# Ozarks newest state park



## rockey.f.squirrell (Apr 18, 2017)

Echo Bluff State Park:<br>
What makes echo bluff the next big ozark vacation destination?  My viewpoint of first camping experience...<br>
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Isolated location:  originally I wanted a spot to go looking at the stars.  Looking at light pollution maps you will see a very dark spot (black color code) in the southern part of Missouri.   Also likewise those phone coverage maps have that same area of &apos;darkness&apos;.<br>
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This is as far away from cities or towns as you can get in the whole eastern US, in fact it is about a half hour drive to the nearest town of Eminence.<br>
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Natural beauty:  The current river, in the park&apos;s boundry, is a Missourian&apos;s tradition.  Mainly in float trips.  With over 30 major springs feeding the river, it is the most spring fed river in America.<br>
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And because of all those springs, it is also the cleanest, clearest, and coldest river in the US.  And all along this river are many caves to explore (many by river access only).<br>
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Current river is part of the ozark national scenic riverway; the first one in the nation, so it is uninterrupted by dams  and other manmade obstructions.<br>
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But wait there&apos;s more...  Wild horses roam this portion of the river.  Three of them stay in the park boundary but if you don&apos;t see them, take a drive toward eminence, in the morning, and you will most likely see them in the ravine, in the river.<br>
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The Facilities:  there is a 16 room lodge , 9 cabins (some are two story), and a 60 space campground (40 that have self dumping stations).  And with campsite use you can use the laundry facilities at the lodge.<br>
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Name of campground is Timbuktu  (I am assuming cause it is middle of nowhere), with 12 walk in tent sites.  And there is free Wi-Fi use in the campground.<br>
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On the backside of the lodge, facing the famous echo bluff, there is a giant bonfire ring that many can gather together and enjoy.<br>
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For the kids:  The playground will keep everyone busy for hours, even parents, with giant dish swings, a swing shaped like a river raft, rock climbing units, a slide built onto the side of a hill, numerous ways to climb down the hillside (including two creek runnoffs that are dry most of the time, but resemble stair steps), and water shooters from the ground that shoot water upwards and you can run through (at the push of a button).<br>
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There is a path that goes for the lodge to playground and a little further a natural spring you can view, with interpretive signs along the way.<br>
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A short drive and there is a huge shelter with 16 tables and an awesome view of everything the park has to offer.  Or you can hike 4 of the trails around the park, two of which also lead to the lookout.<br>
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If you want a cool ozark getaway this is a place to check out.


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## rockey.f.squirrell (Apr 18, 2017)

Arrrgghh!! Sorry for the screw uped post. I had to pre-write it in memo because when I was trying to type it out live, my android would go blank and when I turned it back on the text box was gone and previous page came back with me losing all that I wrote.


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## momto4girls (Sep 21, 2011)

Thanks for sharing. It sounds wonderful!


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## emmabrianmic (Jan 28, 2016)

Thanks for sharing such a great information, I really like your post.


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