FRANKLIN FLOATS

Bob was great! The float was a fast 8 miles. Look out for the orange painted stones for the take-out. Their pup Moo was the best ever! Great business to support!

If you want the best black river floating experience this is where you need to go! Fantastic tour guides and the nicest people you’ll ever meet hands down. Can’t wait till our next vacation back there!

Glad I trusted the Google reviews and went with Franklin Floats :) Franklin is such a friendly dude, as is everyone working there. This was our first time ever doing a float. We did the raft with two adults and 3 young children (4, 6 and 9), and they provided life jackets for our kids.

We did the short float, and someone was waiting at the landing are to help spot us, but that won't always be the case so look carefully for the sign after the bridge! It did take us about 3 hours, which was perfect for our family.

The Black River is gorgeous. The trip had the perfect amount of calm spots and teeny rapids - just enough to make it fun and exciting. There were a few spots we had to walk the raft because of a downed tree, and we hit a few rocks and got stuck, but it was super fun.

If you are going rafting for the first time too - take these tips. Bring a cooler! You need lots of water/drinks and some snacks. We took water resistant backpacks with gatorade, water and snacks, and were the only people without a real cooler. Just bring a cooler, it'll be better 😂 Load up on sunscreen, and take it with you.

Bob saved our butts! After planning our annual Float Trip we called our usual place (we only use them because it's a block from the cabin) and they were SOLD OUT. Everyone was sold out! But we called Bob and he had 2 rafts left! When we arrived Bob told my friend he's one of the only original owners left and has been in business since the 70's. I wish we had brought money for shirts or coozies! You can't miss his logos! Check in and loading was easy, and our driver was friendly, helpful and fun, and we chatted the short drive to the river. He navigated some tricky turns easily. Everyone we met including Bob, his wife and son were all friendly and welcoming! Our rafts seemed bigger, nicer and had no leaks compared to others we've had. The 5 mile float was EMPTY of other floaters for the first half even though everywhere else was sold out, which was AWESOME. The float itself was so beautiful and there were plenty of different types of places to land, swim and jump. Even when we came across other landing spots, it was never crazy crowded. We'll be using Franklin Floats from now on! Thanks for the perfect Float Trip!

Love this locally owned Family business. We've always had the best time using Franklin Float's, whether it be camping or floating. We've made so many amazing memories with family and friends my entire life on the black river. It was the very first thing I wanted to do during my R&R from Fallujah Iraq, July 4th 08(pics). Every one enjoys the black river. Especially with Franklin Floats. Forever your loyal customer. Can't wait to get back this summer. See y'all soon.- Aubrie Cole/Whelan

These guys are really good guides. They know the Black River really well. I have been using Franklin Floats for almost 20 years.

Loved it!!!! The people that run this outfitter are good ol' country folk. Lovely people. I've floated about every river in Missouri and have dealt with many outfitters. Franklin floats Excels in this area. Black river beautiful as always. Will definitely go back. Will go in June when the river is up a little more. BUT, had a great time nonetheless. Thank you Franklin floats for your very kind hospitality. The doggy🐶 was a bonus. Until next summer have a blessed fall and winter. Jessica a.k.a the girl wearing the plant shirt

Simply the Best outfitter.
Easy reserve, super friendly, and informative.
👍👍👍👍👍 5-👍's UP.
Will definitely return!!!

These guys are totally cool, they know the area, the river, and people. Great guides and always easy to deal with. I've been going to the black river for twenty years now, and they are the way to go!

Nice short kayak trip for a quick run. Can kayak in 2 hours or so if you don't stop. Only 2 low areas to pull kayak.
I wouldn't kayak this again but I would definitely float it. Lots of great spots to stop for a swim.

Greeted by happy dogs! Great service, very knowledgeable, and fair price! They were willing to take us out on a float off-season when others would not.
(Due to off season they only accepted cash. Just FYI. )

My friend and I camped and floated last minute. When I called, Franklin was so helpful. I really wished we knew about them before. It was ones of the best floats I've ever had on the Black River. Franklin, his wife and Bob were very down to earth, welcoming and friendly. We really enjoyed our stay there. I will definitely be back. My son, his wife and her family will really enjoy it as much as I did. I'm really looking forward to my trip. 👍🏻🚣‍♀🏊‍♀🏕

Absolutely love floating here! I always make sure to visit multiple times every summer. Best river, views, and service in the state. Highly recommend for your next float. No reason to float anywhere else.

I wish I could rate 10 stars! We have tried all the other outfitters, clearly saving the best for last with going to Franklin Floats yesterday. Everyone was so friendly, never felt rushed or annoyed for our questions. We stayed on river until almost 6, and they were there ready to ask how our float was and quickly get us back to our vehicle. So down to earth, friendly place to float. The float was beautiful and calm perfect for our first time tandem kayaking with our kiddo. Again, everyone was so nice and prices were very reasonable. We will definitely be back soon 🛶 💦 ☀

We showed up last minute (2pm) and lucky for us we were still able to float! The guy was super nice and even locked up our keys. When we returned I noticed their garden and asked about it. His wife showed us around and gave us tips/ideas for our garden. Super nice people. The bus drivers were great too.

Great place to do all your camping and floating with. Very friendly people,great prices and all the entertainment a person can handle. Franklin Float's makes it easy to relax and enjoy your floating experience with flexible times when being put out and picked up which helps make the floating experience that much more better.

Great experience! Friendly staff, raft was great!

Great place to float!! Friendly staff and a great kayak adventure!

I have been coming to Franklin Floats for years and truly enjoy each new experience there! From floating to camping to kayaking, they really are the best on the river! I would recommend them every day if I could. Bob and Bobby have always treated us like family and for that, we go to no other river or outfitters. Thank you so much Franklin Floats!

My family and I have floated with Bob for the past three years and we won’t go to another outfitter. Simply put, he’s a good dude. Every experience on the Black River has been excellent with his team. I called him last night to get a status update on his operation and he told me that they weren’t operating at the time. He thoroughly outlined the steps he was taking to ensure that all of his customers were safe when the time comes that it is truly safe to open his business back up. His competitors may open up early with half measures, putting their clientele in danger. not Franklin - he’ll take of you - he truly cares. Check in with him over the coming weeks, trust him, he knows the Black river and the bigger picture. He deserves your business.