MDC to host 38th annual Poosey Conservation Area fall tour Oct. 20

Chillicothe, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will welcome visitors to the 38th annual fall driving tour at the Poosey Conservation Area from noon until 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20. The driving tour gives visitors a chance to enjoy fall color while touring on gravel service roads that are not normally open to public vehicle traffic. Visitors can drive on winding lanes through forest and woodlands. MDC will provide a tour brochure at the entrance that points out nature interpretive stops along the route.

The tour route begins at Pike's Lake. It includes a few steep grades in places along with a few creek crossings. A vehicle (or other mode of transport) with high clearance is recommended. Visitors can count on a slow driving pace.

Each year the tour draws families and community groups riding on trailers or on wagons drawn by pickups or horses. Couples in horse-drawn buggies are common, as are riders of all ages on horseback. Cars, pickup trucks, and the occasional bicyclist also traverse the tour.

The interpretive stops along the route showcase conservation practices such as timber stand improvement and native warm season grassland. At a midway point, visitors will find exhibits on nature, conservation and the Poosey area history, and they can visit with MDC staff about conservation issues.

For tour information, contact MDC’s Chillicothe Office at 660-646-6122. Maps and information about Poosey Conservation Area are available at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZFd.