Lakeshore to Blufftop: Fall Foliage at Lake of the Ozarks

First posted on 10-27-2008

Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. –The fall is a fabulous time of year to visit Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. This year, the fall colors are expected to be truly spectacular there, especially in the third to fourth weeks of October. “We’re expecting an excellent year for fall colors throughout the Lake area,” says Ann Koenig, urban forester at the Missouri Department of Conservation. “The high rainfall, mild temperatures and clear warm days and cool nights really set up the trees for excellent color.”

What’s more, adds Jim Divincen, executive director of the Tri County Lodging Association, “Most of the Lake area’s hotels and resorts, restaurants, attractions and golf courses are still open. The weather is superb, with average high daily temperatures in the 60s. Summer-season crowds are gone and visitors can find truly great values in lodging, dining and entertainment.” And no matter where you go or what you do, the scenic Ozarks hills that surround the Lake provide a dramatic backdrop in vivid autumn shades of mahogany and scarlet, russet and gold.

Want to experience the best of fall at the Lake of the Ozarks? One way is to enjoy the following scenic 25-mile driving trip that includes breathtaking Lake panoramas as well as fun and fascinating stops along the journey. You also can celebrate the pageantry of autumn at the Lake by visiting state parks, wineries and waterfront restaurants, as well as enjoying the outdoors by hiking, bird watching and golf.

Take a Drive Through the Lake’s Fall Landscape

This beautiful drive is estimated to take about three to five hours, depending on where you stop and for how long.

* Hit the road on Business Hwy. 54 at Historic Willmore Lodge in Lake Ozark for a spectacular six-mile view of Bagnell Dam and the Lake of the Ozarks. Constructed in 1930 by the Union Electric Company (now AmerenUE), the rustic yet cozy interior houses a tourist information center and a fascinating, free-admission museum that tells the story of why and how the Lake came to be.

* Across from Willmore Lodge on Business Hwy. 54, take Upper Power Plant Road a short distance south to the AmerenUE Overlook for a sweeping panorama of the Lake and the Osage River, and a birds-eye view of Bagnell Dam.
* Travel Business Highway 54 south over the dam to the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip. It’s a tourist-friendly mile of shops, restaurants and family attractions.

* Take Business Highway 54 to Route HH and cross the Community Bridge ($2.50 toll). Turn on Route MM west, to Route TT south, to Route F north, to Highway 5 south. The two-lane roads meander through woods, bluffs and open areas with tantalizing glimpses of the Lake, leading to Highway 5, the main road through the Lake’s west side. Drive over the Hurricane Deck Bridge and the Niangua Bridge and stop at the south end of the Niangua Bridge for great photo opportunities.

* Continue south on Highway 5 and turn right onto Lake Road 5-88 to the Camdenton Fire Tower. Climb the tower’s first 80 feet (a total of 90 steps) for a unique Lake view.

* Return to Highway 5 south through Camdenton and turn south Route D to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Explore the mysterious castle ruins and enjoy the breathtaking view from high atop a 250-foot bluff. The popular state park offers 12 hiking trails that let visitors explore Missouri’s premier showcase of karst topography, a honeycomb of tunnels, caverns, springs and sinkholes. Stop by the Visitors Center for more information and interpretive exhibits.

Wineries and Waterfront Restaurants

You could continue on the scenic drive, returning to Highway 54 to Lake Road 54-85, to the Casa de Loco Winery, located in the restored Urbauer Fishing Lodge Historic District, built as a sporting retreat in 1930 by a St. Louis industrialist. With its breathtaking view from a bluff overlooking the big Niangua River, the winery is the perfect place to wrap up your Lake of the Ozarks fall foliage drive.

Two other Lake-area wineries—both opened within the past year—are well worth visiting. Seven Springs Winery, located off Y Road in Linn Creek, serves outstanding wine and creative food daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nestled into a scenic valley, it’s an ideal setting for relaxing with friends on the terrace, facing an Ozarks hillside resplendent with a show of fall colors. On a crisp, bright fall day, Manager Darrin Graham recommends a full-bodied Seven Springs Norton; on a warmer autumn day, he suggests the more light-bodied Seven Springs Muscato Sparkling.

At another new Lake-area winery, Grey Bear Vineyards and Winery in Stover, owner David Fansler suggests relaxing on the spacious deck overlooking the vineyard, while enjoying Buckskin, a dry white wine, or Black Dahlia, Grey Bear’s cabernet sauvignon. “Our cherry and blackberry wines also are great choices for fall,” he adds.

Travel down the Lake roads to discover several of the area’s 40-plus waterfront restaurants. Relaxing over a casual meal, watching the boats go by and viewing the breathtaking fall scenery truly adds up to an unforgettable experience on an autumn afternoon.

State Parks and Stunning Golf Courses

For those who like to get up close to Nature, the area’s two state parks offer excellent opportunities to experience autumn at the Lake. In addition to Ha Ha Tonka State Park, mentioned above, Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Missouri’s largest, offers 12 trails, from one-half mile to 15 miles long, that take visitors through dense forests, across open gladesand along towering bluffs overlooking the Lake. Naturalist Jocelyn Korsch recommends the Rocky Top Trail for a panoramic view from above the treeline, or the Lakeview Bend Trail for a Lake-level view.

For a unique view of autumn colors, consider a horseback ride through the woods; the park’s stables are open daily year-round, weather permitting, and offer staff-guided rides on horses for riders of all experience levels. Mountain bikers also have access to a rugged trail. The park also offers more than 230 campsites, from primitive to electric
hookups, available year-round. And there are eight Outpost Cabins in a secluded forest. “These cabins are very popular with visitors in the fall, as is the entire park,” Korsch says. “People love to hear the crunching leaves on an autumn hike, and smell the wood smoke from the campfires at night.”

Campers and visitors flock to the Lake’s state parks as the fall migration nears its peak in late October. Andy Forbes, Avian Ecologist at the Missouri Department of Conservation, says now through November, look for the winter birds including dark-eyed juncos, sparrows and chickadees. “Blackbirds and others will start to congregate in huge flocks of thousands, even up to a million or more birds,” Forbes says. Mallards, American widgeons, teal and northern pintails will stop by on their way to the Gulf Coast, he adds, and the magnificent bald eagles will arrive in November.

Another way to enjoy the great outdoors at the Lake in the fall is to play on one of the Lake’s championship golf courses, many of which incorporate the natural Ozarks landscape into their design. “The fall is a wonderful time to play golf at the Lake,” says Danna Kahrs, general manager of Sycamore Creek Golf Club in Osage Beach. She notes, the weather is nice, fees are lower and courses are less crowded. Adds Paul Leahy, Director of Golf at Tan-Tar-A Resort, “The rates are cheap enough that even if you only get in 12 or 13 holes before dark it’s worthwhile!”

Fall Foliage--by Water

Lake of the Ozarks State Park also offers a unique self-guided Aquatic Trail. The nine-mile, two-hour trip offers boaters an opportunity to learn about features along the shoreline while viewing fall foliage at the Lake. Orange-and-white buoys point out the fascinating geological sites, and visitors typically see fish, waterfowl, chipmunks and deer.

In a boat or on a dock, fall fishing at the Lake combines beautiful scenery with a favorite past-time. Most species can be caught year-round, says Greg Stoner, fisheries management biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. “The most sought-after game species in the Lake are largemouth bass, spotted bass, black and white crappie, blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, hybrid stripers, paddlefish, walleye and bluegill.“

Another way to view fall colors on the water is to leave the navigating to someone else and enjoy a relaxing trip on a motor yacht. Celebration Cruises will offer a lunch cruise on Tuesday and Saturday, through Nov. 11. The Tropic Island II offers a 90-minute cruise every day except Monday, departing at 3 p.m., through Oct. 30. “A lot of people find this is a pleasant way to view fall foliage at the Lake,” says Captain Omer Clark. The 19th-century-style paddle wheeler Tom Sawyer also offers daily sightseeing cruises through late October.

Enjoy a Fabulous Fall at the Lake

There are so many ways to view fall’s extraordinary colors at the Lake of the Ozarks. “Fall is so fantastic at the Lake of the Ozarks.You can be outside without heat or bugs or crowds,” says Jim Divincen, executive director of the Tri County Lodging Association. “We invite everyone to get outside and enjoy Nature at its finest at the Lake.”

For more information about autumn activities at the Lake, as well as lodging, dining, shopping, attractions and activities, please contact the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau at (800) FUN LAKE or visit http://www.funlake.com.