Easy online reservation process waivers could be filled out in advance or at the camp store during…read morecheck-in. We boarded our bus and a 20 minute drive took us up river. Staff were already set up and ready to go with our reserved tandem kayak. It is a 6 mile float trip. If you're paddling the whole way you could probably get done in 2 1/2- 3 hours but most people are gonna take it leisurely stopping periodically and swimming as you go. You can easily plan on 4 to 6 hours depending on the length of your stops. This was a leisurely fun way to enjoy the river and very cost-effective. I'd highly recommend the tandem kayak for two people as opposed to a canoe. We loved easily being able to get in and out and dip our feet in when we wanted to. Definitely bring a sun hat and sunscreen. If you're on a kayak bungee cords, or para cord would've been nice to secure our things on the back. Water shoes are pretty much a must as the shallow areas and beaches are gravel and rock. Instructions by the staff were clear as far as navigating the river, identifying a halfway point and then we had no problem seeing where we were to get out back where we started at Meramec Caverns. Other activities to enjoy onsite include: caveman zip line, grandmas fudge factory, the cave cafe, Meramec cave tours, camping etc.

We found this little hidden gem just by chance and we're glad we did! We had a group of girls get…read moretogether for a short float and had a great time! The guys helped us get all of our stuff situated on the rafts perfectly and got us out on the river in no time. Communication after booking was very clear and the whole process was really easy. Our bus driver to the drop off point was also very lovely!

Lovely kayaking experience at Meremac river. I appreciate booking with Old Cove Kayaking. It is…read moreabout 50 mins from Chesterfield. Booking is smooth on the website. Parking is plentiful at check-in. The staffs are extremely helpful at preparing life vests for us and putting us at the river. The end of the "ride" has a giant green flag, where the staffs help us get out of the water. We had amazing time and would recommend it. Tips: 1) the short trip was noted as 4 hours, though we finished in 2 hours. We recommend spending time parking our kayak at some beaches closeby for fun. 2) even though we selected a ride time of 9am, we are free to arrive any time before 12:30pm

I had a great time floating! My only critique would be for some way to get service on the river…read moreand in more parts of the resort. I read on their site that its a pain point they are still working through. We had a very large group (40 people) go yesterday, and some of us got separated with no means of connecting with one another via wifi or mobile service. I think if walkie-talkie rentals were available, that would be better than nothing.

Decided to visit with family (wife, teenage daughter, and 76 y.o. father) this Saturday afternoon,…read moreafter completing a peaceful hike at Onandoga S.P., to consider camping later in the week. We politely, respectfully drove into the campground on the MAIN LOOP, around 5-10 mph, and checked the condition of the campsites. We noticed a few other campers present throughout the campground. Our windows were rolled down. Near the primitive campsites, a white vehicle rapidly, aggressively approached us from the left, rear of our car. Horn blaring. RECKLESSLY drove right up onto our rear bumper, then swerved to the left to try to force us over. The man rapidly approached us from his vehicle and accosted us with multiple, rapid fire questions what we were doing and why we were there. WHILE HE WAS AGGRESSIVELY INTERROGATING US, HE WAS CROUCHED FORWARD, POSTURING THAT HE WAS PREPARED TO DRAW ON US. I COULD CLEARLY SEE HIS LEFT HAND ON A FIREARM IN HIS LEFT POCKET - the handle of the firearm was clearly visible. The silhouette of the gun was clearly visible in his left pants pocket. Any reasonably intelligent person would have seen as we drove at a near walking pace on the main loop that we were not there to cause any problems. Any REMOTELY INTELLIGENT person would have instantly realized that we were just a family checking out potential campsites. Any reasonable person would have also considered this RECKLESS ACT OF AGGRESSION as a threat on their family. I was concerned for the safely of my family and myself. An embarrassing act of overreach. The "security guard" identified himself as "Dave." We will NEVER give this place our business again. I will NEVER risk taking my family here again. This place probably does not want your family here either...

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.

Been coming here with a large family group for the last few years. Always had a great time until…read morethis year. Was woken up at 4am by the the owner screaming at the site next to ours for having a family show up early. Then he proceeded to double charge us for our dogs and threatens to have us arrest if we don't pay immediately. Not to me mention the new help he has around looks as if their from the rougher side to be polite. To sum it up this place gets a big fat 0/5 stars from me. Owner is disrespectful, has no temper, and talks down to women when he is clearly in the wrong. Hope this helps save you your money if your reading this. I'd you decide to go make sure your items are locked up tight. Sincerely, X Customer

For the last 3 years we have ONLY camped/floated with this company and I'm sad to say this will be…read morethe LAST year we ever float with them! On Thursday, July 27th, I rented 3 kayaks to do a 9 mile float for my birthday with 2 other people. We were transported to the drop location and the only rule we were told was to be back by 6 & don't tie your life jacket to your kayak because you can receive a $350 fine. We then docked into the water and made it about 1 mile when 1 of our kayaks started taking on water and sinking. It took all 3 of us to save this kayak and keep it above water. During further inspection of the kayak, we found the word "REPAIR" written on the boat and when we flipped it over we found a fairly large hole that had been very poorly patched. We had to drain the water and made it another 1/2 mile before it started taking on water/sinking. Again we flipped the kayak to drain the water out of the hole. At this point I called the office to let them know what was going on and to tell them that we were in distress! The man told me that I had to continue to float the non functional kayak or i would be responsible for the full price of the kayak (not the rental price) I tried explain to this gentleman/owner than the kayak was taking on way too much water and we were struggling and did not feel safe could we please leave the kayak or could someone come get us. The owner then extremely rudely YELLED at me stating that I needed to get his kayak to meremac state park and they would meet us there with a functioning kayak. He also tried blaming the shady patch job on us hitting something and ruining the patch. Meremac state park was 1.8-2 miles from the current location of the phone call. We chose to attempt to keep going and finally made it to meremac state park. Upon arrival we were told by their staff that Arapaho's reputation in Sullivan is terrible and that they weren't even allowed to dock in/out of their boat ramp, this caused an issue. When I called the office at Arapaho from meremac state park boat ramp it took 6/7 different phone calls, on 2 different phones to get through. Once the gentleman finally answered he told me that he never told me to go there and that he send 2 of his guys down river in a canoe to come switch out our kayaks. We sat and waited at the boat ramp for the 2 guys he sent to switch out our kayaks. It took them about 15 minutes to get to us. We told them we didn't want to continue to float that our entire experience was ruined and we just didnt feel safe! At that point we were EXHAUSTED from keeping a kayak above water & trying to make it to the location he told me. When we asked if we could get a ride back to our vehicles we were originally told no, that we had to finish out the float (another 4.2 miles.) We attempted to get an Uber from the current location back to our vehicle which was at Arapaho. The Uber canceled 3 separate times. Finally after explaining that we're sick, and overheated we were then basically told we had to say we're we're overheated and in distress I'm order to get a ride back to our vehicle! They finally agreed to give us a ride and by the time we got back to Arapahoe campgrounds I was physically sick between the heat and the physical exertion. The owner/manager of this facility DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR LIFE OR ANYONE ELSE'S! It was very clear. Not once did they ask if we were okay, safe to drive, nor did they attempt to make the situation right in any matter. My fear is that someone with a child/children will float with them and this will happen! I still can't stop thinking about if I would have had my children with me or if I would have chose to leave my phone in my car. I have been kayaking/floating my entire life and I've never had an experience as terrible as this one!

UPDATE: I went back to this campground last summer and stayed in one of the bigger cabins. They…read moresleep 7 people, have their own kitchenette and a private bathroom. While I still wish I could walk down to the river from the cabins, it's really the only negative for me. The cabin sleep 2 in a private room, plus 5 more in the main room (one twin and 2 bunk bed sets). The main room also has a big table in the middle of the room with chairs that came in very handle when it started raining at dinnertime. Our friends in the cabin next door came over and we all ate inside. The kitchen was nice too. Nothing special, but it did allow us to finish up some food in the oven and have a crockpot going all day while we were on the river. And it gave us a small fridge. I also like that the cabins are really spread out. There is a big field with the cabins lining it in a huge circle, so you only have cabins to your sides and that's it. It really was a great setup to have 2 cabins that sleep 7 next to each other for a big group.

We had a good time there.good location decent view from camp ground.just that the crowds were…read morealittle toooo loud.a couple started getting it on around 3am and woke people up.lol staffs were friendly and the price was way worth the activities you can have on the water.Will go back again.

Good deal for the money and it's close to Babler SP where we are camping. The boys driving the van…read morewere friendly and competent. We did the 9 mile paddle departure at 9 am. The canoe was a bit banged up and filled with sand residue. We got life jackets only so bring cushions to sit on. The portajohns were clean and maintained. We left late because other customers needed a 3rd kayak and the boys had to go get that. so three stars not 4 because of the little details that were not quite up to par. Serviceable overall and would use them again.

Twin Rivers, also known as Float Eureka (from their website), was my first experience in floating…read more They tout themselves as the closest to the city, and I'm pretty sure they are. After a short trip to Eureka, we paid up (cash only), and got on their shuttle bus, where they drove us and the canoes to Pacific, to the river access. They got our canoe out, gave us a bag for garbage, and then we were on our own! The experience was enjoyable, though we ended up being on the river all day (they said it would be 5 hours if you just floated - well, it's much longer than that even if you do paddle). The prices seemed reasonable compared to other float trip spots - we paid $45 for a canoe rental on a Saturday - and it included the shuttle ride and drop off. After you get to the stopping point, it was kind of a longer walk back to your car, up a gravel road. Luckily, a nice family with a huge pickup truck was leaving the same time we were and gave us a ride. We had a good experience, and would definitely go here again - but would do the shorter (6 mile) float.

This is the second year we have used Birds Nest for our annual float trip. We like Birds Nest for 3…read moremain reasons: 1. The people are friendly and efficient. 2. They are flexible when the size of your group changes. They ask you for a deposit of 1/2 of what you approximate your group to be, and then when you arrive, you pay the remaining for who actually showed up. It is a flat rate per person, not per size of boat and number of boats like at neighboring float trip places. This makes for easy planning. 3. The float is about 4-6 hours, depending on water level and how many times you stop. There is an AMAZING cold spring and cave about 1/4 of the way through the trip that is a must-stop. We will likely return to Birds Nest.

Used Birds Nest as our float outfitter! They were awesome, picked up at location. Had kayaks…read moreand rafts ready for its and picked us up at the end. Very friendly!

Great place for a large group float! We stayed at the Riverview cabin with a group of 19. The…read morecabin is beautiful with gorgeous wood everywhere, AC, fans, giant porch, and great tall ceilings. It has 4 bedrooms with queen beds, a loft with 2 queen beds, multiple pull outs or room for air mattresses. It's a wonderful place for a group of friends or family to stay and spend some time together. They pick you up from the cabin for the float and drop you back off at the cabin, making it very easy!!! Easy check in/check out at main lodge.

We've been going to bass river resort for about 13 years in a row for an annual friends float trip…read more It's a convenient 1.5 hrs from Stl and although the river is cram packed every year that adds to the great people watching and chaos that we've come to enjoy and look forward to every year. Last year we splurged and upgraded to the a 20 person cabin and for the little bit extra you get A LOT of value. The views amazing, the cabin beautiful and brand new and although camping is fun, the dedicated bus pickup and drop off and a cool cabin to shower and chill in after a hot float is top notch relaxation. We'll continue to go every year. The staff is great, efficient, and its well oiled machine that delivers every year. If you're going to camp, camp by the bathroom, it's totally worth being by the bathroom but it's not so close it smells or anything. Depending on the amount of rain the floats usually 4 to 6 hours on rafts. Enjoy!

Always so nice going for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. My kids and dog have always enjoyed it…read morethere also. The natural arch is there if you go the right direction. Haha

This was a fun outing. We spent two or three hours here on this hike with kids 3-6, parents, and…read moregrandparents and we all were able to walk the trail. However, it is steep and narrow in places and you do go down quite a distance to the creek and you have to ascend back to the parking lot. It might be too much if you're not sure-footed. There no bathroom facilities, (at least in April) so stop at the gas station a few miles before. The bridge itself is large and we were able to walk under it to the other side. The creek was very low while we were there. The water was very clear, you could easily see the bottom of the river bed. Since the creek was low, there was a lot of exposed river rock that the kids thoroughly enjoyed picking up and throwing into the water. They had a fantastic time and slept all the way back home in the car.