A small, tucked away lake has been a favorite since my arrival to Missouri. Down a windy, dirt road, past a farm with cows, Austin Lake offers a place to explore and escape. The whole park is 22 acres, but the accessible parts cover much less territory, but enough for a nearby outing into nature.
I first explored the lake as a local escape from city life, in a rental in town. Even though the town only had 5,000 people, living in the thick of traffic and businesses was why I had moved in the first place.
When we took the dog for a walk around the lake the first time, there were only a few other people and one other dog there. The people left and that dog stayed. It followed us, stayed a few feet back, respectfully behind our dog, but was friendly and seemed happy for the company. It went for the whole walk. We named our host Sandy. And on each subsequent visit, Sandy joined us most of the time and stopped following/chasing the car at the yard of a house that bordered on the lake.
There isn’t much description or history on the Conservation Department’s web page for the lake, but another site offered an aerial drone video of it. click here to see video of Austin Lake 2016
There’s a wide, mowed path around half of the lake with two benches, facing one another across the water. The raised path offers a view of cows on the farm next door and gorgeous sunsets. There’s a picnic pavilion with covered tables out of the heat or rain and an adjacent charcoal grill. I’m not a fan of vault toilets, but when you have to go, it’s good to have them on property.
Local fisherman drop by to enjoy the aluminum dock with roof, which is kid and pet friendly with railings. There is also a boat ramp. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the lake, but it was a calm place for canoeing. Once on the water, one sees trees and stumps underwater, so I wouldn’t take a bigger boat here.
While the state’s website lists wildlife such as Canadian Geese, white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits and squirrels, it’s flora offers a gorgeous variety of trees, grasses and plant life. The other side of the lake has a small forest with trails that are carpeted with pine needles.
As we ventured further and further from town to explore, I didn’t see Austin Lake for a bit. Last year, a local family opened a brewery in town (click here to see) A-Squared Brewing Company, and gave their drafts names that the locals would recognize. Austin’s Lake Lager caught my attention. They too knew a great spot.