MARK TWAIN LAKE — The Mark Twain Lake Project office has announced that the Ray Behrens, Indian Creek and Frank Russell campgrounds all will open April 3rd.  Sites that are available to make reservations will open on April 16th.

Camping fees for the 2010 season will be $16 per site per day for electric sites at Indian Creek and Ray Behrens campgrounds. Each site is equipped with electric hookups, a picnic table and grill. Campers have access to hot showers, hiking trails and trailer dumping stations. The Indian Creek Campground also includes a beach and a one-lane boat ramp.

In 2010, the  Indian Creek and Ray Behrens areas also will have a limited number of full hook-up campsites. They may be rented for $22 per site per night. Camping fees for all 65 sites at Frank Russell Area will be $16 per site per day. This area offers a water-borne comfort station with hot shower facilities, electric hook-ups, picnic tables, grills, dumpstation and playgrounds.

The John F. Spalding Beach and the Indian Creek Campground Beach will open May 7. The Spalding area offers a beach, shower house, restrooms, playground, picnic shelters and picnic sites, and day use fees are charged.  Indian Creek Beach is open to campers of Indian Creek campground only.

John C. “Jack” Briscoe and Indian Creek group campgrounds are available for group reservations beginning April 16. The entire John C. “Jack” Briscoe Group Camp may be rented for a $250/per night fee and the Indian Creek Group Camp may be rented for a $350/per night fee by contacting the Mark Twain Lake Project office. A minimum of three sites and a two-night stay are required to constitute a group camp. Site fees are $16 per site. The Indian Creek Group Camp has tent sites for $8 per tent site.

In addition, these areas may be rented for organized day use activities, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., for $125 per day for the John C. “Jack” Briscoe Group Camp and $175 per day for the Indian Creek Group Camp. A 50 percent reduction in fees is offered to organized youth groups.

The former M.W. Boudreaux Memorial Visitor Center has been  closed due to structural deterioration. Currently, a new visitors center is under construction at the site. It is expected to be complted and opened to visitors sometime in 2010. Until that time, visitors may get maps, brochures and other area information at the Mark Twain Lake Project office on Route J Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The picnic areas at the Spalding, Indian Creek and Ray Behrens Recreation Areas will open April 16. Grills and restrooms are located in each area, as well as a playground in Spalding.

The David C. Berti Shooting Range, located in the South Spillway Area below Cannon Dam, is open daily until dusk, except during special events. The range features 25-, 50-, and 100-yard sections. Fees are $2 per shooter per day or $25 for an annual pass.  

Picnic shelters in major recreation areas are available for reservation for a fee of $30. If not reserved, shelters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Shelter reservations can be made by contacting the National Recreation Reservation Service at 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov.

Day use and picnic facilities at the Bluffview and Warren G. See South Spillway Recreation Areas and Mark Twain State Park, as well as hunter/fisherman parking lots and boat ramps at Mark Twain Lake remain open throughout the year, weather permitting. Comfort stations are closed in early winter and opened in early spring, depending on the weather.