A pair of newbies will be traveling from Houston area to St Louis in early May, and would appreciate any recommendations you might provide. We are traveling in a 33 foot class A and chase car over course of 15 to 20 days.We have never been to Oklahoma, so it might be nice to include a visit there. The SE corner of OK could easily be included in the route if people think it is worthwhile. Also we would like to include our first visit to the Ozarks. More interested in scenery and nature; not so interested in big cities or shows. Where would you recommend?

If you are fixin to tour the Arch in STL, get there early and expect to wait hours to go to the top of the arch. $10 per adult.

The Ozark Mts are north of I-40 (and the Arkansas River) extending into southern MO, and the Ouachita Mts are south of I-40 extending near I-30 and into the far eastern part of OK. I suppose there is a difference, but they both look the same to me. But both are beautiful country worth a visit. Kinda depends on what route you prefer to take, as there are many options. Or you can easily travel thru both.We really enjoyed Petit Jean State Park, but that is a little more toward the central part of the state. Not far from Hot Springs which is also a pretty area, and worth seeing for the scenery and interesting town, but touristy.The area up north around Eureka Springs is also beautiful, and the town is interesting in itself although again very touristy. And of course, Branson is not far away if you are interested in taking in any good live music shows.SE OK, as I remember, is pretty much just an entry into the more mountainous areas of AR. Not to diminish the beauty of it, but don't remember much else being there.

Do a Google search for `______ tourism' and put the city, state, area, etc. in the blank space and read what the specialists have to say.

St Louis is great city There is a lot to see and do. Babar State park is a great place to stay and an easy 30 min drive into the city. Take a tour of the brewery support the overseas market, then go across 55 to Guz's pretzels (Cash only for a great pretzel)American owed forever. Mom's Deli for lunch just off Jameson and 44 for lunch then desert at Ted drew ice cream down the street. The arch of course but be aware of the construction going on I believe they have limited rides to the top. Two other cool places are the Delmar loop and Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, really interesting history. Crown Candy is a fantastic place for a blt, a bit of history and a great malt. Please be careful if you go its not in the best area

If yur return trip takes to them thar hills of the Wichita Mtns just north of Lawton OK the Wichita Mtns Wildlife Refuge (Medicine Park) at Camp Doris is a must see place.Ties you into Wichita Falls TX and can make it down to houston from there..you bet...

Recommendations for trip from Houston to St Louis

2gypsies1
Explorer III
Apr 01, 2016
Babler is a wonderful state park - much better than a driveway! Plus, it can get hot in May so you'll want electric.

On your way, you can't do wrong if you stay in some state parks or Corp of Engineer parks in Arkansas/Missouri. Have a great trip!
Bob806
Explorer III
Apr 01, 2016
I 2nd the Petit Jean SP idea, awesome place. If that doesn't appeal, check out the Buffalo River NRA in Arkansas. We stayed at Shady Oaks near Jasper when we visited the Buffalo River area.

In Missouri, there is the Ozark Scenic Riverways (lots of canoeing there), and another beautiful area is the Arcadia Valley (SW of St. Louis). Beautiful State Parks in the Arcadia Valley include Johnson Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks. A real nice private CG in that area is Big Creek RV which you could use as a hub.

Other places in Arkansas to consider are Mt. Magazine SP, & Lake Catherine SP. Enjoy!!
garmp
Explorer II
Mar 30, 2016
kevinbti; great review of the city. Mom's is the best!

And BB_TX and Petit Jean State Park. X2
Great area. Mount Magazine State Park is in the area and well worth the see if not an over nighter.
padredw
Nomad
Mar 30, 2016
Just be sure to know that the beautiful drive through the Ouchita Mountains is curvy and has some pretty steep sections. No problem, just recognize that is is driving through the mountains. We pull our 34' fifth-wheel without any difficulty.

Beaver's Bend is a nice state park. Just off the highway in Arkansas is Queen Wilhemena State Park. These are the only parks we have actually stayed in on this route.

In our neck of the woods (northeast Texas) there is Daingerfield State Park and two excellent COE Parks on Lake 'o the Pines. A bit further off the route is Tyler State Park--where we are staying at the moment. Lot's of private, commercial parks in this area.

I-49 from Ft. Smith to Fayeteville is a great drive. It has really changed the time between these two cities. We used to have to drive through the Boston Mountains on one of the curviest drives anywhere. Now you just zip up to Fayetteville.
Stormy_Eyes
Explorer
Mar 30, 2016
padredw wrote:
You could come up US 59 to Nacogdoches, then follow US 259 up through East Texas and into Eastern Oklahoma. At Fort Smith, take I-49 to Fayetteville, AR. Since we live on US 259 this is a route we are very familiar with.

I am glad to hear that route is rv friendly. BWe are likely to choose that route. Do you have favorite spots to stop algong that route? For example, is Beaver's Bend SP in SE OK nice? Or are others nicer or more scenic?
Stormy_Eyes
Explorer
Mar 30, 2016
We will be visiting family in St Louis. As they are fabulous guides and ambassadors for their town, we will certainly have plenty to do in St Louis. We have reservations at Babler SP, though we might simply driveway camp in their neighborhood for convenience.

RoyB wrote:
If yur return trip takes to them thar hills of the Wichita Mtns just north of Lawton OK the Wichita Mtns Wildlife Refuge (Medicine Park) at Camp Doris is a must see place.

Ties you into Wichita Falls TX and can make it down to houston from there..

you bet...

Sounds great, though we were thinking of a more eastern route this time. I'll keepCamp Doris in mind for future travels.
padredw
Nomad
Mar 30, 2016
You could come up US 59 to Nacogdoches, then follow US 259 up through East Texas and into Eastern Oklahoma. At Fort Smith, take I-49 to Fayetteville, AR. Since we live on US 259 this is a route we are very familiar with.
RoyB
Explorer II
Mar 30, 2016
If yur return trip takes to them thar hills of the Wichita Mtns just north of Lawton OK the Wichita Mtns Wildlife Refuge (Medicine Park) at Camp Doris is a must see place.

Ties you into Wichita Falls TX and can make it down to houston from there..

you bet...
kevinbti
Explorer
Mar 29, 2016
St Louis is great city There is a lot to see and do. Babar State park is a great place to stay and an easy 30 min drive into the city. Take a tour of the brewery support the overseas market, then go across 55 to Guz's pretzels (Cash only for a great pretzel)American owed forever. Mom's Deli for lunch just off Jameson and 44 for lunch then desert at Ted drew ice cream down the street. The arch of course but be aware of the construction going on I believe they have limited rides to the top. Two other cool places are the Delmar loop and Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, really interesting history. Crown Candy is a fantastic place for a blt, a bit of history and a great malt. Please be careful if you go its not in the best area
Dick_B
Explorer
Mar 29, 2016
Do a Google search for `______ tourism' and put the city, state, area, etc. in the blank space and read what the specialists have to say.