Echo Bluff State Park — Attraction in Bunker

Great park. We stayed in the camp ground last week and had a great time. Nice mostly level concrete pads for campers with plenty of room. You don't feel like you're right on top of your neighbors. The campground is lacking in shade, but the park is fairly new and they do have saplings planted throughout the campground so there will be shade eventually.

Sinking creek runs right along the first several spaces, but there is zero concern about flooding as the campground is several feet above the creek.

There is a nice heavy steel fire pit at each spot, and some pits are taller than others. The rings also fold up and out of the way for help in starting fires or cleaning out ashes.

Firewood was available for purchase and the wood we had was nice and dry and lit easily, though getting the stapled-on handle off the one piece is not the easiest. Bring a hammer or ax to cut the handle off.

The lodge is nicely decorated and has an excellent view of the creek and bluff for which the park is named. The Creekside Grill has delicious food, we ate there twice, once for dinner and then for breakfast. Portion sizes are generous and if you leave hungry, then that's on you.

Park is very friendly for kids, there's trails, a playground, and plenty of space to run, ride bikes, roller blades, or anything else to keep the kids busy and out of the camper.

The park is also very close to other state parks, so there are many more trails that are easily accessible. Current river trail connects directly to Current River state park. It is also right next to the Ozark Scenic Riverways national park.

My only real gripe is about the bikes for rent. We had planned on renting a couple bikes to take on the trails, but found out they weren't available yet. They do not rent them out until after memorial day, a fact we did not see on the brochure or on the website.

Overall, a very nice trip. Kind of harkens back to decades past where staying in a lodge on a state or national park was the thing to do. Something I definitely hope makes a come back. Book early, as the park fills up fast on the weekends. They do not allow check out on Saturdays either, so plan...

I took my immediate family and some extended family over the Thanksgiving Holiday to stay in the lodge for two nights. Everything about our stay was exceptional. The rooms were beautiful and more than we expected in so many ways. The lodge, the property, the grounds, the wild horses and especially the staff were all EXCEPTIONAL! Each time I called the lodge prior to our stay, I spoke with the same few people. Each of them was friendly, gracious and seemed to genuinely enjoy working at Echo Bluff.

I would highly recommend this place. I've already made a reservation to go back with my husband in the fall of 2019 for our anniversary. It is hard to remember you are staying at a state park facility. It has the feel of an upscale resort lodge. We felt warm and welcomed. The balcony overlooking the bluff, the large kitchen space and the fireplace were all special touches that added to our experience.

We built a big fire on the property after dinner on Thanksgiving. There was a beautiful stone seating area with a fire pit and endless firewood. The market lights were glowing on the lodge patio and the sound of the creek echoing off the bluff made this a very special bonfire.

Even the server we had at dinner was wonderful. We had the same server at breakfast the next day. As we remarked on how beautiful the view was in the breakfast room, she commented on how each season brought a new beauty and look and feel to the property and how much she enjoyed the environment and appreciated the beauty of it.

There were even texts welcoming us, asking about our stay, checking in every once in a while and thanking us for visiting. The front desk staff was friendly and accommodating. The woman who waited on us in the gift shop was lovely and shared stories about the area around Echo Bluff and how it has changed through the years.

I really can't say enough great things about this place. It was beautiful, welcoming, well appointed, friendly and unique. We feel proud that this is a Missouri State Park. ...

We've stayed at the lodge at Echo Bluff in the past and loved it. Some aspects of our recent visit to celebrate my husband's birthday were very disappointing, however. But first, the PROS: the park is beautiful, big outdoor deck overlooking Sinking Creek, clean/updated room, our own balcony, bathroom with a shower and separate tub, easy check-in, everything was very clean, we got an upgrade due to last-minute availability. CONS: Dinner was the most disappointing part of our visit. My husband's ribs were virtually raw, cold inside, and inedible; my salmon and veggies were clearly microwaved; we had to get up from the table to go find our own menus, silverware, and napkins because they weren't provided to us when we were seated and there was only one server for the whole restaurant; at $25/entree, the food needs to be, at the very least, freshly made and somewhat enjoyable to eat, which it was not. About an hour after dinner, we realized that we were now REALLY hungry. It was 9pm. My husband went down to the gift shop to get some snacks and water. The woman who was both working the front desk and the gift shop told him that the shop closed at 8:30pm, even though she was still sitting in the gift shop, and the property did not have any vending machines. Echo Bluff is quite isolated. There's not exactly a QT around the block. We went to bed hungry and peeved. HOWEVER, breakfast was delicious, so there's that. I don't mind paying a little more to stay at an interesting and pretty place like Echo Bluff vs a Hampton Inn, but you have to give people what they pay for. It's inexcusable that we left dinner hungry and there were no options anywhere on the property to get a snack. I'd be very hesitant to stay in the lodge at Echo Bluff again. If I did, I would bring my own water and snacks from home (which is kind of...