First Time Camper? This Accessible Campground in Missouri Will Make You a Camping Convert

If hanging out with horses is a dream come true for you, how about camping with them? That’s exactly what you can do at the Selby Horse Farm Retirement Hipcamp in Wooldridge, Missouri. You'll feel like you are staying with Old MacDonald at this bucolic 75-acre farm, complete with a red barn, roaming chickens, and fields full of horses. As an experienced camper, I can say without hesitation this Hipcamp will easily make you a camping convert, too. It's accessible enough for a first-time camping trip but special enough to return to again and again.

The Hipcamp platform provides access to private land camping experiences, with some unique options unlike any campground, RV park, or hotel. While some Hipcamps are more remote, you don’t have to venture out into the rural countryside to find Selby Horse Farm. This accessible Hipcamp is a mere 10 minutes from Interstate 70 in mid-Missouri. Whether you are crossing the state or exploring small towns nearby, it's easy to reach this camping spot.

Selby Horse Farm is a retirement dream come true for a pair of former teachers. While their primary business is horse boarding, they have also developed several campsites on their farm, which offer amazing views of the wide-open grasslands dotted with horses. You can easily see why it was named one of the best Hipcamps in Missouri in 2024.

New campers will also appreciate the variety of campsites at Selby Horse Farm. Can you imagine camping in the boughs of a giant oak tree? You can stay under or IN the Big Oak Treehouse, which features a wooden platform accessible from a towering ladder. Bring a small tent if you want to stay in the treetop—a pulley system is in place to help you bring up your camping equipment. But, even if you pop your tent on land (and I don't blame you!), there’s no better spot at the farm to watch colors fill the skies above the rolling farmlands at sunrise or sunset.

Perhaps you are trying out the RV camping lifestyle. You can do that at Selby Hores Farm, too. Pop-up campers and campervans are welcome at the Big Oak Treehouse site. For large travel trailers and motorhomes, check out Site 1, which offers a big-rig-friendly 60-foot gravel pad with electric and water hookups. It has a pull-through driveway that's accessible even if you are new to towing. Trust me, I know how nerve-wracking it can be to back in a trailer.

A variety of other sites are described in Selby Horse Farm's Hipcamp listing, with details about amenities and tips for campers wanting to find the best site for their preferences, including the options for electric and water hookups. Do you want the best views of the horses, the most shade, or easy access to the Porta Potties? The hosts have supplied these details and more. As a frequent camper, I love this kind of “insider information,” so I can find the perfect site to set up my camp chairs. After all, campsites aren’t as cookie-cutter as hotel rooms.

Can you get free horse nuzzles at a hotel? No way. Alice Walker once said, “Horses make a landscape look more beautiful.” This is certainly true at Selby Horse Farm. However, you can do more than simply stare at them, as you are welcome to interact with these friendly neighbors. They accept gifts of carrots, apples, and belly rubs. However, like the hosts, these horses are "retired" and cannot be ridden.

You can even bring your own dogs. They are welcome to go off leash as long as they are friendly to humans—as well as horses and chickens. Speaking of chickens, if you’re lucky, you might even score some farm-fresh eggs for breakfast!

As the sun sets, make sure to use your site’s provided campfire ring to spark a flame. The hosts may even supply the firewood, making it easy for you to relax and enjoy the serene setting. While there is some light pollution, you may get a good view of the stars in the night sky above. Then, sit back and soak in the sounds of nature. Do you hear a coyote calling, crickets chirping, or bullfrogs croaking in the pond? This is what camping is all about!

Now, if all of this is sounding rustic, don’t worry! Selby Farm visitors have reported good cell reception. Though I love to “get away from it all” while camping, I also prefer to have cell connection in case family needs to reach me or I have any problems. Plus, the hosts provide free Wi-Fi to the Big Oak Treehouse site, allowing you to get the best of both worlds. After a day of farm life, you can cozy up with some Netflix. 

Selby Horse Farm offers some walking trails on-site, but if you're looking for more outdoor recreation, this Hipcamp is also a short drive to the Katy Trail, a 240-mile rail-to-trail conversion that crosses practically the entire state of Missouri. After hiking, biking, or camping, head to Rocheport, which is known as one of the prettiest small towns in Missouri, for charming local restaurants and unique attractions.

While seclusion can be nice, when I was a first-time camper, I wasn’t quite ready for the fully off-grid experience. The perfect pastoral campsites at the Selby Horse Farm Retirement Hipcamp can give you the just-right balance of nature and creature comforts, which is sure to make a camping convert out of you. Book your stay, pack up your gear, and take along some apples for the horses. Who needs hotels when you can camp with horses?