ROLLA, Mo. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new and improved Red Bluff Campground on Mark Twain National Forest will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 17, 2024. This grand opening celebration will highlight the new and modernized camping facilities at this beautiful site.
To provide the public a chance to enjoy all this site has to offer, Forest Service officials have waived all fees for camping and day-use activities at Red Bluff for June 17th. Guided tours of the site and its improvements will be available to visitors immediately following the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Becky Ewing, District Ranger, said “I am excited to kick-off the summer camping season with this grand opening and fee-free day, so we can highlight the planning, design, and construction work that took place to provide the public with new campsites, showers, a dump station, additional paved loops, and improved electric and water.”
In the past, flooding from storms repeatedly damaged campsites, roads, and facilities located in the floodplain at Red Bluff. A two-part project was undertaken, starting a few years ago, to remedy this situation. The recently completed Phase 1 of the project involved moving all overnight camping facilities to higher ground; and it incorporated modernized amenities such as more electric sites, a shower house, and a dump station for visitors with RVs. Phase 2 will focus more on the areas in the floodplain.
The Great American Outdoors Act provided a large part of the funding for the work at the site. Continuing to utilize this and other funding sources to improve the recreation experience of visitors to national forests is very important to the Forest Service.
Ewing shared, “Our recreation team will be onsite during the ceremony; and we are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the new facilities and discuss the next phase of this renovation and modernization project.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the new pavilion, near the campground host’s campsite. Visitors are welcome to arrive earlier if they choose. Parking will be available by the old well house and by the Sitze Pavilion. Visitors are welcome to walk around and enjoy the site before and after the ribbon cutting.
Red Bluff Recreation Area is a great place to fish, hike, or just admire the views. Large, red bluffs on the opposite side of Huzzah Creek, gravel bars along the creek, vistas from the upper loops, and verdant surrounding forests all provide a backdrop for a very relaxing experience. People like to float on and play in the Huzzah Creek during the heat of summer.
The entrance to Red Bluff Recreation Area is located on Highway V, in Crawford County, about one mile east of Davisville, Missouri.
A map of Red Bluff is available on the Mark Twain National Forest’s website.
For smartphone apps, the latitude and longitude coordinates (in decimal degrees) for Red Bluff Recreation Area are: 37.812939, -91.169381.
