Maramec Spring Park — Attraction in St. James

If you are going for the hatchery or fishing then this place is beautiful. If you are going for camping, then go someplace else- literally any place other than here.

Checking in is an absolute pain. The staff is NOT friendly and I would even say absolutely rude. NOTE THAT THEY INSIST that the person who makes the reservation be the first to arrive in your camping party. This year we saw COUNTLESS individuals be turned away at check in because their wife or family member made the campsite reservation and they could not check in because that individual was not there- even one guy who’s wife wasn’t going to be there until the following day, no exceptions they wouldn’t let him in. This is a horrible policy and should be changed immediately. IF they are not going to change the policy (which they should) then they should make this known when you make the reservation, WHICH THEY DO NOT. So many people were upset and it’s unnecessary for it to be so hard to check in for simple camping. To top it off, the staff has no sympathy for the situation- they just send people away knowing they will have to drive back to town to get cell service to call the individual who made the reservation to see what to do next. It’s horrible.

The only recent changes in the camping side of the park is more electric sites- so they can make more money. However they haven’t put any of that additional revenue back into the camping side for upgrades. Bathrooms need basic minimal upgrades. Playgrounds are 40+ years old and rusted. Picnic tables are falling apart.

How about some new toilets? Ones that aren’t practically sitting on the floor? How about some mirrors in the bathrooms? Or stall doors in the bathroom?! Or new playground equipment? Or at-least remove all the overgrown weeds from the playground area?

Upgrades are needed- within camping area and staff. It’s time for the older woman in the front to retire, she has been there since as long as I can remember and she has lost all level of customer service. Her attitude is...

Maramec Spring Park is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited in the state of Missouri. Privately owned and meticulously maintained, Maramec Spring is a fantastic getaway well worth the drive from St. Louis. We only camped one night, but I'm already planning our return trip. The park is only 6 miles south of the St. James exit via Hwy 44, so it is close to town/gas stations/restaurants/grocery, etc.

There is plenty to do while there. We didn't fish for trout, but only camped (in a tent) overnight and toured the springs. Each camping spot has a picnic table and fire pit. The reception area has its own restaurant (breakfast and lunch) and a store where you can purchase some necessities needed for your stay. We encountered very friendly and helpful employees during our stay.

The scenic, out-and-back walk to the spring features plenty of natural beauty and a very neat trout hatchery/holding area where you can feed the fish and view the various holding stages before the trout are released. There are two museums on site, but we unfortunately didn't get to visit them on this trip.

On our way out we took the historic drive; I had no idea how rich with history the area is. We are already planning our return trip later this Fall, where we can spend more time exploring the area and learning more about its historical significance in...

Meramac Spring Park is a beautiful and scenic park that I've enjoyed going to many times. Unfortunately, I had a very bad experience recently. My brother and I went to enjoy an evening with some family who were camping there at the campground and instead, we were treated with very unprofessional and inexcusable service. A "guest" is only allowed into the campground by walking a very far distance, as the drive is gated and only for overnight campers. This is not suitable when bringing lawn chairs and food for a picnic. The above rule being the case, my friend (an overnight camper) walked to where we were parked and showed us to his campsite in my car. We no more then got to the campsite and along comes a very unfriendly worker telling us we need to leave and that she'd be back to make sure of it in just a few minutes and also goes on to say that guests have to be out by 7 in the evening. Now, I've been to many campgrounds across the US and have never encountered this ridiculous policy. So, we had to pack up and have our picnic up at a pavilion which included having to start a new fire to grill our meal. Bottom line, the park is an awesome place for a day visit! The campground policy's make for a terrible experience and the two workers I interacted with were unacceptably unfriendly and unhelpful. I would expect...