lake wappapello

We camped on the Far East side of the Lake off Hwy T. The grounds are well kept and rates are resonable. Near here you can visit Mingo wild life Refuge and see the path the Mississippi River once ran before the earthquake. there is also a visitors center at Mingo with a film of the area. The lake also has the Bill Emerson Visitor center with lots of history of the area. While here visit Hydes Catfish for all you can eat filets then wonder out and feed the fish off the dock. Poplar Bluff also has museums, three shopping malls ans numerous flea markets.

We do my husbands annual family reunion her at this lake. Beautiful lake, good fishing, and plenty of boat rentals, camping, and picnic areas.

We rented a 2 bedroom cabin for a weekend and had a couple of families stay in the camping section. I was impressed with the campsights as they were very clean, large and had electric outlets so you could plug in fans, crock pots or whatever. The camper cabins were within walking distance of the campsites but did not have it's own bath room or running water. It did however have a small fridge and the views from these little cabins were AMAZING. If you can do without running water then the camper cabins are the way to go. We took full advantage of the BREAKIN WAVES store and rented a jet ski. So much fun since the lake is not very crowded. Prices at the store are very reasonable. (No Price gouging here) and Karl - Carol and Gabby are the nicest people you would want to meet. We also saw an abundance of deer. They were everywhere. You cant go wrong here but remember, you are in the woods and this means you will encounter the residents..both and good and not so good.

Big lake, picnic facilities, visitors center, flood damage site from Spring, 2011

Lake Wappapello is very popular in this area but it is a little too muddy for me to completely enjoy. It is a Corp of Engineers Lake and is very large. You can visit the dam area but part of the road was washed out in the spring of 2011 flooding so I'd call first to make sure everything is open if you plan to go there.

Visited here for the first time since the flooding of April/May 2011 and the rivers and dams in this park clearly show the devastation. The Lake however still looks great and it a wonderful spot to take your family to spend the day. Pack a cooler and some food to eat under the picnic pavilions. FYI alcohol isn't allowed but be discreet and use some cozies and you'll be juuuuust fine ;-)