Lake of the Ozarks

K

Knipet

New member
I searched through the forum but could find very little about the Lake of the Ozarks as being a possible future cruising destination. Do any CBrats have any experience boating in the area? In looking at the map, and a few videos, it looks like it might be a very interesting place to visit in the early fall. I assume it is a big ski boat destination, but wonder if it would be fun in the off-season. A few questions I have are:
Is it worthwhile? Would late September/early October be a good time to visit? Are boat up restaurants still open, as well as cabins and marinas? Or would it still be crazy busy?
Any and all comments or suggestions on the area would be appreciated!
 
. A few questions I have are:
Is it worthwhile? Would late September/early October be a good time to visit? Are boat up restaurants still open, as well as cabins and marinas? Or would it still be crazy busy?
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Yes. Lol. I've been there a few times. It's a great lake to cruise on. It does get busy with fishing tournaments, and some time during the year they have boat races. I've never been there when the races are going on, but I saw one interesting boat there once to practice. There are some nice state parks around there to visit by car if you have time or want to take a day away from boating. There is also a neat waterway trail, but with budget cutbacks a few years ago, they pulled the buoys. If you want I can see if I can find the information for the trail, and send you the coordinates for each location. It was basically some interesting landmarks along the lake. There is plenty of lake to explore, and it is very developed along the shoreline. Some pretty nice/big homes in some sections. The fall is a great time to visit, as it slows down some, but again, seems like a lot of fishing tournaments going on. Back about the state parks, Ha Ha Tonka State Park has an interesting old Castle that burned down, along with a carriage house and some other historic areas. I believe we took the boat all the way to Ha Ha Tonka one time, but the water was low and it was a little tricky getting thru some of the area. There is also an old swinging bridge in the area that is fun to drive over; if you dare! lol. Lake of the Ozarks State Park has a couple of launch ramps with parking available. I believe we used Public Boat launch 2 at Glaize. I could pull out my Lake of the Ozarks file and send you a lot more info if you'd like. Or I can add more information here later. We're getting ready to head down to Florida for the gathering, and it may have to wait until we get back from there. But the short answer is, yes, Lake of the Ozarks would be worth it to spend time on your boat. Colby
 
Steve, I just looked and see you are from Washington. Bring your boat out to Lake of the Ozarks, it'll be worth your trip. But while there, head down to Branson for a few days as well and take in some shows. You won't regret it. Fall is a great time here in the Midwest. Kids are back in school, so the lakes slow down some. Yet still good weather. Table Rock is a big lake by Branson, but personally I think Lake of the Ozarks is better boating with more channels and stuff to see. When we've gone to Lake of the Ozarks, we've also stayed at a Wyndham resort, as my wife's sister shares her time share with us. However, they don't have any docks, so when we stay there we keep the boat at Robin's Resort, which looks like a nice place if you prefer to stay off the boat. However, there are plenty of places you could anchor out, or marinas you can dock at. Colby
 
Hi Colby,
Thanks for the info on the Lake. Since you're going to the Hontoon gathering, look for Burt Palmer who is the new owner of a 22 Angler named Following C's. He is an old college friend of mine who now lives in Florida and I got him interested in C-Dorys. Since we are at opposite corners of the continental US, we are trying to plan a future meetup with our boats, and LotO seemed like an interesting potential rendezvous spot.

Since you are very well traveled with your boat in tow, any other suggestions as a possibly meetup spot between WA & FL that we should consider?
- Steve
 
I'll look for Burt at the gathering.

I can think of several good places you guys could meet on the water. Along with Lake of the Ozarks, there is the Mississippi River. Anywhere between Minneapolis and just north of St. Louis. The Alton marina north of St. Louis is a great spot to launch out of. There are several free parks/launches on the River in Dubuque also. Some great lakes in Kentucky would include Lake Cumberland. Very pretty area with a lot of lake to explore. I'd recommend using the Jamestown Safe Harbor Marina to launch and for parking. Then there is Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake with Land Between the Lakes Recreation area between them. Lake Barkley has the Cumberland River, and Kentucky Lake has the Tennessee River, both great cruising opportunities. I've used the Kentucky Lake Dam State Resort Park for parking and launching. There is also Dale Hollow Lake, however I haven't been there in a while. All these places have numerous marinas or great anchorage spots. Greers Ferry Lake in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas is a nice area also. Lake isn't all that big, but offers nice boating. There is a nice Wyndham Time Share resort in Fairfield Bay on that lake. (Thus, with the sister in law's points, we've stayed there a few times. :) ) Table Rock Lake is a large lake near Branson, Mo, which has a lot of good shows. I'm a lousy fisherman most the time, but all these lakes are known for good fishing.
Then on a larger scale, you have the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan has Door County, which is the peninsula between Green Bay (body of water) and the main Lake. Lake Superior has the Apostle Islands, and Isle Royale. You're on big water here and storms can keep you holed up in protected Bays. Basically like your ocean, but without tides and currents or salt. And our waves are short spaced, more of a confused 3-4' chop at times. :mrgreen:
You could spend an entire summer here roaming around on the various waters. But if you are looking to spend a couple weeks cruising, the Mississippi, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers all provide great opportunity to do that. The Mississippi of course is the most challenging with it's wing dams and commercial tow traffic. The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers have barge traffic, but not as busy. And no worry about wing dams. Lakes Barkley, Kentucky, Cumberland and of the Ozarks all offer a lot of water to spend time on, with numerous marinas or locations to anchor. All the rivers would require going through Locks, but really not all that challenging. If you don't want to do locks, then stick with the Lakes. I think you'd enjoy any of these places, and they'd all offer some great scenery. Most the Fall Colors on these bodies of water won't materialize until October. Except for Lake Superior. Then you might see some color in late September. And the recreational traffic really slows down once school starts, not to mention you can start seeing some frosty nights.
 
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