogether until my sister was looking at a biking magazine and saw a picture of the place in the magazine. Imagine our surprise! The house that sits on the property is actually an old riverboat that was converted to a house around the early 1900's. My great grandfather bought the farm in 1920's or '30s and lived there until my grandpartents both passed away in the early 1980s. The entire area is a wonderful place to hike, camp, hunt, and fish. The Missouri river is just a few hundred yards away from the front door of the house. Over the years, we found dozens and dozens of arrowheads and several indian burial sites. On top of the hill that sits just east of the house is a really old cemetary, with most headstones dating late 1800s. The cemetary was an awfully scary place for me as a child.



I dream of the "farm" often and hope to go back and visit it sometime soon. It is wonderful to know that a place I hold so dear to my heart has turned out to be a place where people can actually visit and go camping. I can't imagine what the campgrounds look like, as they did not exist when I was a child.



Hope you all can enjoy the area as much as I did growing up. If you look around, you might find a few trees with my initials carved into them.

We've camped at Steamboat Junction and we've stopped several times to enjoy the shade. It is a welcomed stop along the trail and the owners are friendly. Each time we've talked to them over the past few years though, they always mention that business is down and that they are thinking about closing. Last summer the owner expressed concern that no one knew that they were even there. She said that many bikers passed on by and never slowed. If you haven't stayed there, check out the secluded campground and the little cottage (air conditioned) if they fit into your Katy plans in '09.

Tell me about camping here. WE have a 13 foot travel trailer. We are planning on visiting March 20th - 28th. If you have a brochure, mail it to 2985 cottonwood ct. Brookfield, WI 53005 or email me your web address. Thank you Bob Quinsey

The campground is kind of small and primitive, but it work for you with a small RV. It is in a good location and you will have good senery riding both east and west.

we camped in hermann but we saw this campground and checked it out, we did not know it had electric and water but had we of known we would have camped here for sure. it's a very nice secluded area. The owners are very nice and trusting.

Rode by here on a miserable, cold, rainy Saturday. Had gone about 20 miles with nothing to drink when I came to Steamboat Campground. They had drinks in a fridge outside and payment was on the honor system (at least when I rode by there was no one to collect the money). So I was more than happy to pay. While I was stopped the owner came out and we chatted about the camping, the cabins and the honor system. What a nice lady and a great place. I'm really glad Steamboat Junction was there when I needed it.

These people couldn't be nicer. Don't hesitate to stay here. Friendly people, clean campgrounds, and right off the trail. What more could you ask for?

I agree, these folks couldn't be nicer. They have a refrigerator with gatorade, soda, snacks, and they use the honor system. You put your money in a slot for what you want. And they don't gouge you. The campground with showers, was excellent. I'll use this again.

We were riding to Herman a few weeks ago, & stopped here for "shaved ice". There were several tables with umbrellas for shade, a place that we could fill our water bottles, & friendly people all around. Definately a welcome site in the over 90 degree heat. There were also some basic snacks (candy, peanuts, sports drinks..)

The owner is very friendly and helpful. We stayed on a Tuesday night and were the only ones there. The day we arrived it was 103 degrees so we were happy to be staying in the cabin with airconditioning. It has 2 twin beds and a black and white tv with one channel. It is spotless and was heaven! Portapotty was spotless, and the shower room was very clean as well. Very good place to stay and a great value. Only $30 for two people! We ate our "dinner" out of the honor snack bar. We had chips, drinks, candy and a sandwich. It was a welcome feast because we didn't want to bike an extra 5 miles and back to the next town in the heat. We felt very safe there even though we were all alone. Great place! FYI, the two story cabin for $75 sleeps more people and has a kitchenette and indoor plumbing!

I stayed here one night in August. The grounds were super clean. It was a very relaxing place. I would reccomend camping here.

Our Scout Troop was buy there on 10/15/05 the place open and running.

We stayed there on our first trip down on the trail about 5 or 6 years ago and it was nice place.

Phone number is the right one.

Tried to contact the campground, and recieved a recording that the number was wrong. I then tried the B&B phone, and recieved a recording said # no longer in service. Is the campground open if so does anybody have the new number?

Talked to the owner today, August 9th, 2004, her name is Sandra Benz. (314) 831-4807. The campground is open but the B&B is closed. Reservations only needed during Holidays and Peak times, otherwise they use the honor system and there is a drop box for fees.