Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Turner Mill South River Access
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · MO · 36.76456, -91.26653
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Turner Mill South River Access
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 494 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Turner Mill South River AccessNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Turner Mill South River Access · Mark Twain National Forest · MO
▲ your camp. Rings are 15, 30 and 60 straight-line miles; bearings are approximate and roads run longer.
Nearest of each
- @Mail5 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- OOutfitter28 mi
- DDump28 mi
- WWater32 mi
- MMechanic32 mi
- AAir-up33 mi
- +Urgent care33 mi
- LLaundry33 mi
- RxPharmacy34 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 32-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Turner Mill South River Access
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
494 ft
State
MO
Coordinates
36.76456, -91.26653
Cost
Free · no fee, per the land manager's own page (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/marktwain/recreation/turner-mill-south-river-access, read 2026-09-26)
Nearby & resupply — around Turner Mill South River Access · Mark Twain National Forest · MO (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townAlton · ~8.6 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelQuick Connection · ~8.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~28.2 mi
- GroceriesHarps Food Store · ~8.6 mi
- HardwareSimpsons · ~8.7 mi
Nearby restrooms — around Turner Mill South River Access · Mark Twain National Forest · MO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletTurner Mill South · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTurner Mill North · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWhitten · ~3.6 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletGreer Crossing · ~4.0 mi NW · USFS
Coming out here — Turner Mill South River Access · Mark Twain National Forest · MO
- No surface water within about a mile and a half in our records — which is not proof there is none, only that we found none. Plan to carry washing water as well as drinking water.
- Assume no services at all. Most dispersed camping in a national forest has none: no tap, no power, no dump, often no toilet. Everything you need, you bring.
- Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
- Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.
Open Turner Mill South River Access elsewhere
Other camps near Turner Mill South River Access
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Stinking Pond Float Camp~0.5 mi
- Horseshoe Bend Float Camp~1.7 mi
- Barn Hollow Float Camp~2.5 mi
- Greer Crossing~4.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Turner Mill South River Access
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Turner Mill South River Access are set by Mark Twain National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Turner Mill South River Access
Source
public land records
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS Recreation Area Activities, activity 'Dispersed Camping', pulled 2026-09-19: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mtnf/recarea/?recid=21686 || REVIEW 2026-09-26 (nightshift-verified, fire 2510): The recid URL above now 301s to the forest's recreation landing page. Live page https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/marktwain/recreation/turner-mill-south-river-access (read 2026-09-26): 'This access is rustic in nature and offers limited dispersed campsites'; 'There are five campsites, each with a table, fire ring, and lantern post. There is a centrally located vault toilet.' 'No overnight camping in day use areas.' 'No fees are required for this site'. No water: 'fill up at Greer Crossing'. Page lat/lon 36.76456,-91.26653037 = this pin. APPROVED: the page states five campsites. EDW TURNER MILL SOUTH BOATING SITE agrees to 1 m. Not a duplicate: the nearest published pin is #12107 Stinking Pond Float Camp at 0.88 km. Mark Twain alerts: the Eleven Point order 09-05-12-09 limits motors (25 hp) and bars private land; nothing closes this access. Caveat: camp at the numbered sites, not the day-use area | No fee 2026-09-26: "No fees are required for this site" Source: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/marktwain/recreation/turner-mill-south-river-access -- statement verified on that page (camp_type before this review: None)
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Turner Mill South River Access
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Turner Mill South River Access
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →First-night troubleshooting →All field notes →