Road trips and scenic drives are one of the most pleasurable things in life. Riding in a car or truck with the windows down, your choice of music playing, your favorite on the road snacks, and adventure around every bend in the road – scenic drives just don’t get any better! If you are fortunate enough to live in, or travel to, the part of the United States known as The Ozarks, this is where you can find some of the best scenic drives around. Natural beauty, fun stops and open roads await you – so what are you waiting for? Take a drive through the Ozarks today!
Route: Highway 165 in Branson
Fun Stops: Dewey Short Visitors Center, Moonshine Beach, Table Rock State Park
This scenic drive in and around Branson showcases some of the best natural beauty that the Midwest’s number one vacation stop has to offer. This twisting, turning highway will take you up through forested hills, and back down again so you can catch a glimpse of one of the most famous bodies of water in the Ozarks – Table Rock Lake! You’ll cruise past the docking site of the Showboat Branson Belle, and then drive across the landmark that holds the lake in – Table Rock Dam! Drive slow – you won’t want to miss the scenic beauty of this lakeside drive.
Route: Blue Buck Knob Scenic Byway
Fun Stops: Noblett Recreation Area
This gorgeous scenic drive through the Ozarks begins in Cabool, Missouri, and runs south for thirty miles until it intersects with MO Highway 14, taking you through some of the most beautiful country that south-central Missouri has to offer. Along the way you will see farmland, open, prairie-like meadows, and thickly wooded hills and hollers. Blue Buck Knob cuts through the Mark Twain National Forest, and travelers have the opportunity to explore side roads leading into the forest along the way. Noblett Recreation area also lies along this scenic drive – a lake, walking trails, picnic tables and fishing access all await you here! Be sure to watch for native wildlife along the way.
Route: Sugar Camp Scenic Byway
Fun Stops: Roaring River State Park Sugar Camp National Forest Scenic Byway is a beautiful 28 mile drive through stunning Ozarks scenery. Featuring wooded hills, high up vistas with panoramic views and dazzling stream filled valleys, this Ozarks scenic drive is one you will want to put on your road trip map. The traffic on the Sugar Camp Scenic Byway is light, making it a literal ‘road less traveled by.’ Sugar Camp Scenic Byway leads you close to Table Rock Lake, and if you keep going, you will be rewarded with arrival at Roaring River State Park! This breathtaking park features miles of hiking trails, a natural spring, an on-site trout hatchery, and much more. Pack your camera – it is well worth the drive!
These are just a few of the scenic drives awaiting you around the Ozarks. Head out exploring and find some more!
