# Road trips in Missouri > 7 road trips and 16 hand-picked places in Missouri, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/missouri/ 7 road trips and 16 hand-picked places in Missouri, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. ## Road trips through Missouri - [Missouri River wine country](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/missouri-wine/): German-heritage Hermann and riverside wineries west of St. Louis. - [Missouri Ozark springs and shut-ins](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b9-ozark-springs/): Granite boulders, volcanic-rock swimming holes, a red mill and some of the largest springs in the US along the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. - [Lake of the Ozarks and the Missouri River](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b19-lake-of-the-ozarks/): Big springs and trout at Bennett Spring, castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka, Missouri’s capitol and the Katy Trail village of Rocheport. - [Ozark loop: Branson, Eureka Springs and Crystal Bridges](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b19-branson-bentonville/): Civil War battlefields, trout springs, the glass Thorncrown Chapel and a major art museum between Springfield, Branson and Bentonville. - [Route 66, part one: Chicago to Oklahoma City](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/route66-east/): From the Begin sign on Adams Street, through cornfields and Ozark caves, to the neon of Oklahoma. - [Great River Road: the upper Mississippi](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/great-river-road/): River bluffs, lock and dams, Mark Twain’s Hannibal and the Gateway Arch. - [Great River Road south: Dubuque to Hannibal](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b19-mississippi-quad-cities/): Iowa caves, the Quad Cities, Burlington’s crooked Snake Alley, the Mormon town of Nauvoo and Mark Twain’s Hannibal along the middle Mississippi. ## Places worth the detour in Missouri - [Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b9-johnsons-shut-ins/): The Black River squeezes through volcanic rock, forming chutes and pools that make a natural water park. Summer weekends can reach capacity; come early. - [Alley Spring and Mill](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b9-alley-spring/): A red 1894 roller mill beside a deep blue spring pool on the Jacks Fork. One of the most photographed spots in the Ozarks. - [Big Spring](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b9-big-spring/): One of the largest springs in the US, pouring out of a bluff base into the Current River. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the stone cabins and dining lodge nearby. - [Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b19-mark-twain-home/): The white clapboard house where Samuel Clemens grew up, with a whitewashed fence recalling Tom Sawyer and several museum buildings. One ticket covers them all; parking is on the streets of the old town. - [Ha Ha Tonka State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b19-ha-ha-tonka/): Stone ruins of a burned 1900s castle on a bluff above the Lake of the Ozarks, with a natural bridge, sinkholes and a spring below. Boardwalk stairs link the castle and spring; parking is free. - [Old Chain of Rocks Bridge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/chain-of-rocks/): A mile-long former Route 66 bridge over the Mississippi with a 22-degree bend in the middle. Now open to walkers and cyclists only. - [Ted Drewes Frozen Custard](https://camping-spirit.com/places/ted-drewes/): A walk-up custard stand on Chippewa Street since 1941. Order a "concrete", thick enough to serve upside down. - [Meramec Caverns](https://camping-spirit.com/places/meramec/): Guided tours through multi-level limestone caves, advertised on barn roofs up and down the old highway for generations. - [Gateway Arch](https://camping-spirit.com/places/gateway-arch/): A 630-foot stainless-steel arch. Small tram pods take you to a viewing room at the top. - [Elephant Rocks State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b9-elephant-rocks/): Huge rounded granite boulders lined up like a circus parade, with a paved trail suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. Kids love climbing the smaller rocks. - [Round Spring](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b9-round-spring/): A spring rising in a collapsed cave basin by the Current River, part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. There is a campground and a river access. - [Rocky Falls](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b9-rocky-falls/): A cascade over pink volcanic rock into a wide plunge pool, popular for a summer swim. The last stretch of road is gravel. - [Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b19-wilsons-creek/): The first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi was fought here in 1861. An 8 km tour road with stops loops the battlefield, and it is popular with cyclists early in the day. - [Roaring River State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b19-roaring-river-sp/): A deep blue spring pours from a cave-like cliff pool into a stocked trout stream in a steep Ozark hollow. Trout fishing requires a daily tag; the park road has steep grades for RVs. - [Bennett Spring State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b19-bennett-spring/): A big spring feeding a trout stream where anglers stand shoulder to shoulder when the season opens on 1 March. A siren marks the daily fishing hours; the park also has a nature center and campgrounds. - [Missouri State Capitol](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b19-missouri-capitol/): A domed capitol of 1917 on the Missouri River bluff, known for the Thomas Hart Benton mural in the House lounge. Free guided tours run most days; parking is limited on weekdays. ## FAQs **What are the best road trips in Missouri?** Popular routes include Missouri River wine country, Missouri Ozark springs and shut-ins, Lake of the Ozarks and the Missouri River and Ozark loop: Branson, Eureka Springs and Crystal Bridges. CampingSpirit has 7 trip guides that pass through Missouri, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map. **Which places in Missouri are worth a detour?** Our editors recommend Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Alley Spring and Mill, Big Spring, Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum and Ha Ha Tonka State Park.