I stayed here through a full very hot weekend. My group loves to "rough it" and tent camp. It was so hot and our water/electric hookup tent site didn't have a single bit of shade. We figured, oh well, we can just hang out in the pool and relax. Nope! The pool is only for renters of condos and cabins. What? Really? This is the first campground I've ever been to that excludes guests from their amenities based how how they stay on their property. There were four adults and three children. We stayed two nights through the weekend. We paid well over $150 for the weekend, just to camp in our tents (2). I understand the great reviews on the floats, as any place that offers floats, offers the same. Floating is fun and everyone should try it. I would just pick a more friendly location, that's not just in it for the money!
Stayed here over the 4th of July weekend and it was very busy as expected. We stayed in one of the A frame cabins and it was very nice. Didn't expect AC and satellite TV. One tip during the warm summer is to reverse the ceiling fan to circulate the cooler air upstairs. Be sure to read the fine print on bringing your own bedding and cooking items as they are not provided. Each cabin has a picnic table by the fire ring and on the porch as well as a charcoal grill out by the fire ring. Very nicely done. The on-site store has many things but best if you shop before you arrive as they are pricey (as expected). The Pool area is nice and most of the other activities are very close by. Our float trip was nice and the 6 miler is about 6 hours so be prepared if your going by tube. The kayaks seemed to be a better option. The river was a bit low but manageable and most of the people on the river were courteous but there were definitely some large rafting groups that you had to work around.Probably the biggest issue was the amount of noise going on after supposed quiet time. Loud music and some dude doing karaoke (couldn't sing worth a damn) till very late. Security seemed to not notice so that was very disappointing. All in all, it was OK but nothing to write home about. I think the other campground in the area looked a little better but it's hard to know without staying there.
We have a huge group that floats 2-3 times a year. The 3rd trip to this outfitter was THE LAST STRAW. Checkin people were nice. The after the float buffet is horrible, cold overcooked gross! The staff act as if they would rather fall over dead than assist you with anything and God forbid there is any type of emergency. They cannot be bothered. After myself and 2 other floaters got off of a bus to assist a young man that fell out of the back of a pick up truck onto a gravel road, our bus driver took off and left myself and 3 other people to walk 1/2 mile back to our cabin. When we went to the store/office to find out why that had occured, we were told that the bus driver had to stay on schedule and oh well. This sub human man that was "the management" was rude, loud, and ignorant. He had many other colorful words of wisdom to share as he blubbered back and forth. The other "management " person on duty would not even give us the time of day in person, she waited to call me after we were home. Her explanation for such hidious behavior was no better than the neanderthal behind the desk. This incident occured 3 years ago (the date was not available on your trip advisor . In that time I have heard similar stories of ignorance and neglect regarding this outfitter. All I can say is that word gets around and you should stay away !!!!!
Bass' has a little bit of everything and lives up to it's name as a "resort." Rafts, canoes, fully-furnished cabins (with satellite TV!), campgrounds, horses, a mess hall, a general goods store, and probably more that I didn't even see. Bass' certainly caters to your preference of camping and floating. When (not if) I go back to Steelville, I'll probably consider Bass' first.Disclaimer: My trip was prearranged and I never dealt directly with Bass,' so if there were any behind the scenes shenanigans regarding reservations or extra fees and charges, I wasn't privy to them.
When I was younger we did the canoe and camping here, and the Bass boys were always nice and accommodating, now that I ma older, the last five or six times I have stayed with the OTA, doing trail building. Now the Bass Boys are men, and their staff is still nice and accommodating. I love that they let us OTA trail builders stay for free; that they care about building and maintaining a trail that will encourage people to get out and explore the area.
We have stayed ad Bass River Resort and everything about this resort is done right. They have perfected the entire floating experience of all the resorts in the area.
We stayed here over Labor Day weekend with our 2 kids. The resort was very clean and the staff was very friendly and efficient. The resort is huge-horses, floating, cabins, tent/rv sites, pool, and play ground. There was decent access to the river with rock bars. Good for smaller kids as it wasn't too deep. We floated on Saturday, so it was a little rowdy as there weren't a lot of kids on the river. They did have showers available, but we didn't use them. They also had a restaurant that had breakfast buffets (we did not use this either). We did get ice cream from a vendor on site, and it was very good. The full hook up sites do not have a lot of shade. We will try this place out again!
THe campground was clean and well taken care of. The shower houses were all clean, and only about $1 for a nice shower. We stayed in the loud area. Well, at 230am we were hoping to that the music would stop, however it continued to pound loud, very loud, until 430am. Just wondering why the security didn't do anything to stop it! It would have been nice to get a little more sleep then 2 hours. The Courtois River is extremely low and we had to drag our raft more then we actually floated. We wish we would have been on another river. The buffet breakfast is also a plus and the front desk shop is nice too. We would go back but not to float on that river and def will stay in the quite section!!
Bass River Resorts provides everything you need to enjoy kayaking the Courtois, Huzzah and Meramec rivers. The owners are extremely knowledgable of river conditions and anxious to help make your trip special. They spotted my car for me and were willing to wait to see the weather conditions which allowed me the option of either a long or short trip. I had two cars and could have shuttled myself but this was so much more convenient.