FM Ranch
This is a Boondockers Welcome host in Houston, MO
Max Rig Size
45+ (ft)
Parking Spaces
15
Same Day Requests
Yes
Grass area RV parking generally and gravel driveway RV parking. If it has rained a lot or rained hard in the early spring and the grassy area is too muddy or soft you can use the gravel drive to setup your RV on. The grassy area is fairly level and if you need blocking I have plenty extra. The gravel driveway parking area in front of the garage area is not level, but not badly unlevel either. My Lippert auto level system has no problem leveling my 35ft 5th wheel without extra blocking and my 5th wheel is setup on the driveway the furthest away from the road. Don't worry about getting stuck on the grassy area if it rains heavily after you have setup. Generally the ground there is very hard. Worst case scenario, I have a decent sized tractor and 30ft long 46,000 lb rated tow straps if needed along with a 4x4 - 1 1/2 ton (F450) dually, so I'm not worried about it if you should happen to get stuck. Verizon cellular is very good. I have it with 2 phones, a mobile cellular router, and a Verizon Jetpack hotspot. I also have a AT&T cellular data only plan. AT&T works good as we have an AT&T tower fairly close by on Hwy 63. T-Mobile cellular is somewhat decent when it works (I have had a T-Mobile data hotspot). T-Mobile roams on a US Cellular tower so it comes and goes at times. Suggested Local Attractions: If you like to trout fish we have the best trout fishing area in the state of Missouri. Montauk State Park is famous for the trout fishing and trout hatcheries, it is about 25 miles away. It's an older state park. So larger modern rigs don't fit there, mainly for small to medium size travel trailers and small Class A+B+C motorhomes and small 5th wheels. It is part of the National Scenic Riverway Area. There are a lot of float trip areas on both the Current River and Jacks Fork River. They are spring fed rivers with crystal clear waters. There are Mark Twain National Forrest hiking and mountain biking trails in the area along with scenic Mark Twain National Forrest drives. The forrest ranger station in town has maps. Also at different times of the summer there are small rural town events from car shows, parades, community and church events, small town theater, county fairs, PRCA rodeo (12 miles away first weekend in June), to tractor and truck pulls and demo derbys (2 miles @ county fairgrounds). We even have a small town drive-in theater (and regular indoor theater) a couple of miles away. There is a local ham radio club with monthly meetings and a nightly 2 meter net 7 days a week. I am a member of it and visitors are always welcomed on the nightly 2 meter nets held by the Ozark Mountain Amateur Radio Club - Houston, MO (repeater callsign is NØKBC, 146.850 MHz receive tuning, transmit on 146.250 MHz, repeater tone 114.8) .
Vehicle Suitability Information
Pets Welcome
Electric Hookup: 50A
Separate Tow Vehicle Parking
Offleash Area for Pets
Outdoor Cooking Allowed
Generators Allowed
Water Hookup
Slideouts Allowed
RV Dump Station
House Rules
Please call ahead of your stay so we can make any arrangements you need to make sure you enjoy your stay !! Arrival and departure times are completely up to you. I would appreciate daylight hours. We are usually up from 5 am to 10pm.
Location
Access Road Conditions: US Highway 63 which is a very wide major highway with full shoulders. passing lanes, and turning lanes. Then 3/4 mile of township paved (blacktop) road. The junction is not marked well (there is a regular street sign) and can be easy to miss so if you would like me to I will be glad to meet you there so you don't miss the turn in. The township road is a typical Ozark blacktop which is somewhat on the narrow side and no shoulders with just a couple of very small rolling hills, but two 8ft 6in wide vehicles can meet and pass each other but it is tight fit. There is no centerline marking or edge of the road line marking. There is one short spot (100ft) where the property owners don't keep their roadside trees trimmed back like they should and you will need to watch out for branches if you have a tall RV like my fifth wheel (13ft 4inches). The branches don't stick out a long ways over the road but you'll want to use the left hand side of the road for that little short place, The rest of the tree branches that stick out over the rest of the road will clear at least 14ft 6inches of height. I know because I measured the clearance for my own 13ft 4inch tall and 8ft 6inch wide fifth wheel. There is a overhead wire that looks low when you start down the township road from Highway 63 but it will clear 15ft. Again, I know because I measured it. I have driven and hauled over size loads with semi trucks so I'm very aware of things like that. I have a 35ft wide drive entrance from the paved township road. The power lines over the driveway are 18ft high. Gravel driveway. There is one small Oak tree by the drive and I have the branches trimmed high to easily clear my own tall 5th wheel so any size rig will have no problem clearing it. Other than that the RV parking area is pretty much wide open. If you have a really large rig (i.e. 45ft toyhauler 5th wheel with a HD truck or large motorhome with a towed vehicle or trailer) you might want back in off of the road. I do it all the time by myself and there is very little traffic to worry about. If you are concerned about it I will be glad to block any traffic with my own vehicles and assist you backing into the driveway. People that live around here are used to that. You can pull in and turn around with a really large rig no problem at all, just swing out on the grassy area to turn around. P.S. I don't care at all if you want to swing on out in the grass, I do it all the time, so no big deal to me at all. It is a ranch after all and we do what we need to. The gravel for the driveway extends well out into the grassy area, it has overgrown with grass over the years but there is solid gravel underneath. The ground is generally very hard and easy to drive on and setup your rig on. Tow Vehicle Parking Details: Tow and towed vehicles can be parked at their RV or elsewhere on the property as needed. Whatever works out best for you.
Parking Surface
Grass
Hosted By Bethann23
Age:
65+
Part time 5th wheel RVer (snowbird) with 40 acre Ozark ranch Details: Hi, I'm a 65 year old single woman with a retail business in town (Houston, MO) and a 40 acre ranch. I've owned this place and lived here for 14 years as of July 1st 2022. I love boondocking myself and when out camping and riding my horses in the past I've boondocked a lot in the National Forrest. Now that I'm getting ready to semi-retire I sold my 38ft 3 horse trailer with fully self contained living quarters and bought a 35ft 5th wheel. Kept my Ford F450 4x4 to tow the 5th wheel with. I am joining Boondockers Welcome as a host for when I am at home in the summers (May - mid October) to give other boondockers another place to stay here in the Ozarks. I really look forward to meeting other boondockers and learning from them about their experiences RVing while sitting around a campfire or just enjoying a cup of coffee or glass of ice tea. Home Town: I live on my 40 acre ranch in the country outside of Houston, Missouri. My 5th wheel is always setup when I'm at home and I have a 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch style house. There is a shop building and of course barns. Houston is a small town in the center of the Ozark Mountain Plateau with a population of about 2,500 to 3,000 people. It is the county seat for Texas County which is the largest county by square miles in Missouri. Texas County has the lowest population per square mile of any county in Missouri. I like to joke that we have way more cows than people, And it's true! Favorite Boondocking Locations: National Forests, National Parks, Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, western mountains, and the western desserts. Skills or Expertise to Share: My skill set is very wide and varied. For instance, I designed and installed my own battery bank (800 amp hour) and am installing my solar system (2520 watts) on my fifth wheel and have made many other modifications and upgrades. All of which were done 100% by me. I do all my own work, maintenance, and modifications on my diesel truck myself. In other words, I am a DIYer. I take a lot of pride in doing things right and if I haven't done something before I learn how by researching how to do it the best way possible. I was raised to do things right the first time and live by that motto. I've been doing mechanical work, welding, metal fabrication, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, farming, and ranching for over 40 years. I've always been an outside person. When I was growing up I almost never worked in the house but always worked outside on the family farms and in my parents farm implement business. When you are raised and live in the agricultural world you learn to do a lot of different things by necessity.
Availability for RV Camping
References for this location from other RVers
VicandMare23
5 months ago
I like quiet dirt roads so this was great for me. Took several walks w our dog, the road has some nice hilly spots to it that I enjoyed, made it a pretty walk. Our host was very accommodating & helpful! We appreciate your hospitality!!
JAMTVHWJ
5 months ago
Communication was great and the stay was peaceful but raining all day! Great to have the electricity for the heater! Thanks!
ckwalker64
5 months ago
We stopped here for 2 nights and had a confortable experience. The host is quite busy with all the things she has going so unfortunately did not get to talk to her much. The space was nice and quiet. Would recommend and return.
DouglasEldridge
9 months ago
Another GREAT HH experience. Beth is an amazing host!! By far the most experienced RVer we’ve personally ever met … a wealth of knowledge and experience. (You MUST read her full bio!) Not sure that I’ve ever met anyone more gracious and helpful than her. She went way beyond “hosting” to make sure we had a good stay. Electric hookup and water was a pleasant benefit. Very peaceful and secure spot. Thanx Beth for a great stay.
Eaglewings
10 months ago
Our stay with Beth was fabulous. Our dogs got along well and to say that Beth was an amazing host is an understatement. She genuinely cares about people having the best experience possible while on the road. Her property is peaceful and everything we needed for a time to work, rest, and play!
