Missouri / Phelps County / Mark Twain National Forest

Lane Spring Recreation Area

Closed — Closed for the season. Reopens March 1, 2026. Limited parking is available for day use by the gate during the off-season.

About

Lane Spring Recreation Area provides a scenic creekside camping experience along Little Piney Creek in the Mark Twain National Forest. The campground offers 17 first-come, first-served sites including 11 non-electric sites and 6 electric sites, with several waterfront locations directly on the creek. An accessible stone patio overlooks tranquil Lane Spring, a bubbling spring surrounded by sycamore, cypress, and oak trees. Little Piney Creek parallels the entire recreation area and is designated as a Blue-Ribbon Wild Trout stream. The fishery is self-sustaining rather than stocked, with special regulations requiring artificial lures and flies only, and a daily limit of one trout measuring 18 inches or longer. Bass and sunfish are also plentiful. The 1.25-mile Blossom Rock Trail and 1.5-mile Cedar Bluff Trail offer hiking through lush bottomland vegetation with wildflowers, climbing to views of rock outcroppings and the creek. The recreation area includes two reservable group pavilions that accommodate up to 100 people each, accessible picnic sites, and a scenic day-use area. Most campsites are traditional back-in sites with tables, lantern posts, and fire rings, though sites 4 and 13 offer pull-through access. The facility can accommodate RVs up to 34 feet.

Directions

From Rolla, go 12 miles south on Highway 63, then turn right/west onto Forest Road 1892 (marked by entrance sign). Follow this road 1.5 miles to the recreation area where the road dead ends.

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