Take a Daytrip to Mill Creek on Table Rock Lake

Nothing beats a day on the lake and lucky for all of us in the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake is an easy hour from Springfield. While Moonshine Beach is a popular public spot, Mill Creek Campground on the south end of Table Rock Lake near Lampe is one of our favorite locations for swimming, relaxing and kayaking. For a fee of $5 per car, you can visit for the day.

This campground features a wide, shaded gravel beach with a designated swimming area that’s tucked into a calm cove. It’s a family-friendly spot to park your beach chairs under a tree and splash around on floaties.

Pack a picnic lunch—there are plenty of picnic tables. Bringing a bigger group? Rent the shelter.

There’s a volleyball court nearby, and active kids will enjoy a campground playground and basketball court. Or stroll the campground! It’s especially beautiful walking down the peninsula where you can see the lake on both sides.

Prefer to paddle a kayak? You can do that too. We usually launch from the shore in front of our lakeside campsite. Day visitors or campers who don’t have a shoreline site can launch from the boat ramp on the campground’s east side with a nice view of the Kimberling Bridge.

Hug the shore as you paddle back to the swimming cove (avoiding the roped-in swim area). You can even paddle around the peninsula to a cove on the west side. (Insider’s tip: The current is stronger as you round the end because it’s less protected.)

We particularly love to paddle into the campground’s most eastern cove near the boat ramp. The water is often glass-smooth—making it a great spot for paddleboarders, too!—and the pretty inlet feels incredibly peaceful. There’s a tiny hidden beach that’s accessible from the parking lot, too.

If you like to fish, cast from a boat or the shore. Since Mill Creek is a launch site for tournament anglers, you might hook one of the “release fish” they toss back at the end of a day.

Not only is Mill Creek a nice place to spend the day, it’s a well-kept place to camp overnight, with many sites hugging the lakeshore around the peninsula or near the boat ramp. If you prefer a resort experience, there are several locations nearby including Cruise Inn, Serenity Shores and Mill Creek Resort.

Or end your day out with a libation and sunset view at Throttle Down Tavern, about five minutes away at Cruise Inn.