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FeedCatching Your Breath
9 Roadside Stops Offer Awe-Inspiring Scenic Views
Mike McArthy
Missouri has countless rest areas, roadside parks, and lookouts scattered along her highways. The following nine spots are the only ones designated by the Missouri Department of Transportation as “scenic views.”
Every season brings a special beauty to these sites. Fall furnishes them with magnificent color. Some crisp fall day, organize a road trip around these scenic views for a beautiful mini-vacation. Use the directions below, or choose your own path. Refuse to hurry, stop as often as you like, and discover the glory in your own backyard.
Drive 1:
Southwest Missouri
The westernmost scenic view appears on Route 39 between the small towns of Jenkins and Shell Knob. Drivers at this site turn into a hilltop parking area with a panoramic view. Looking south, they see Route 39 meandering for miles through a wooded landscape. Looking east, they see low rolling hills dotted with open fields.
At the scenic view on Route 165 near Hollister, drivers pull onto a widened shoulder and then step down to a lookout area. The view stretches for miles and includes Table Rock Dam, the White River, and the outskirts of Branson. People fishing are a common site here, too.
The small town of Forsyth presents the third scenic view. A widened shoulder off Highway 160 gives drivers a place to pull off the road. Visitors see a bend of Lake Taneycomo, beautiful tree-covered hills, and in the distance, Ozark mountains.
On Route 76, the scenic view appears in the Mark Twain National Forest on the Blue Buck Knob Scenic Highway. Travelers park on an extended shoulder. The view is not expansive but features the picturesque Indian Creek. This small waterway is generally shallow enough to cross on foot but gets up in the spring.
Directions: From Aurora, travel south on Route 39. The first scenic view is on Route 39 just south of Route 76. Next, return to Route 76 and travel east to Highway 65. Take Highway 65 south to Route 165. The second scenic view is on Route 165 just west of Highway 65. Next, return to Highway 65, travel north, and turn east on Highway 160. The third scenic view is on Highway 160 at Forsyth. Finally, continue east on Highway 160, and turn north on Route 76. The fourth scenic view is on the small stretch of Route 76 that doubles as Route 181, just west of the Douglas and Howell county line.
Drive 2:
Central and southeast Missouri
The scenic view in central Missouri appears on Highway 63 between Vienna and Rolla. Travelers to this spot enjoy the comforts of a roadside park with picnic tables. They also enjoy a stunning view of hilltop after hilltop of colorful trees—no buildings in sight.
In southeast Missouri, the scenic view sits on Route 21 at Belleview. This spot offers a canopy-covered table for picnickers. The site overlooks a farm and presents a lovely view of Buford Mountain, which has an elevation of 1,740 feet.
Directions: From Vienna, travel south on Highway 63 toward Rolla. The central scenic view is on Highway 63 before Vichy. Next, continue south on Highway 63. Turn east on Route 68, and continue east on Route 8. Finally, turn south on Route 21. The southeast scenic view is on Route 21 at Belleview.
Drive 3:
Northeast Missouri
The three scenic views in northeast Missouri are within three miles of each other just south of the Ralls and Pike county line on Route 79. All three offer picnic tables. The southernmost site overlooks the Ted Shanks Conservation Area. Trees have grown up around this site, and the view has suffered.
Visitors find a much better view at the next site one mile north. Sightseers can look north, east, and south. A sweeping view of the Mississippi River valley stretches across the entire flood plain to distant bluffs in Illinois.
The final site, a couple of miles north, also presents a far-reaching view of the Mississippi River valley into Illinois. Named Victor’s Point, this scenic view sits on a knob. The view is not as panoramic as the prior, but the higher elevation allows visitors to look west over the top of Missouri woods and farmland.
Directions: From Louisiana, Missouri, drive north on Route 79. All three scenic views are on this road just before the Pike and Ralls county line.
