BY LANI HANSEN
SENIOR REPORTER
The UKB's Echota Village is now open, offering patrons camping and floating adventures along with an RV park.
TAHLEQUAH – Summer is here, which means everyone is looking for something to do. With just a quick trip to the outskirts of Tahlequah, OK to the Illinois River is some amazing camp sites and floats with the Echota Village.
Echota Village sits on nearly 200 acres of land just off Highway 10 next to the Illinois River. They are nestled in between two mountain ranges in a valley and only use 10 acres for the store and campgrounds. Echota is going into its fourth season as a business from when they officially opened in 2019.
The village features 16 RV slips for campers, trailer, etc with a full-service setup such as water, electricity and sewage. Primitive camping is also available on the grounds, and there are 10 sites for reservations.
“Our camping is offered year-round, and our floating is now open from April through October,” Echota Village Manager Ben Orwin said. “We offer kayaking and rafting, with prices starting at $20.”
The Echota Village store is also open, and it carries convenience store items such as snacks, drinks, sunscreen, etc. for the water.
There are 24 rafts and 20 kayaks available to rent through Echota.
The Echota Village is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They do not send people out after 4:30pm.
They offer a 3-mile raft trip, which according to Orwin takes about 2.5 hours. The 5-mile trip runs about 6 hours, the 8-mile is an all-day trip and the 13-mile is an overnight trip.
“The 8-mile if you get on the water at 10 a.m., you’ll get off the water at six in the evening,” Orwin said. “And we offer the 13-mile float, where the person or group will need to be prepared to camp somewhere along the river.”
Raft rentals start at $20 per person for the 3-mile, $25 per person for the 8-mile and $32 per person for the 13-mile. Children under 10 years old is $15 each. All raft trips have a 4 person charge.
Kayaking rentals start at $20 for a 3-mile single person, 5-mile is $20, 8-mile is $25 and 13-mile is $32 with an additional $15 for double person.
Camping rates for a full-service RV slip is $35 per night, primitive camping is $20 per night and they offer a monthly rate for RV parking for $550 per month.
Echota Village offers rental for a fully furnished double-wide cabin that sleeps 12 people, including a wheelchair accessible ramp. Rental is $190 per night, including a cleaning fee (one time) of $40 and service fee (one time) that is non-refundable of $15 per night. There is a 10% discount for veterans and UKB members.
“We do offer a discounted rate for all UKB members and military at 10%, for rafts, kayaks, camping and the airbnb trailer,” Orwin added.
The Echota Village is located at 16315 Hwy 10 in Tahlequah across from Falcon Floats.
For more information about RV rates or to book your reservation, visit www.echotavillagerv.com or call 918-453-9060. You may also “Like” or “Follow” the Facebook page at Echota Village- Rafting, Kayaks, RV Park, Camping.
