Garrison's Camping Resort

We stayed at Garrisons for a long weekend a few weeks ago and had a great time. We have been coming to Garrisons for several years now and they seem to improve something each year. This year we noticed several improvements but the biggest one was the small pond and bear carving outside the main office/store, very nice! The grounds are always mowed and clean when we have been there. I saw some bad reviews but keep in mind this is a campground not a 5 star hotel, their cabins are rustic but clean and not overly priced for the area. You have to bring your own bedding and towels but we don’t mind because we understand it isn’t a hotel. We usually take one float trip while we are there and we have never had issues with our raft. We also usually either eat dinner the night we arrive at the diner onsite or we order a pizza from the “pizza shack” and they will deliver that to our cabin. The ladies in the main office and in the diner are always very friendly. I will continue to recommend this campground to anyone going to Steelville.

I have been coming to Garrison's Resort for a few years now and I have to say, the campground and staff get better and better every year! The grounds are so well kept, it reminds me of the golf courses back home! Garrison's have added a waterfall and bear carving in front of their store that look amazing. They have also remodeled their store and it looks absolutely beautiful and spacious! The office staff was very friendly- they even helped me carry out my wood to my car! We ate our breakfast at the diner and the food was delicious- as was the pizza we got delivered to our cabin after our float. We stay in the cabins when we come- they are well maintained and very clean. I would recommend this family-run campground to everyone who wants a fabulous experience and float trip!

First, let me say I would give this place a -5 if the ratings allowed it....



I was with a group of four and rented the Mini Ranch House which was nothing more than a single-wide trailer obviously bought at auction or has had zero maintenance for thirty years. Nothing in the place had been cleaned for years. This is not an exaggeration.



As we walked in the door we were greeted by an overwhelming odor of mold. The counter tops and table were laminate with the laminate peeling away from the rotting wood base. There was mouse feces on the table, chairs and counter top. Everything was a decrepit state. Every surface was filthy and falling apart. The mattresses were full of holes and stained with dirt and debris all over. The shag carpeting was so stained, i have no idea what color is was supposed to be. There were obvious "repairs" to holes in the floor by placing 1/2" plywood over the holes and placing the carpet of the "repair" creating a trip hazard. We were given keys at the rental desk, but I am unsure why. Although the front door locked, the back door would not even latch nor did any other door in the place.



My only description of this ranch house was frightening. When I confronted the owner he replied that he "had never had a complaint before" and suggested we get the hell out if we didn't like it. The ranch house was $140.00 per night. I am shocked that anyone would even attempt to rent a room in that state, but then to charge $140.00 per night was nothing but highway robbery.



I must admit the rental office, store and pool area although older and sparse were cleaned and well maintained. I'm assuming to lure unsuspecting renters.



I will do my best to pursue the County Health Department and have these rental cabins condemned. No one should have to endure those conditions and this place is a black eye for the Steelville area which is otherwise very inviting.

I rented the river bluff house. It wasnt a house it was a single wide trailer that they added on to. there was a hole in the floor that they just covered up with stained up carpet. I fell through this hole. It was dirty and smelled of mold. A tree fell on the house and they never cut it down. Dirty q-tips were left all over the house. the bedding and mattresses were nasty and disgusting. It was totaly not what they said it was. when i complained the owner “don” told me i was high maintenance. i offered to go to the cabin (trailer) with himn to show what i talking about he would not go and said he had a bussiness to run and told me to get out. the house was about 2 miles away from the other camp sites. They offered me nothing for my troubles and were rude and did not even say sorry.when we floated we showed up to get our canoes they looked supprised that we were there and had to wait about 30-45 mins for them to get canoes and paddles none which were in good condition. i will not be returning

Floated 7/30/2011 Rafts were very very old with patches all over them and only one bench in the 10 man and 1 bench in the 8 man. No hooks to try trash bag on and were not given any life preservers. Is that legal?? Rude check-in experience. The Eagles Nest 3 was completely expected for $15.00 pp. No shower handle, cold water. Bathrooms adjacent were worse than expected. out of paper towels, dryer didn't work, toilet did flush sometimes, no soap. Sink was too small for the cut on the counter. Maybe my $500 for one day/night along with those that spent so much more, can be put towards some much needed updating! Probably will not go back ever!

Garrison's used to be a nice place to go. That is not the case anymore. It is run down and has not been kept up over the years. Our cabin had an AC unit that was too small for the size of the cabin; it leaked water on to the window sill which looked like mold was growing. There was about a 2 inch gap at the bottom of the door that let the heat and what ever else in. The steps down from the cabin were ratty and the last step was missing. We paid a lot of money to stay there like we had in the past and it was so not worth it. The staff is rude and very unfriendly. We ended up packing up and leaving after our float could not stay another night in that terrible place. We had been going there as a group for years we all agree it is time to find a new place. They are a dime a dozen in that area so there are plenty of other places to choose from.

We just spend this last weekend at Garrisons. They have a large resort area that seemed very kid friendly. The staff were alright, but none were overly nice. We did a five mile float. This didn't include any of the "fun" stops such as the cave or cold water spring...which was quite disappointing. To add to the craziness of the weekend, the first night we were there, the ceiling in our cabin started leaking. When we called, they sent someone out almost immediately. He "fixed" it and left us a bucket. By Saturday is was raining in the kitchen and by Sunday morning the ceiling had caved in! And to boot, the refrigerator stopped working also! When we expressed our concerns with the facility we stayed in, they said "Sorry bout that" or "hate to hear that". We will not ever be returning.

The personnel that work at Garrisons were rude and unfriendly. They threatened to kick us out over a parking tag that their office did not give to a group that came later. There were several stray dogs roaming the campgrounds begging and eating out of the fire pits from fellow campers. The dogs look malnourished and were full of ticks. Won't be going back to their campground. I have never had such horrible customer service.