SHANNON COUNTY, Mo. – The public will get its first look at Missouri’s newest state park on Saturday, July 30th.
After more than two years of work, Echo Bluff State Park, a $60-million development located north of Eminence on Highway 19, will officially open.
“It’s really exciting,” says Missouri State Parks director, Bill Bryan. “It’s a culmination of 30 months of hard work by a lot of people.”
The park gets its name from a concave bluff hanging over Sinking Creek — the second largest tributary of the Current River.
The unique rock formation will now serve as the focal point for the new lodge, with some 20-rooms, dining space and meeting areas, sitting just up the hill.
“A lot of folks have been here [in the past], they remember it as a summer camper, they camped here or just knew the area,” says Bryan. “But when they get here [now], they’re stunned.”
“I love the lodge,” says newly hired Echo Bluff State Park employee, Nate Fulk. “This lodge is just gorgeous.”
After hearing about plans for the new park, Fulk left Springfield to move back to Shannon County.
“I think this is the most beautiful place in the world — the Ozarks,” he says, “Shannon county in particular.”
“Everyone is pretty excited about [the new park],” Fulk says, “excited what it is going to bring in and help out the community.”
Echo Bluff State Park also features RV parking, camping sites and cabins, along with several day use actives to keep visitors busy for the day.
But Bryan says the park will also help highlight some of the surrounding area’s most popular attractions.
“Rocky Falls is right down the road; the elk heard… we had a couple come in the other day that saw 59-elk over at Peck Ranch; beautiful mills like Alley Springs,” he says.
Camping sites start at $15, hotel rooms at $89 and a four-room cabins can be rented for $300. It’s competitive pricing Bryan believes will allow Echo Bluff to become a new gateway to the Ozarks.
“I know a lot of people, a lot of families, are going to enjoy this place for years to come,” he says.
Echo Bluff’s opening day will also feature a ribbon cutting, Governor Jay Nixon is among those expected in attendance.