Elk River Floats & Wayside Campground

"The owner is an absolute prick with a bad temper problem. Don’t make any negative comments about the property or he will go off on you and threaten to kick you out. Every year I host a large float trip for around 50 people. The last two years we rented out all of the cabins at Trestle Park since it could accommodate a group of our size. The first year went well which is why I am at least giving this review two stars instead of one. The second year was an absolutely horrible experience. Upon arrival we politely asked if the grass could be recut around the pavilion/volleyball court at the property. Shortly after, one of the workers showed up and stated he would not be recutting the grass. He was extremely rude and condescending in the way he spoke. We shrugged it off, told him “no big deal”, and then went down to the river to swim. About 20 minutes later the owner showed up to the property shirtless. He proceeded to scream and curse at me over the fact that I had politely asked them to cut the grass, even though I told the first guy it was no big deal and to not worry about it. He continued to throw his temper tantrum, kicking at the dirt, and constantly puffing up his chest/arms trying to act like a tough guy. He even made threats to kick our entire group out. At this point I didn’t want to risk losing our trip and having to tell all 50 people to go back home, so I sat there politely and did my best to deescalate the situation. He eventually got in his truck and left us alone. The whole experience was extremely off-putting and we even told the police about it later on because we were truly concerned that he may come back and try to physical harm us or our belongings. We will never be coming back here ever again. The owner’s wife Rene was pleasant to work with and always did a great job helping us organize such a large group. But that doesn’t negate the actions of the owner, and as a result, they have lost our business. Admittedly, the cabins are nice and this is a fun river to float, but the owner needs serious anger management help or he is going to continue to lose business, or even worse, get put in jail. What he did was borderline harassment and not acceptable."

"We did a float trip here a few weeks ago and it was a blast! We had a party of 50+ and there were lots of rafts to choose from. All of the employees were friendly and there is a nice/clean bathroom at base. See y’all next year!"

"This is not the first time my family has enjoyed the Elk River or Wayside Campground, however it was a first for my 11 and 9 year olds. Just keep in mind this is very much a party river! Especially the campground across the river from Wayside. Not a whole lot of children at all. Lots of fun and wild folks though! Didn't have any issues with anyone, extremely nice people all around. But If you have issues with drinking, loud music, or partying, this isn't the place for you. The folks running the check in, as well as the buses/boats are extremely friendly. Incredibly accommodating! Really doing their best to go above and beyond to make sure our stay, and trip down the river was awesome. Make sure you're wearing good shoes or sturdy water shoes because the rocks are everywhere! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, the rocks are beautiful, but not super fun to walk on. Also, do not drive on the closer side to the water, the rocks are very loose and deep. Many vehicles got stuck. They have a decent amount of campsites, many of those are shaded well by trees, but watch out for the poison ivy! Only some spots are grassy, most are rocky ground. There are several spots with electrical outlet hookups too. Seems there are a lot more RV accommodating spots as opposed to tents. Nearly every spot that we saw had its own picnic table. There are "fire spots" definitely not fire pits. I ended up digging out my own. The plus side is that there are so many rocks all around, you can line any spot to make a fire pit. When you're headed out you leave your nicely bagged up trash in front of your campsite, by the main road going around the whole place. They take care of that for you. We didn't have any issues with critters getting into our things."

"I’m giving 5 stars to the business itself because they are awesome. This is our second time going and the team there is phenomenal. I highly recommend calling in advance and paying over the phone or making a reservation online in advance because their spots fill up quick. For the river experience itself I would not recommend this river if you are looking for somewhere to get away and unplug. The first time we came here it was during the lockdown in 2020 so it was a lot more chill. This time it was packed and I feel like I spent more time trying to navigate and dodge people rather than enjoying myself. I was able to get a few shots of parts of the river that weren’t crowded, but for the most part the river was packed. Lots of loud music from all different directions. People throwing trash into the river. Other experiences that I won’t go into. The point is if you are looking for a party type of environment then this river is for you. If you are looking for some place that isn’t overloaded with people to just chill, I would look into another river."