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Photography courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Lost Hill Lake's Good Vibes VW has one queen size bed, a small child bench seat, and sleeps two adults and one child.
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Good Vibes VW interior
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Lost Hill Lake's Blue Sky Bus has one queen size bed, one sofa bed, one bunk bed, one air mattress, and sleeps about six people.
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Lost Hill Lake's Charming Camper sleeps about two adults and two children.
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Lost Hill Lake's Cozy Camper sleeps about two adults and two children.
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Blue Sky Bus interior
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Lost Hill Lake amenities
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
Lost Hill Lake amenities
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
The shower house used by all four glamping units at Lost Hill Lake.
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Photography Courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
They dry barrel sauna accessible to all guests in the glamping units.
In 2013, Samantha Williford had the idea to transform her family's 200-acre property in St. Clair, Missouri, into an event space. But now, she's reimagined the lush property near the Meramec River into a fun take on camping.
Lost Hill Lake is a 200-acre venue hosting celebrations from weddings to festivals and even retreats. In 2018, the edge of the 15-acre lake housed its first glamping, or glamorous camping, unit. Now, the property is home to four of these units with a fifth on the way. The four units are nothing short of darling. There are two renovated apache campers: the Cozy Camper and the Charming Camper, both sleeping about two adults and two children. Then, there is the Blue Sky Bus, a renovated school bus that sleeps about six people. And finally, the newest glamping unit as of October of 2020 is the Good Vibes VW, which sleeps about two adults and one child.
Photography courtesy of Lost Hill Lake
A gazebo on the Lost Hill Lake property
Finding the units took a team effort. Williford let her friends know what she was looking for, and they sent her listings on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. When the Volkswagen bus was purchased, her team renovated it very quickly and even added an interior ceiling of cedarwood. Within a month of acquisition, they were ready to rent it out. Williford says she loves VW vans and that they receive raving reviews about guests' stays in the VW. One visitor wrote: "I've always had a dream of having a hippie van and traveling around the country. That never happened, but this is amazing that we get to come here and stay in it for a weekend."
There is an outdoor community kitchen for all the units to share (although the Blue Sky Bus has its own kitchen) as well as an open-air, heated shower house made of cedarwood with laminate flooring. This is open during the peak season. Each glamper is given electric, heat, air conditioning, a private picnic table, a firepit with a pre-built fire and wood, and indoor and outdoor lighting. "You pretty much just bring your clothes, blankets, and food you’re wanting to cook, and you're good to go,” Williford says. Additionally, the experience comes with access to the dry barrel sauna, private hiking trails, compostable restrooms, a 15-acre lake, lakeside chapel, lakeside gazebo, and Meramec River views. On the lake, there is a man-made beach, as well as opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and row boating.
Visitors have their choice of à la carte activities at an additional price. These include s’more kits, yoga sessions, float trips, photography sessions, massages, and coming-soon fancy dinners. These à la carte opportunities “really elevate the experience,” says Sam Fridley, glamping manager.
Williford and Fridley’s goal is to provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. "People are saying constantly that this was a very good reset for them," Fridley says. "They come and they feel refreshed with us [after their time glamping]."
Lost Hill Lake will host 41 weddings for the year 2021. The operation, as an event space and unique stay, isn't possible without "the support of her entire family," Williford says. Even her 76-year-old father is very involved, as one of the main “project go-getters” of the business. And later this year, the family will host their Grove of Lights holiday walk-through, a lighting experience through the property's grove of walnut trees that will be open for 21 nights during the holiday season. Additionally, their team hopes to one day extend the sauna into a full spa on the property for visitors to enjoy.
Here, visitors can enjoy "doing really simple activities that are fading as the world is getting busier and a little crazier—to be able to provide a space like this with some really cool summer camp vibes is very special and we take a lot of pride in that,” says Williford.
