Graham Cave State Park — Attraction in McKittrick

So I am going to review this park from the perspective of a tent camper; perspectives from RVers may be different.

We arrived at our site 31 after dark on Thursday. We were quickly disillusioned of any idea that these non-electric sites had actually been prepared to work as “tent sites.” There were no plots to set up a tent anywhere within the bounds of a campsite. The terrain was filled with ruts, lacked level ground, and just obviously not prepared with the same care as the asphalt RV pads. We found a suitable spot that worked for us; but really wish more site prep was done by MO DNR for tent camping.

After the tent was set up we had our first fire. The proximity of the campground to Interstate 70 meant the highway noise was constant presence while trying to hear the sounds of nature rather than of society. However, the lack of light pollution definitely made up for that in the beautiful views of the sky.

Friday morning was our first venture in to the just barely satisfactory shower house. While water temperature and water pressure were both great, the location and availability of hooks and a shelf had also not been well thought out through.

Friday was also our first interaction with the staff. In this respect the park really shined. The camp ground host and visitor guides were both outstanding and absolute pleasures to interact with.

The campground claims to have a playground however, this is just a single swing set with 4 swings.

On Saturday we took the Indian Glade Trail down from the campground to Graham Cave. The trail was an outstanding hike with many different terrains, photo spots, and natural environment encounters. I would say this hike was the highlight of the state park itself. Graham Cave itself however was pretty disappointing as a giant fence prevents entry past the first 6-10ft, and looks quite ugly in any photos.

Saturday evening Alexa, a visitor service guide, presented an educational program for the kids just after sunset. This program was awesome and interactive and I really hope the staff knows what a treasure they have in her program. That program was incredible, and definitely the primary factor of raising this review from fair to good.

Before leaving Sunday morning we took a site seeing walk around the entire campground. The lack of properly configured pads for tent camper was common throughout the grounds.

All in all our family had a wonderful weekend, however in many ways this was in spite of the condition of the...

Our Experience in a Nutshell:

Horrible experience. When we first arrived at the Graham Cave State Park I absolutely loved the grand natural scenery of the park. We came here for what was supposed to be a weeklong camping trip thinking we’d have a great time with my in-laws. My family, unfortunately, had nothing but the WORST experience you can possibly imagine. If I could give half a star I would.

This place is very beautiful. I give it that. That has earned this place a star. However, during our very brief stay (since day one) we were harassed by another camper and bullied by the park ranger for literally the craziest things. There was an issue because people were coming and going to work (my in-laws work the third shift at GM). The park ranger accused my father-in-law of being under the influence (he was sober as can be) and of hiding children in their tent because someone made numerous prank calls to the office. Said person also made claims that my handicapped mother-in-law was walking around the other camper's RV/camper throwing objects at it and waving a gun around. Mind you they hadn't even been there the night in question... Driving to the bathroom with my sister-in-law turned into a concern about human trafficking. My fiance's grandmother would relax outside playing games on her phone enjoying the sun (like she always does) and someone made claims that she was a "lookout"... I've never had a camping experience like this, but it was way more stress than it was worth.

One thing for sure is that we will not be back and we will NOT endorse this park as somewhere for visitors, travelers, or Missouri residents to stay at for any camping excursions. The Park Manager is a very kind person, but was unable to help us during our stay. He offered for us to come back for free to make up for the difficult stressful stay we had.

Other Amenities:

Bathrooms and showers not kept up with enough. You have to hold down the handle the entire duration of flushing. They need to get a plumber to repair the issue as I've seen complaints about this from others. Showers for the women are covered in hair and bugs.

The Camp Grounds:

The sites are small, close together, and very unlevel. The paved pads are short. The grounds are infested with ticks. Lonestar and deer ticks are what we saw a lot of...

I camped there for 2 days with my RV trailer. As many reviewers have already stated the GPS directions are not accurate and you should look for and follow the sign that takes you to a road which is parallel to the westbound entry ramp to the highway. There was no one at the park entrance building to direct you to the campsites. Signage is poor to say the least. Once I got to numbered site I had a great deal of difficulty positioning my camper as the asphalymt driveway was rough and extremly unlevel making is difficult to park and set my trailer level. Not a simple task considering the 95 plus degree heat of the day. I should have moved to an unoccupied site as there were many close by. As others have stated the bathroom and shower areas are old and barely functioning. A surprise plus is they had a single washer and dryer in the laundry room. After staying in much better equipped Kansas state parks, this park reminded me that we were not in...