Has anybody ever stayed or camped there? How was it?
Not since the re-branding. We stayed there and no where else until about 1991. What I always liked about it was that you really kind of felt that you were connected to the Park somehow and could hear the steam train whistle being so close.
I think if I went back now, I would say that it is one of the nicer, campgrounds around, but would probably pine for the simple times of the 80's when they still had the water slide across the street.
I've always wanted to stay in one of the cabins...but they are costly, and so far, I haven't made it there for a night.
Well, I've got 5 kids and I'm at the point were I have to rent two hotel rooms or get a kitchenette. It gets costly. A "quick" trip to SDC costs me $300.00 (not including tickets, we have Season Passes) and the majority of that amount is lodging. We have a tent, and I thought for our next trip (in the Fall) we might try camping. Two nights camping would save me about $150.00 in hotel room costs.
Tenting is not bad - especially when it is not crowded. The plots are a little close to each other and sometimes the street.
We stayed in the original cabin - no running water - before rebranding. It was in the winter, and it snowed overnight. The cabin and "driveway" were decorated for the season, and we awoke to a beautiful morning. The snow was not on the roads, so our journey to the City was unimpeded. A good day.
That sounds awesome!
I've never been to the Wilderness cabins, but I heard that you really have to rough it.
When I was a kid (many years ago in the late 70's and early 80's) we camped there quite a bit. We always had a great time as everything was clean and kept up nicely. As others have mentioned, we always had a great time going across the street to the waterslide. That was always one of the highlights of our trips. The only drawback was if you got stuck with a campsite right by the highway.
I always liked jumping in the pool there and then going into the general store and freezing. I know that sounds like I was a glutton for punishment; but it was just a right of passage that you always went in there dripping wet and grabbed a soda and a handful of maps and took them back to your camper.
As an employee, my pals and I loved the campground. We sometimes charged stuff at the store, some went swimming, we all enjoyed the water slide when it was across the street. We also sometimes snagged dates from the "visiting population" and went to the campgrounds to shower and clean up before picking up our gals.
We used to camp there a lot but quit after most of what we considered the prime RV spaces were filled up with cabins (cabins when rented make more money per night). Didn't like the campsites right on the highway. Now we camp at Tall Pines most of the time where most of the sites are off the highway but the campground is still very convenient for SDC.
Stayed in the loft cabins the 4th of July two years ago. It was nice with all the wood theme. The only bad thing is if you have more than one car, they make you park the 2nd one across the highway from the campground and thats a long way from the cabins.
How does the shuttle service from the campground to SDC work? Do they have their own access road or do they have to go up and around on 76 like the rest of us?
Don't quote me, but I think they follow the regular roads, like everyone else.
I have stayed at the campground several times, the last time being during Southern Gospel Picnic last year. I have always enjoyed the tent areas. More later, gotta go.
I have two (other than the waterslide across the street) fond childhood memories of the campground. First is my grandma. It never ceased to amaze me the kind of breakfast buffet she could whip up with nothing more than a Coleman stove and a cooler. The food was great and the smells were not bad either! The second memory regards some folks camping next to us. They must have had a wild night. A couple of them crawled out of the tent early one morning and proceeded to pull out all the poles holding the tent up. As the tent collapsed on those still sleeping inside, one of the bandits yelled out at the top of his lungs "Fire in the Hole". Needless to say, the folks inside the tent were not amused. However, we were!
Shuttle service uses the same roads as everyone else. It runs once or twice an hour so sometimes you can have a long wait when you're ready to leave the park.
Ok, now I'll finish. I usually go by myself to tent camp, since I am the only one willing to do it. Way back before the kids, the wife and I camped one weekend there and one evening many of the campers were robbed by some teenagers that had come in to camp and then took off. We didn't have anything they were interested in but the people next us lost several items. That is an isolated incident though, the other times I have gone have always been great, no complaints. I had also camped at the Old Shepherds Campground, but the Wilderness was the better of the two. Fond memories of getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and hearing something move near the tent. Hard to hurry with no shoes and sharp gravel to traverse.
Back on the computer now.....My husband and I tent camped both when it was SDC and Wilderness....we had a great time, tent sites were clean as well as the bathrooms. The staff went out of their way to be helpful. We stay in motels now....getting to old to tent camp and like air conditioning.
^^I actually preferred Old Shepherd's simply because it was down in the valley and away from the road. I wish someone would do something with the property, but running a campground is not a hand-off business.
It's hard for me to imagine why Old Shepherd's has been closed and abandoned for so many years. Good location, pretty sites, who knows? But I agree, I wish something could be done with the property.
I been both for tenting and cabin purposes. I stayed in the loft cabin with 5 adults one teenager and a 3 year old. I dont suggest that as there was one bathroom and a two seater couch. Not alot of space but really nice and clean. The pool was clean and high on chlorine. The whole campground itself is clean and staff friendly.
I last stayed there in 2002 with my two sons and my ex-wife. She hated the outdoors so camping with her was never fun. I need to try with wife 2.0 and see how she likes it. She is a true hillbilly (like me) and she loves camping, and horses and fishing and rivers, and all that stuff the ex hated. Next time I go there I might actually get to enjoy it.
My family and I have been camping at the Wilderness for five years. We absolutely love it. It's clean, the staff is friendly, close to SDC, and the shuttle service is great. We stay in an RV and have never had any troubles there with anybody messing with our things whatsoever. My parents have stayed in the cabins and have enjoyed them greatly. If you're a season pass holder, you get 15% off each night's stay for the RV/Tent spots. You get 15% off the cabins if you stay for at least 2 nights. Anyway, we've tried Compton Ridge and Tall Pines, but continue to come back to the Wilderness as it just feels like home. Trailer Life rates the park very high. It is very clean, has all the amenities including wireless internet service anywhere in the park and free cable at each space. We refuse to stay anywhere else at this point since our experience at the Wilderness has been so great.
Where was Old Sheperd's, I'm guessing it was near SOtH?
shepherds campground?
about 1/2 mile east of SOTH main entrance, "south" side of rode. You can still see a long gravel driveway headed downhill, going west..
Real easy to spot coming from Branson headed to SDC.
have not been down there for years. i am surprised somebody has not rebuilt the area with RV popularity growing every year.
Can you still drive down to it?
Last time I drove by earlier this month I think the driveway is blocked with a gate or some type of barrier. I think it has been in place for many years. Not much to see back there anyway, I would expect. It would be all grown up and nothing much there anyway. It is a prime piece of property, and had nice views of the valley below back when it was in use as a campground.
didnt notice gate/barricade, but still a sign there, and there is a "street" sign that reads. "shepherd rd"? or something like that..
My wife and I were driving by there on the way back from SDC last weekend, and noticed they had a WiFi AP set up. Kinda surprised me - even I'm not quite that attached to technology... yet.
I've been down there several times since it has been closed. The road has seen better days, and the camping locations could use a bit of TLC, but there was still the shower house, as well as the main building/ office...I am going to look for the photos tonight.
It took me over 2 weeks, but I have found the photos of the Old Shepherd's Campground in Branson from this past Spring/ Summer-2010.
Here is the Main building
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/IMG_2413.jpg)
And the road leading down from Hwy 76.
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/IMG_2414.jpg)
building looks pretty good from the street... I still think SOTH is making a mistake not redoing and using the campground..
Wow I had no idea that's what is down there. We've seen that road 1000 times. Is someone living down there? It looks like it's kept up fairly well. I was expecting something like Dogpatch. Also notice the newer satellite dish on the roof.
I wonder if someone is living in the main building, because it is very well maintained. I figured everything would be as bad as Dogpatch, too.
Hmmmmm??? that makes you wonder.. I will try to remember to drive down there in feb.. going down there 6th&7th.
As i said before, I have been down there several times. A few years ago, it was a bit more overgrown, but kept up still, and there were several older cars/ trucks out front. The time I took these photos, there was a semi truck, as well as some nice cars down there. Somebody is living there I believe. No one has ever stopped me and asked my reason for driving down there, since it is for sale, I think anyone could go down there on the grounds of looking at the place for a purchase. As long as you have no negative intentions I would think there would be nothing wrong with that. Watch the road, it has holes in it that could swallow a Volkswagon!
We enjoyed tenting there - except the night our tents flooded and we had to sleep in the car.
I have not been able to find out anything about it being for sale online. Has anyone called to see how much they want for it?
It's been years since I've seen a price for that property. It was very, very expensive. I mean, think about it, right on Hwy. 76, right next to Shepherd of the Hills Homestead. The view on the property used to be great, but with the road building and development in Mutton Hollow, I'm not sure it would be the nicest natural view now. RUBE, what can you say about the view from the property? You've been there in the last year. How did it look?
I didn't get a chance to look around the grounds, I went to explore, and when I found it to indeed be inhabited, I decided to leave! The view is not too bad in the summer. In the summer, the cars are heard, but not seen too much from the newer roads. Mutton Hollow indeed has grown since this site was regularly used, and posed to be a bit of an eyesore for those going to experience the peaceful serene Ozark wilderness. I am pretty sure Fall would show many of the newer developments in the area. I know the site was used as some sort of church run site sometime in the late 90's-early 00's. I don't know how much the site is going for, but I am sure with its' location/ being in the vicinity of the strip, it is pretty high!
lots of 0's.....................
Pictures of the original cabin at the Wilderness, from several (probably over 20) years back:
(http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/7/6/6076564/9704396_orig.jpg)
(http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/7/6/6076564/7807368_orig.jpg)
(http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/7/6/6076564/4002078_orig.jpg)
(http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/7/6/6076564/7268563_orig.jpg)
(http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/7/6/6076564/7883319_orig.jpg)(http://www.weebly.com/uploads/6/0/7/6/6076564/5296052_orig.jpg)
It felt like we had really gone back in time, and it was great to have snow on the ground when we awoke.
Is that cabin still there?
wow...that is awesome. jealous.
I believe it is still there, in the back of the campground. The website lists "primitive" cabins (no bathroom).
It is. We stayed in it a few years ago. Very unique.
We've tent camped there a few times during special SDC Boy Scout Weekend events. Found the property to be clean and enjoyable. The bathrooms were cleaned (and stocked with TP) and the showers nice and hot.
Do try to avoid the pads/sites that border the main road as the traffic going by can be distracting in the evenings. Other that that, no problems on my stays.