Lake of the Ozarks has been voted as one of the top 10 prettiest areas in the country for fall leaf viewing. If Fall is your favorite time of the year, you don’t’ want to miss the color in Lake of the Ozarks! You can find beautiful colors along just about any highway, byway or lake road in the region. Autumn colors peak around the third week of October and linger until month’s end. Listed below are a couple of drives that will put you in awe of this magnificent countryside!
- Take Highway 42 east out of Osage Beach for a unique drive through Miller County that meanders through Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Take a short detour on Swinging Bridges Road out of Brumley to see the old swinging bridges southwest of town. One Swinging Bridge crosses over Grand Auglaize Creek and the other bridge over Mill Creek. These bridges were built in the 1920s by Joseph Dice, a regionally famous bridge builder who did not engineer his bridges. Construction measurements were eyeballed with a ball of string. Head back to Highway 42 and follow Highway 42 out to the Iberia.
- For beautiful views on the north side of the Lake area, take a drive from Eldon to Gravois Mills. Head southwest of Eldon on Route Y from Highway 52 west of town. Route Y turns into Route W. Turn right to take W northwest and connect with Golden Beach Road. Stay to the right again for a tour along Little Gravois Cove via Seals Road. Cross the upper reaches of the Lake here after turning left onto Coffee Drive. To get to Gravois Mills turn right on Anchorage Road and take Route TT south. Finally, continue until you come out on Highway 5 north of town.