A castle ruin above the lake, a state park, the dam that made the lake and a free capitol tour on the way out.
Road times come from OpenStreetMap routing and include no live traffic, closures or ferry waits. Time on site, Essential or Optional and arrival times are our own planning estimates from a 9:00 a.m. start at the first stop of each day; each stop’s hours and prices are as printed on the page we link, read October 30, 2026, and may have changed.
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ha Ha Tonka State Park Grounds April to October 7 a.m. to sunset and November to March 8 a.m. to sunset; the office is open 10 to 5 April to October and not regularly staffed November to March. Fee not stated. More | 9:00 a.m. | 2 h 30 min (Essential) | Start of day |
| 2 | Lake of the Ozarks State Park Grounds sunrise to half an hour after sunset; office Mon to Fri 8 to 4:30. Ozark Caverns tours are closed September 16 to May 14 and the beaches are closed for the season as printed. More | 12:17 p.m. | 2 h 00 min (Essential) | 47 min, 19.9 mi |
| 3 | Bagnell Dam Overlook and Willmore Lodge A dam overlook with a displayed turbine and a historic lodge with a lake-history museum, run as a visitor center; the page calls it free and prints no lodge hours. More | 3:08 p.m. | 45 min (Optional) | 51 min, 27.1 mi |
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Missouri State Capitol Tour Building open Mon to Fri 8 to 5 and weekends 8 to 4; free guided tours need a reservation 24 hours ahead (573-751-2854), with times set by season. More | 9:00 a.m. | 1 h 15 min (Essential) | Start of day |
Map of This Trip
4 of 4 stops are pinned, numbered in plan order and coloured by day. Pins come from the park’s or operator’s page or an OpenStreetMap point; they are not verified entrances or parking areas.
If It Rains or a Stop Is Closed
The Capitol tour and the Willmore Lodge museum are indoors. Ozark Caverns is not a backup in this season: its tours are closed September 16 to May 14.
Ha Ha Tonka’s office is not regularly staffed November to March. The Capitol is closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and its tour times change by season.
What We Could Not Verify
- Time on site, Essential or Optional, and arrival times: these are our planning estimates, not figures from the operators.
- Opening hours against our arrival times: where a stop’s hours are not in our data we did not check the plan against them.
- Road times with traffic, construction or ferry waits: the routing has none.
- Exact entrances and parking: pins are approximate.
- Prices and hours that a page did not print are marked as not listed; call ahead.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
How long is the drive on this trip?
About 1 h 38 min of driving between stops across 2 days, by OpenStreetMap routing with no live traffic.
What is closed or seasonal on this trip?
Ha Ha Tonka’s office is not regularly staffed November to March. The Capitol is closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and its tour times change by season.
When were the hours and prices read?
On October 30, 2026, from the official pages linked under Sources. Hours and prices change, so check each page before you go.
Sources
- Missouri State Parks: Ha Ha Tonka hours
- Missouri State Parks: Lake of the Ozarks State Park hours
- Ameren Missouri: Lake of the Ozarks
- Missouri State Parks: Capitol tours
- OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM)
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/visit/lake-of-the-ozarks-two-days/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.