By Kevin McCracken

Are you looking for ways to squeeze the wallet this summer, with the hope of wringing out a few drops of fun? My family stumbled onto something that you might be interested in. We did a two day camp trip to Arrow Rock, the KATY Trail, and Truman Lake in Missouri.

Historic Arrow Rock is located just west of Columbia Missouri along Interstate 70. It is a historic landmark and a nice place to stop for a few hours to shop or grab something to drink. There is a state campground within a short bike ride of the town. Fees for camping at Arrow Rock are as low as $7 per night. The facilities are clean and well kept. You can reserve a campsite online, but there is an $8 fee for placing your reservation. This fee is not refundable and is not included in your per-night charge.

We decided to forgo the reservation fee and arrive early, before noon, at Arrow Rock. We quickly reserved 2 campsites, purchased some firewood ($7 per bundle), setup our tents and headed off to Rocheport to ride bikes on the KATY Trail. We rode leisurely for about 5 hours. This included a stop for lunch and several rest stops along the way. We covered about 20 miles round trip.

We packed lunches for our ride and brought our own bikes. If you don’t have a bike or don’t want to pack a lunch, you could stop in at the Trailside Café in Rocheport and grab a buffalo burger and rent a bike. Plan to spend $7 per hour or $30 per day per bike on rental fees.

After a relaxing night of sleeping out under the stars, we packed up and headed to Truman Lake for a swim. It was about an hour drive, travelling through Warsaw to Long Shoal State Park, where we spent a half day at the beach. The facilities were adequate. There was a place to change clothes, a restroom and a playground for the younger kids. There was no lifeguard on duty. The fee of $1 per person with a $4 max per car was taken at a self-pay box.

During our time at the beach, we made a run across 7 Highway to the marina, where we purchased cold drinks. It was too far to walk, but took less than 5 minutes in the car. The large fountain drinks were worth the short drive.

Our trip to Arrow Rock, Rocheport and Truman Lake was enjoyable and reasonably priced. I’d recommend it as a cheap fun family outing.