By land Highway 54 borders the east side of the lake and Hwy 5 borders the west side of the lake.
Bus Hwy 54 starts at Bagnell Dam, crosses the lake, and connects the town of Lakeside to Lake Ozark. Continue along Bus 54 to Osage Beach. You'll cross the lake again at the Grand Glaize Bridge. Just beyond Osage Beach Bus Hwy 54 connects back with Hwy 54 to reach Linn Creek and Camdenton.
Hwy 5 passes through Gravois Mills at the north end of the Gravois Arm and continues through Laurie and Sunrise Beach before crossing the lake at Hurricane Deck Bridge and again at the Niangua Bridge on the way to Camdenton.
The Community Bridge is a toll bridge that connects the eastside to the westside off Bus 54 at MM16. The bridge essentially connects the Lake Ozark and Osage Beach areas with Sunrise Beach and Laurie. The Community Bridge is a toll bridge and costs $2.50 for cars (each way) during the summer season.
History of the Lake of the Ozarks
The Lake of the Ozarks was created by the construction of the Bagnell Dam. Construction began in 1929, and was completed in 1931….that’s enough history for now. But if you want to learn more, you can visit Willmore Lodge just above the Dam. (plus there is a spectacular view of the lake!)
The lake essentially starts at Bagnell Dam and is measured by mile markers from the dam along the Osage Arm or main channel of the Lake of the Ozarks. You may see some MM signs along the shore, but don’t rely on these signs since as the locals would say “some 'r there and some 'r not”…..you will need to learn about landmarks to find your way around the lake. More on east and west sides later….
The Osage Arm starts at the dam and snakes its way to about MM92 where it meets the Harry S. Truman Dam.
Generally speaking, the farther up the lake you go:
The narrower it gets.
The less populated it gets.
The calmer it gets. (at least for now)
There are several other arms of the lake connected to the main Osage Arm. These include the Gravois Arm at MM6.5 of the Osage, the Grand Glaize Arm at the 19MM, and the Linn Creek Arm and Big Niangua Arm at MM31.
