Campground Review: St. Louis West KOA

St. Louis is one of the best cities in the midwest. It’s full of activities for people of all ages, making it a great RVing destination. If you want to check out all the fun this city offers, the St. Louis West / Historic Route 66 KOA is a perfect place to stay. It’s also a excellent RV park for people who never plan to leave the campground since there are plenty of great amenities and activities to keep visitors entertained.

The St. Louis West KOA is actually located on the outskirts of the city in the small town of Eureka. This is also where the Six Flags amusement park is located, making it a tourist stop in its own right. Though the campground is 20 minutes outside of the city, it’s a convenient hop on the interstate to most of the attractions in St. Louis.

Since we had a long weekend for Labor Day, we decided to spend it in one of our favorite cities visiting one of our favorite places in town, the indescribable City Museum (which I attempted to describe in this blog post).

We chose to stay at the St. Louis West KOA after looking at a few other options.  As we arrived at the park, we were greeted by a friendly staff and warm chocolate chip cookies. That’s the way to make a good first impression!

Our younger son was clearly enjoying his stay at this KOA:

Campground Environment

Though St. Louis is an urban area, the St. Louis West KOA does not feel like an urban campground. It is tucked away in a nice grove of trees. I was pleasantly surprised by how pretty the campground is. (Of course, it wouldn’t compare to a scenic state park campground.)

I imagine this campground is a nice haven for the city folks looking for a weekend away. Even though the campground sits just off the interstate, I didn’t notice much road noise, thanks to all of the vegetation.

RV Sites

The St. Louis KOA has a variety of sites. Though the park has a lot of trees, there are also a few areas with no trees, so if shade is important to you, be sure to request it. We had a small site, but there are also sites for even the largest motorhomes.

There are a variety of hookup options, which is also something to consider when selecting a spot. The full hookups were all gone when I booked our spot (probably due to the Labor Day holiday), but we had water and electric, which is all we needed for a two-night stay.  The sites seem to all be gravel, but ours was surprisingly level.

We were happy to have a nice end spot.  Even though the park was busy with holiday travelers, we had a nice place to sit back and relax in the shade.

Campground Amenities & Activities

The St. Louis West KOA is a hustling, bustling place.  If you want your kids to have plenty to do without leaving the park, this is the park for you. There’s a pool, a playground, bike rentals, bounce houses, mineral mining, and a full slate of activities.

I read that this campground has an activities director, and it shows. While we were there, they had a a lollipop hunt, rocket launching, an ice cream social and more. Our boys were a little too old for many of the activities, and we weren’t in the campground when the right ones were occurring, but they sounded like fun. We especially wished we had been in the park for family movie night. The campground has a lovely pavilion with a fireplace and a movie screen, making it a great gathering spot in all kinds of weather. They even serve hot chocolate when it’s chilly. Doesn’t this look cozy?

We did check out the pool, which was nice but very crowded. Everyone was soaking up this last holiday weekend of summer. I was pleased that the staff kept the pool open until dusk since some parks close theirs up as early as 7 or 8 pm.

Campground Conveniences

The restrooms and showers were very clean.  As busy as the park was, it would have been easy for them to fall behind on cleaning, but they didn’t. I also noticed staff members riding around the park, tidying up and helping campers. It’s nice for them to have such a visible presence.

The camp store has the usual mixture of items, plus a boutique of cute RV and travel trailer items. It was really hard not to walk out of there with one of everything! Luckily, they had a flash sale while I was there, making me feel less guilty about the mug, necklace, and t-shirt I purchased.

The campground is close to restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and a Walmart in the town of Eureka. We picked up pizza for an easy dinner one night.  Imo’s Pizza is a St. Louis institution.  St. Louis pizza has two specific characteristics: a cracker-thin crust topped with provel cheese, which is a special mixture of provolone, cheddar, and Swiss cheese. Imo’s is the franchise version of this, so it was good and cheap.

Speaking of food, St. Louis is also where toasted ravioli was invented, so be sure to check out this treat while in town.  If you want a delicious, authentic Italian meal, head to a neighborhood known as The Hill.  Italian immigrants have settled in this area for decades, and several of the city’s best restaurants can be found here.

Final Impressions

If you’re looking to relax in peace and solitude, the St. Louis West KOA may not be the park for you (though, it’s entirely possible that it’s much quieter when it’s not a holiday weekend). However, if you want a clean, pleasant park with plenty of amenities, you’ll love the St. Louis West KOA. Your kids will love the variety of activities at this KOA, and grown ups will appreciate the attractive park and the friendly staff. Go see all of the great sights of the city, and then return to your green oasis outside of town.

On a final note, I think this is the only KOA with a rentable railroad caboose. If you’re wanting something different than your RV, you can check into the Kozy Kaboose.

Just the Facts

Name & Website: St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA

Location: Eureka, MO (about 15 from downtown St. Louis)

Rate: $40-60 a night (rates vary)

Sites: Pull-through FHU or W/E only

Bathhouse: Busy but clean

Amenities: Pool, playground, bike rentals, TONS of planned activities, great camp store, close to Six Flags and easy access to St. Louis

Park Description: Huge KOA park with lots of trees

Bottom line: Stay here and be fully entertained without leaving the park, or use this as a nice basecamp for exploring St. Louis.