Big Bay Recreation Area - Shell Knob MO Camping

Preview: Big Bay Recreation Area sits on a small peninsula in beautiful Table Rock Lake. Table Rock is a sparkling 53,000-acre reservoir with snakelike arms pushing deep into the surrounding hills and hollows. The bay is named for Big Creek, the stream submerged beneath the cove next to the campground. Table Rock’s waters, extraordinarily clean for such a large inland lake, are so clear that scuba divers come here to explore the lake’s depths. It’s a beautiful place for boating and fishing, and its coves are fine places for exploration via canoe or sea kayak. Big Bay is a nice escape from the touristy commercial sites scattered along the shores of Table Rock. RV campers usually choose one of the many lakeside RV parks with full hookups. Big Bay enjoys the happy combination of rustic and peaceful national-forest campsites with the modern amenities of the commercial lake resorts only a few miles away. The thick forest that covers the hilly lakeside shades all sites at Big Bay. In spite of the trees, most sites have nice views of Table Rock Lake. The road into Big Bay forks at the campground entrance. Each of the forks is a dead-end road with campsites scattered on both sides.
© Copyright Steve Henry published by Menasha Ridge Press all rights reserved.


Duration: 35 sites
Best Time to Go: May 1–Sept. 30
This travel guide comes from:
The Best In Tent Camping: Missouri and the Ozarks Guide Book