Our group of kayakers discovered Buffalo River Resorts when our preferred location was unexpectedly closed this weekend. Having driven over an hour, we turned to google to help us find another drop-off point and shuttle service. We did the 8 mile route — it was gorgeous and we thoroughly enjoyed our time once we were in the water.

However, the blonde woman working inside the office when we arrived offered some of the worst customer service I’ve experienced anywhere. From the moment we pulled up, she was overly neurotic, off-putting, and rude. She seemed terribly overwhelmed when another car of 3 river goers (bringing the total number of individuals on-site to 7) pulled up and rushed and snapped at everyone in the vicinity. She offered no explanation of loading/unloading location, landmarks on the river, or a summary of services. Our group regretted our choice from the moment we first interacted with her.

The shuttle service driver was great. He was informative and courteous — but beware that the van is completely full of dirt and dust. We had applied sunscreen while waiting on him to arrive and had to wash off in the river and reapply after the short trip.

Again, the route is beautiful — but due to the service, we will not be back. I recommend river-goers check our Bones for your drop-in service, shuttle, and route. It’s about $5-10 more expensive but the service is worth it!

We went on a Sunday and it wasn't busy. We filled out the waiver, and paid at the office. Drove over to the parking. Found life vests for our group. Our driver was waiting for us and took us over in a van with a trailer for our raft towed behind. The van didn't have AC, and was covered in graffiti inside--some of it was rated X. Got out at the 5 mile drop. It was a steep bank and if you have trouble with stairs or hiking you would want to avoid this. Got in and the float was so peaceful. We got out a few times to play along. Towards the end, before the resort is an island and has a great place to float down a ways and walk back on shore; the kids had a great time here. We saw turtles all along the way. Saw minnows and crawdads near shore at the island. Several people were swimming around the take out cove; the lady snapped a bit about this was "not a swimming hole" and the beach was over there. We didn't paddle at all and, since we got out at a few spots, we had a nice day for the 5 mile trip.
We drove in for the day and didn't camp. The cabins looked nice from the outside. Many of the campsites have nice shade and are right next to the river. The bathhouse seems pretty far away from the sites.