Camping at Echo Bluff State Park

Howdy!

Me again, trying to catch up on travel posts for the summer. Only one more to go after this one, maybe I’ll get to it before fall LOL. This time I want to show you the highlights of our camping trip to Echo Bluff State Park from July!

Formerly Camp Zoe and located in Eminence, MO, the beautiful Echo Bluff State Park is a relatively new park with lots to offer by way of accommodations and things to do. Nestled in the Ozarks near several springs, the waters of the Current River flow through this park, providing multiple areas for swimming and fishing, and it is a great place to stay if you are planning a float trip! There are even sightings of wild horses that roam the area!

Park Pros + Cons

The park boasts walk-in camping with platforms for you tent campers, or you can park your camper on one of the roomy concrete pads. The Timbuktu campground boasts ADA, electric/water sites, and a few full hookups. They are also participating in a recycling program and will give you bags for your recyclable aluminum and plastics to hang from your lantern pole.

Be warned though, because the park is so new, the trees around the campground haven’t had much chance to grow yet, so there’s not much shade. I’m including a picture of the campground map with the best options for evening shade circled in red (camper side).

The campsites are a tad close, but not cramped. Be sure to watch out for the occasional pile of horse poop, though the grounds are well-maintained. The ground is deceptively inclined, so be sure to bring leveling blocks.

The bathrooms are nice and clean, showers are available, there’s a nice playground with a splash pad, free WiFi (strong range on campground, nothing anywhere else), and there’s a really nice camp store as well. Not looking to rough it? There are cabins, cabin duplexes, and a lodge, which boasts the Creekside Grill, in case you don’t feel like cooking.

Camping Trip Highlights

This video is a quick round-up of some of the fun to be had just kicking around the campground. Nearby swimming spots, hiking, and the camp store has the biggest Flavio-Ice popsicles we’ve ever seen!

Painter Ridge Trail

It’s no secret that we love hiking. Even Charlie, our little bichpoo loves the trails! I call her my Intrepid Adventure Dog! This trail is a moderate hike, some incline, but nothing too treacherous. The total distance of this figure-8 trail is 2 miles with connector trails that feature challenge courses for you mountain bikers.

This trail takes you up toward the pavilion and gives you quite an extraordinary view of the river and bluffs, but there are plenty of smaller bluffs like this one along the way. Want to see more of the trail? Check out this slideshow!

Our First Family Float Trip

If you’re not from Missouri, you might not know what a float trip is, but it is exactly what it sounds like. You get a raft, grab your cooler and swimsuits, and set off for a leisurely float downstream. After living in Missouri for 15 years, HBW Hubby and I had our first float trip with the boys, and it was so much fun!

Carr’s Canoe Rental hooked us up with a 6 person raft, which was plenty big for the four of us, and we were able to bring Charlie. We put in at Round Springs and got out at Pull Tight, roughly a 10-mile float. We floated a bit over mostly calm waters and a few class 1 rapids, baby stuff that even my 10-year-old was able to maneuver through. There are plenty of rock beach bars to pull off on to and picnic or go swimming, and even some fun rocks and logs to jump off of. Just make sure you’ve got your life vest!

To see some of the impressive sights, more of that gorgeous water, and to see HBW Hubby and Mr. A jump off that big boulder, check out this last video from our trip!

We had so much fun at Echo Bluff. The area is absolutely beautiful, and there is so much to see and do! Besides what I’ve shared here, there are other equally beautiful parks nearby, including Montauk State Park (which we visited earlier this summer, read about that here), Current River State Park, Alley Springs (part of the NPS National Scenic Riverways), Rocky Falls, and more! If you want to learn more about Echo Bluff and plan your own trip, do that here and here!

Until next time, happy camping!

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