I've been going to One Eyed Willy's for years now. I've been on a 10-15 person bachelorette party…read moretrip, two 30+ person college student/young adult trip, as well as a one-day non-camping float with my husband and I. My most recent was one of those giant group trips this past weekend. I've also floated at NRO and some crappy site around Steelville (Green's maybe?). There's definitely a reason we keep going back to OEW's and will continue to do so. First of all, Brian, the owner, is a super nice guy. We hadn't made it down there in about 3 years, and he still remembered me "Last time I saw you, you just got engaged!". Though not great at answering e-mails (just don't bother), the staff is quick to return phone calls if you leave a voicemail. The campsite itself has a nice layout, and they keep improving. Port-o-potties are serviced often, and they have a small shower, bathroom, and store close to the campsite (previously they were only available way up the hill, so thumbs up on the improvement!). The showers and bathrooms were clean and well lit, unlike some other places I've been. By the time we booked, the aluminum canoes were all gone, which is usually how we go, because they're cheaper. Now, no longer being the broke college student, I will ALWAYS pay the measly $5 extra for the fiberglass canoes. Molded seats...worth every penny. Remember that. In general, the Niangua is a great river to float on. Decent current, good sand bars, and nice cold water! And if you're going to float the Niangua, go to One Eyed Willy's!

I've stayed at one eyed willy's a few times. It's a clean campground with adorable cabins! The…read morecabins are kept clean and the staff there are very hard working and very friendly! The owner of the campground goes out of his way to make sure you have what you need. The little shop at the entrance has a lot of cute decor and clothing. I will definitely take my family there again!

We want to thank James and staff for making our stay the best RV camping experience we have had so…read morefar. We are in our RV, on our way from California to Chicago to visit family. We found Gasconade Hills Resort on the RVLife app. We pulled up at about 5:15 PM and called the phone listed. James showed up within a couple of minutes to check us in. We did not have prior reservations so we were able to drive around to pick a spot we preferred. We set up quickly and were able to enjoy the very clean, nice size pool. The bathrooms at the pool were also very clean. Afterwards, we decided to order pizza and although it was very close to closing time, James took our order and delivered to our camping site. WE LOVED IT HERE! Can't say enough good things about it. Wish we had time to do the river floats. We are already planning to come back and stay for a few days.

Came here for a mid-week float trip. Very quiet & well kept resort, everything extremely clean. We…read morestayed in a cabin, which had everything you need to cook nice meals, freshly washed linens & extra blankets. Beds are full size cots, which are uncomfortable but is in line with the camping experience. Went on the 6 mile float trip, our first time doing a canoe & taking our dog. Very relaxing river, only had 1 dicey moment with some tree branches. Saw bald eagle nests, & a bald eagle fishing in the river right in front of us. Met great people on our trip, great convos. We had lunch on a rocky beach. The beavers running around the property were funny to watch. Had a great time, very relaxing. Highly recommend, would come back.

Niangua River Oasis is one of the closer float trip options for anyone living in Kansas City. It's…read morea little bit of a drive to get to, but this is a place where I've had a lot of fun. Beware of the turn off from MO 64 and the gravel road you have to take to get to it as traffic can be fast and people drive crazy. It's pretty well signed so you won't have much trouble finding it. Also there is a VERY STEEP hill that you have to go down to get to the office and the riverfront. Very Important Note: GLASS is BANNED by Missouri State Law on the River. (Not the capmground though.) Plan Accordingly. Float Trips: NRO has several options of canoes / rafts to choose from. Classic Aluminum Grumman / Osagian canoes, 4 and 6 person rafts, kayaks (which are a blast), and yes they offer private shuttles if you have your own canoe or kayak. NRO used to offer 3 different float lengths but they have stopped offering the float that puts in above Bennett Springs. They now offer just two floats, NRO to Rendezvous Point which takes about 4 hours, and NRO to Oldham's Riverview which is pretty much an all day float. The longer float has less rapids and more deep pool areas if you want to spend a little more time just letting the current carry you. The NRO to Rendezvous Point float has rapids, deep pools, and is not the same from year to year as the river changes it's course in some spots. Pickup after your float is usually prompt, and you ride back in big yellow former school buses that will make some of you glad you're not in school anymore! Camping: Yes they offer nice but expensive cabins. I've tried them, it's not for me. The fun is in the campgrounds. A CAUTION for parents: The campgrounds especially on the weekend often turns into a big party atmosphere. It can be a problem if you want the kids to sleep. If you want a quiet camping experience especially on weekends you might want to look elsewhere. Showers: The showers aren't bad, the hot water keeps up with demand. The problem is they don't always have enough shower stalls to meet the demand so sometimes you have to wait. Camp Store / Office: They have basics, a few odds and end fishing and expensive camping supplies, ice, and firewood. Service can range from friendly to surly. Don't be an idiot, you won't get treated like one. Law Enforcement: The Dallas County Sheriff, MO Highway Patrol and MO Water Patrol, along with Conservation Agents patrol NRO's campgrounds. They have set up checkpoints on the water to look for underage drinking or other indulgences. They operate "waterjet boats", give them 2 inches of water and they can travel upstream without fuss. For the most part they won't give you trouble, but there have been occasions where they have a seriously bad attitude. If you encounter this make sure and contact the appropriate agency and complain when you get home. Summary: $40 will get you a wonderful day on the water that you will enjoy. Don't forget the sunscreen, that Ozarks sun will sneak up on you after spending 4 hours on the water. A sunburn while riding in a bouncy school bus heading back to camp is no fun!.

We had a great time at NRO. We saw hummingbirds on the porch by check-in. We liked that we got two…read morenights free primitive camping with purchase of a float. We stayed Saturday and Sunday night over Memorial Day weekend. We had great weather. We also were able to bring our dog and he did great floating. Our two year old loved it, as well. Our raft was great. We liked that we could purchase fire wood at the shop. I gave four stars rather than five because there could be room for improvement. The campsite picnic table was a little old and flimsy, so basically we used it to set things on but sat on our lawn chairs instead. Not the campsite's fault but there was a very noisy motorcycle that drove through the campsite at 4am waking everybody up. Also, we knew ahead of time it was party central in campground A so we knew what to expect and stayed away. We found a nice spot away from the partying. Just be prepared to see a little craziness floating. Overall, we had a good experience. My son liked riding the busses to and from floating!

On my first trip back home to St. Louis from Los Angeles in more than a decade, I went on a hunt…read morefor the summer home/hunting cabin that belonged to my grandparents. I had not been there since I was 13, one week after my mother died in 1989. The area was in a flood plain on the bank of the Big Piney River near the tiny town of Devil's Elbow, MO. I knew it was off Highway Z near I-44. I remembered along the way I used to look for a very high wooden railroad truss bridge, a Hillbilly General Store, the Bobber Cafe, some old, dilapidated buildings, a very old steel truss bridges, a tiny cemetery, a restaurant I used to call The Purple Cow (actually called Sirloin Stockade in Rolla) and the cabins and outbuildings where childhood friends of mine and old cronies of my grandfather lived. I had only the memories of a child guiding me. GPS was useless, both because I did not know the name of the road, nor could I get a GPS signal. This was one cool, melancholic adventure back in time. I found the steel truss bridge. It was closed. I was lost. I found Sheldon's Market and Post Office. The nice young woman inside skeptically listened to my story. I dropped some names of my grandparent's friends who had died more than 20 years ago. She did not recognize the names. She called her cousin. He did not recognize the names. As I was beginning to lose hope and started to think my grandparents' home had washed away in the floods so long ago that no one even remembered, a very nice woman drove up in her car. She asked us what we were looking for and we shared my story with her. She remembered my grandparents! She led us to the house (the long way because the bridge was closed.) She told us that her nephew (or cousin?) had started up a canoe rental business next door. We saw that the "neighborhood" (6 houses on concrete stilts) had been pretty beaten by time and harsh weather. We rented a canoe for $40. The proprietor drove us up the river 6 miles and we dropped in. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed a lazy float down the Big Piney River. There are sandbars in the middle where you can fish, look for crawdads, sunbathe, and enjoy the peace and tranquility. I remember my grandfather used to lose his mind when speedboats would fly down the river in the summertime because they chewed up the bottom, eroded the shores, and disrupted his silence. There was none of that on our Monday on the river. Just hawks soaring overhead, a cool breeze, the sound of our paddles, and calmness. We only saw one other couple in kayaks. So refreshing for a couple of Angelenos to spend an afternoon in rural Missouri just BREATHING clean air. There are some rope swings overhanging the water right before you dock again back at Route 66 Canoe Rental. Use them. So much fun. We pulled the canoes back onto the concrete boat launch and no one was there to receive us. We walked on a little bit, only slightly scared that we might get shot for trespassing (as this became a recent court battle on the Meramec or Missouri River, I guess.) A giant Saint Bernard mix ran toward us. We were not sure if that might be our demise instead, but it quickly became apparent that she was very friendly. (I flashed back to the pack of stray dogs, left by hunters or lost, that my grandparents and I used to feed on our deck when I was a kid. Papa and I used to pick the ticks off of them by the light of the bug zapper.) I looked up to see two men standing on a deck. I waved hello and explained what we were doing, tromping around on private property. The younger man told me he bought my grandparents' house and was rehabbing it. He invited us in. Although the deck had fallen off the front of the building during the most recent flood, the exterior of the house looked pretty much as I remembered it. The inside looked smaller, but I am bigger now. I remembered seeing the water marks around the walls as a child, preferring to think of it as wainscoting or crown molding, depending how high it the water rose each flood season. I remembered putting the baby bluegill, sunfish, frogs, and crawdads that I caught in the bathtub filled with our fresh well water, rocks and plants; my lovely terrarium prevented my family from bathing but they were so happy that I was happy. I remembered listening to Michael Jackson, Cindy Lauper, Eurythmics, and INXS on our porch swing under the house with my friends. I remembered long walks up the dirt road after supper, begging my grandfather to take the bass boat out the next day. I remembered the local trading post AM radio show each morning. So many memories. I understand that my experience with Route 66 Canoe Rental is very different than that of someone without history in the area. But please go make your own memories on the Big Piney. This is an area preserved in time, pushed aside by I-44. Go enjoy it.

My friend and I rented one canoe for a multiday trip in November 2014. Andy, the proprietor, was…read moreexceptionally friendly and accommodating. When the weather turned cold, he made several unscheduled pickups. He was also very personable and we chatted about local history to and from the river. Andy even brought us fresh venison burgers one day and shared his beer with us! Our experience was enhanced by his generosity.

Many of the staff are very rude!!! River is nice , but there are far better places to rent from,…read moreand not be treated like cattle!

We did a family mini vacation, 14 of us. We got cabin 9 cus it sleeps 18. The cabin was beautiful,…read morethe outside are and covered porch was great. It rained the whole time we were there so we spent a lot of time on the porch. I loved that there's NO internet/wifi! That meant a lot of talking and playing pong and cards. It was wonderful to just connect personally! The river was fun other than the rain making a few of us very cold. Now a few suggestions. The cabin needs more items stocked. Like.... Toilet paper and trash bags. We had to call and ask for some. Maybe a pizza cutter, the knives provided were very dull. And I thought maybe there'd be a washer and dryer available, nope! I highly suggest taking the back bedroom (by the side door) out of there and putting a washer and dryer there. All our clothes were soaked all wknd cus of the rain. Thanks NRO for a fun family weekend !

Everything went well. Had all the formalities done up front and when we arrived everything was…read moreready to go. All we needed to do was register operators. They moved the boat from the hoist and made it ready for us to board. They went over some of the more basic rules. The pontoon we rented was a tri-hull. The boat was relatively new and everything worked well. I especially like the dept finder whereas we were suspect of shallow waters. Got our deposit back quickly. We also took a pull behind water tube for the kids. The staff was kind, friendly and very knowledgeable. When we returned the boat it was very easy.

Pirates Point for gas. Called ahead since it's out of season & the owner, Kent said he'd meet us…read moreto get gas. I called to let him know we were 15 minutes out & he was waiting for us at the dock! So much help. Pirates Point also offers rentals.

My first float trip was with Devils Elbow River Safari and it was a blast!! All 6 of us are still…read moretalking about the memories we made that day. Angie was very professional, we were picked up in a clean bus and taken to the drop site. It rained a little while on the trip but it made for a great adventure! Angie was there when we arrived and took photos from above. Will definitely use again next time we are in the Waynesville.

We were in town for our son's military graduation and seen this safari. They had great prices…read morecompared to some other places we checked out. When we called they were eager to help even though they weren't even technically open for the day yet. The bus ride up to the start was fun. Had a great time, staff was super friendly and helpful. Highly recommend.

Awesome awesome awesome Ozark extreme Outdoors is the place to be it's not where you've been it's…read morewhere you're going enjoy your bicycle and any other outdoor activities Bicycle recycle of Springfield and awesome crew love this location

Great people to work with. They are super Busy so have all…read moreyour ducks in a row before you get there. Great experience

We had such a great time! The staff was so friendly and helpful, the cabins were nice and clean,…read moreand the food was wonderful!

We came from Colorado and enjoyed our time here. The campground is beautiful. The canoe trip was by…read morefar our favorite adventure. Thank you for providing us with such a fun and safe trip. We will definitely be back.