Cobb Ridge Recreation Area
Nestled on top of the ridge, in the hills, visitors will be able to experience the Ozark hills while camping and enjoying nature in the surrounding areas. The campground fills quickly on the weekends when the weather is nice, especiallly holiday weekends. The Chadwick area is mostly forested with oak, hickory and pine woods on rocky ridge tops, with a few small open forest glades. Steep ridges break into narrow hollows with scattered surface rock and occasional rock ledges and patches of eastern red cedar.
Cobb Ridge Recreation Area lies in the center of the Chadwick Motorcycle and ATV use area, which is popular among motorcycle, dirt bike and off-road vehicle enthusiasts. Numerous trails provide nearly 80 miles of interconnecting loops that vary from easy to difficult terrain, winding in and out of deep, forested hollows and down long ridge tops. Visitors to the campground mostly come for the plentiful off-road vehicle trails.
At a Glance
Operational Hours: |
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Reservations: | Some first come, first served. Reservation recommended for some sites -
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Fees: | Camping Fees
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Permit Info: | Riding permit required for Chadwick Trails. Visit the Passes and Permits section of the site for prices and how to buy Mark Twain passes. |
Open Season: | January - December |
Usage: | Heavy |
Busiest Season: | March through November |
Restrictions: |
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Closest Towns: | Nearby towns with services include
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Water: | Pressurized Drinking Water |
Restroom: | Flush and vault |
Passes: | There is a 50% discount for camping for anyone with an Interagency Access or Senior Pass. Interagency passes cover the full day use fees, excluding busses. Pass information can be found on the Passes and Permits page of the website. |
Operated By: | USDA Forest Service |
Information Center: | Ava Cassville/Willow Springs Ranger District Email | Phone and Address |
General Information
Directions:From Chadwick
- take Hwy 125 south 1.5 miles
- then turn right onto Hwy H and travel about 2 miles
- turn right onto Lookout Road and travel to where the pavement ends
- the entrance to the campground is on the left hand side where the pavement ends.
Accessibility:
- Site #10 is handicap accessible, but there is no electricity.
- Vault toilet is accessible
- Showers are accessible
Activities
Mountain Biking
Nearly 80 miles of ATV, motorcycle and mountain bike trails, winding in and out of deep, forested hollows and down long ridge tops, that’s Chadwick Motorcycle and ATV Area!
This trail is heavily used by ATV/OHV users. ATV's do have the right-of-way, so please be prepared for frequent stops.
Most trails stay on the ridge tops or hollow bottoms, with connecting trails crossing slide slopes. Some trail sections offer greater challenges than others. Various methods may be used to indicate closed trails. Travel only open marked trails, and stay off closed routes.
Off-trail travel is allowed only at two locations in the Chadwick Area. One is the 3-acre Family Play Area just to the west of Camp Ridge Campground. The other is the 5-acre Trials Bike Area, located between Trails 110 and 135, near the head of Cobb Ridge. These areas are shown on the map provided at the top of the page.
Orange Diamonds with trail numbers mark the open, designated trails.
There are three trailheads - KC Pavilion, Oak Camp, and Camp Ridge. Visitors camping at Cobb Ridge can access the trail from the campground, but there's no day use parking or designated trailhead at Cobb Ridge Recreation Area.
Many trail segments that don’t drain well have been armored with interlocking concrete blocks.
Campground Camping
The Cobb Ridge Campground provides a variety of campsite sizes, styles, development and locations. Most sites are fairly private, but some are close together and open enough to promote visiting between other camps. Some sites are reservable, while additional sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A year-round on-site host is available at the campground.
The sites are equipped with tables, lantern posts, and campfire rings with grills. Flush and vault toilets, and drinking water are provided. Trash collection facilities are provided. There is a warm water shower building with 4 shower stalls, one of the stalls is handicap accessible.
Campsites include traditional back-in units and easily maneuvered pull-through units. Some single sites are long and wide enough to accommodate at least two motor vehicles and one towed trailer. Tent camping is also an option.
Please check the map on recreation.gov for which sites are back-in or pull-through.
The sites with electrical hookups have 110v outlets, and 30 and 50 amp breakers.
No. of Sites | Sites: 45
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No. of Accessible sites |
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RV Camping
The Cobb Ridge Campground provides a variety of campsite sizes, styles, development and locations. Most sites are fairly private, but some are close together and open enough to promote visiting between other camps. Some sites are reservable, while additional sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A year-round on-site host is available at the campground.
The sites are equipped with tables, lantern posts, and campfire rings with grills. Flush and vault toilets, and drinking water are provided. Trash collection facilities are provided. There is a warm water shower building with 4 shower stalls, one of the stalls is handicap accessible.
No water or sewer hookups available.
Campsites include traditional back-in units and easily maneuvered pull-through units. Some single sites are long and wide enough to accommodate at least two motor vehicles and one towed trailer. Tent camping is also an option.
Please check the map on recreation.gov for which sites are back-in or pull-through.
The sites with electrical hookups have 110v outlets, and 30 and 50 amp breakers.
No. of Sites | Sites: 40 out of 45 sites at the campground accommodate RVs
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Vehicle Clearence | No restrictions |
Size Restrictions | We recommend that RV and trailer length not exceed 45 feet. |
Pavement Type of Parking | Asphalt |
No. of Accessible sites | Campsite #10 is accessible, and does not have electric. |
Group Camping
The Cobb Ridge Campground provides a variety of campsite sizes, styles, development and locations for both tent and RV camping.
Each group site is it's own loop with multiple smaller sites along the loop. Parking is along the side of the road for these sites for vehicles and RVs. Electric hook-ups are along the side of the road.
Both group camping sites are reservable through recreation.gov.
A year-round on-site host is available at the campground.
The sites within the group loops are equipped with tables, lantern posts, and campfire rings with grills. Flush and vault toilets, and drinking water are available. Trash collection facilities are provided. There is a warm water shower building with 4 shower stalls, one of the stalls is handicap accessible.
No water or sewer hookups available.
The sites with electrical hookups have 110v outlets, and 30 and 50 amp breakers.
No. of Sites | 2 electric, pull-through sites that accommodate up to 3 camping units and 24 people |
OHV Camping
Riding ATVs and OHVs within the campground is restricted to ingress and egress. Some trails can be accessed directly from the campground. Vehicles ridden on roads must be licensed or have county ATV permits. Vehicles ridden on trails must have current Forest permits.
The Cobb Ridge Campground provides a variety of campsite sizes, styles, development and locations. Most sites are fairly private, but some are close together and open enough to promote visiting between other camps. Some sites are reservable, while additional sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. A year-round on-site host is available at the campground.
The sites are equipped with tables, lantern posts, and campfire rings with grills. Flush and vault toilets, and drinking water are provided. Trash collection facilities are provided. There is a warm water shower building with 4 shower stalls, one of the stalls is handicap accessible.
Campsites within this campground are large enough to accommodate trailers hauling ATVs and motorcycles at the campsite.
No water or sewer hookups available.
Campsites include traditional back-in units and easily maneuvered pull-through units. Some single sites are long and wide enough to accommodate at least two motor vehicles and one towed trailer. Tent camping is also an option.
Please check the map on recreation.gov for which sites are back-in or pull-through.
The sites with electrical hookups have 110v outlets, and 30 and 50 amp breakers.
No. of Sites | Sites: 45
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Size Restrictions | We recommend that RV and trailer length not exceed 45 feet. |
No. of Accessible sites | Site #10 is accessible, it does not have electric hook-ups |
OHV Trail Riding
Nearly 80 miles of ATV, motorcycle and mountain bike trails, winding in and out of deep, forested hollows and down long ridge tops, that’s Chadwick Motorcycle and ATV Area!
This trail is heavily used by ATV/OHV users. ATV's do have the right-of-way, so please be prepared for frequent stops.
Most trails stay on the ridge tops or hollow bottoms, with connecting trails crossing slide slopes. Some trail sections offer greater challenges than others. Various methods may be used to indicate closed trails. Travel only open marked trails, and stay off closed routes.
Off-trail travel is allowed only at two locations in the Chadwick Area. One is the 3-acre Family Play Area just to the west of Camp Ridge Campground. The other is the 5-acre Trials Bike Area, located between Trails 110 and 135, near the head of Cobb Ridge. These areas are shown on the map provided at the top of the page.
Orange Diamonds with trail numbers mark the open, designated trails.
There are three trailheads - KC Pavilion, Oak Camp, and Camp Ridge. Visitors camping at Cobb Ridge can access the trail from the campground, but there's no day use parking or designated trailhead at Cobb Ridge Recreation Area.
Many trail segments that don’t drain well have been armored with interlocking concrete blocks.