Gasconade Hills Resort — Hotel in Richland

There are few places on Earth that feel like they were handcrafted by the Big Guy upstairs on his day off the Gasconade Hills Resort is one of them. Me and my wife? We don’t just float the river… we become one with it. Two kayaks, one tiny but fierce chihuahua in a life vest that’s probably seen more rapids than most Boy Scouts, and a cooler full of snacks(and Root beer). That’s our happy place.  There’s something magical about gliding down the Gasconade River, the way the trees lean over like old friends waving hello, the sun dappling the water like nature’s disco ball, and the subtle sound of our dog growling at ducks like she's got beef with every mallard on the river. It’s peace. It’s laughter. It’s a floating love story with snacks.  The campsites? Perfect. Flat, quiet, and far enough from neighbors that I could play harmonica badly and not be sued. At night, There’s something timeless about sitting by a crackling fire, good music humming through the trees, and your soulmate by your side it’s where the world fades and the moments that matter come alive.  the stars come out like God forgot to turn off the Christmas lights. We roast marshmallows, tell stories, and try to keep the dog from stealing hot dogs when we’re not looking.  And here’s the thing, the little wisdom nugget that floats up with you if you listen close enough between the paddle strokes: life is short. Not in a sad way — in a "jump in the water, pack the s’mores, hug your wife, and let the dog lead the way" kind of way. These are the moments that matter. These float trips, this river, this dog with Napoleon syndrome,  this is joy in its purest, splashiest form.  Final verdict? Six stars out of five. One for me, one for my wife, and four for the tiny river captain riding shotgun with a bark that could scare fish. The Gasconade Hills Resort isn’t just a destination. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best way to find yourself…...

We stayed two nights with our college age kids in one of the cottages, and did the six mile canoe float. The kids wanted to stay longer (well we did too).||||First, keep in mind, this is not a "resort," it is a campground. A perfectly good one, but if you think you are going to a resort you will be surprised.||||The cottage smelled like my grandparents' house with the wood and stone, and was darling. The screened in porch was perfect for a summer night since the mosquitos were out. The kitchen had everything we needed. The tv reception wasn't reliable but that wasn't an issue for us, we weren't there to watch tv. The outdoor green area in the center of the cottages has a gazebo and a firepit for use. We enjoyed smores.||||The proprietor is a super friendly and helpful man. It's a family run place and they do a great job. The camp store is not huge but it has pretty much what you need, and the grocery store in Richland is perfectly sufficient for everything else.||||The float is super easy since you end back at the campground, so it doesn't matter haw long you take (except to get in before closing which is at 7). We were there during the week and saw no one else on the river, and it was beautiful. We hadn't done the Gasconade before. It's a good river for families and little kids would be fine, it moves at a pretty slow pace.||||The pool is a nice place to hang out in the summer heat, a good size. If you stay in tent/rv area of the campground you'll have to hike up a pretty good hill but you can drive. From the cottages the incline wasn't bad.||||Really, just a lovely summer break. Wish we had found this when the kids were younger, but we will certainly come back. It is probably really pretty in the fall as it is in a very wooded area. If you are looking for a relaxing few days in nature, this place will...

A group of friends went for a camp/float trip. Three of us wanted to camp out and the rest of us wanted a cabin. We ended up at Gasconade Hills and I could not have been happier that we did. The campers found their accommodations very clean and quiet. The cabin folk found their accommodations likewise clean and better stocked than anyone could have hoped for. The friendliest person I have met in some time met us and walked us through the entire weekend. Quiet hours start at 10, but we were outside talking at a reasonable volume until midnight each night. We were never bothered to quiet to down as we were not being loud, but know that quiet hours don't mean silent hours here - which I think is a GREAT thing. Bonus for us was that we were essentially the only people there Sunday night into Monday. If you want seclusion, book a stay here that begins on Saturday and goes into Monday instead of Friday to Sunday. It certainly wasn't busy or crowded on Saturday, but it got virtually empty on Sunday, which was very nice. ||||The river path we took was okay - nothing amazing, nothing bad. It had equal parts calm and beautiful and a few trickier passages (though I suspect that has a lot to do with the time of year and the recent weather more than anything else). ||||The key here, for me, was the friendliness of the staff. Everyone we encountered could not have been nicer. We had several first time floaters on this trip and each of them said multiple times that their expectations were greatly exceeded at every stage...