Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/945369
by a Kansas City businessman in the 1930s, the park also offers hiking and biking trails, a fishing peer, a natural bridge, several caves, some of the rarest karst topography in the nation and the sixth largest natural spring in the state. Although Ha Ha Tonka does not have a campground, Lake Ozark is so popular that it was recently recognized as "e Best Recreational Lake in the Nation" as chosen by readers of the USA Today newspaper. e area surrounding the Lake is also home to a number of very popular caves. While the caves in Ha Ha Tonka and Lake of the Ozarks State Park are publicly owned, because they serve as the home to a number of endangered species, including the bats, cave fish and salamanders, they are only open to the public via guided tours during certain months of the year. However, other caves in the area including both Bridal Cave near Camdenton and Jacob's Cave near Gravois Mills are privately owned and can be toured for an admission fee. Still despite all the retail establishments, eateries, family entertainment facilities, parks, caves, resorts and more, it is the Lake itself that is the biggest draw. One of the largest privately owned waterways in the nation, the 1,150 miles of shoreline that surrounds Lake of the Ozarks is some of the most in-demand real estate in the Midwest. ere are more than 25,000 private boat docks and literally tens of thousands of year-round and summer homes built on its shoreline. In fact, the Lake Area is so popular with those who can afford a second home, that forty-percent of Missourians who own two homes own one at Lake of the Ozarks. And because of its size (the main channel stretches 92 miles from Bagnell Dam in Miller County to Truman Dam in Benton County) the Lake can handle all sizes of boats from canoes to yachts. ere are more than 40 boat dealers and marinas located in the Lake Area, plus there are literally dozens of both public and private boat launching ramps, storage facilities and service shops located around its shorelines. And during some holiday periods, the Missouri State Water Patrol estimates that up to 70,000 boats may ply its waters during a three-day weekend. e boating and fishing in the Lake Area is so good that several national fishing tournaments are held here each year and in 2015 participants in the U.S.A. Today & 10 Best Reader's Poll voted "Lake of the Ozarks the number one recreational lake in the nation." But there is so much more to the Lake Area than just recreation. Made of up of several small towns and surrounding communities scattered throughout Miller, Morgan and Camden counties, the Lake Area boasts some of the top- rated school districts in the state, several higher education facilities, top-notch medical services, a thriving real estate industry, numerous family-owned agriculture operations and such a low cost of living that is considered one of the best locations for raising a family and one of the fastest growing retirement areas in the Midwest. ...Lake Ozark is so popular that it was recently recognized as e Best Recreational Lake in the Nation as chosen by readers of the USA Today newspaper. Chamber of Commerce Business Directory Page 3