Ha Ha Tonka Castle Bluff
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri · 902 ft
Stone walls and empty window arches of a 1905 mansion sit on a bluff about 250 feet above the Niangua arm of Lake of the Ozarks. Oak and maple on the karst slopes fill the drop between the ruins and the water, and low sun rakes the limestone.
Typical peak
Oct 18 – Oct 26
Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Best light
Best at sunset
Crowds
high
Busy through peak. Be parked before sunrise or expect to walk in.
Getting there
Turn off US-54 south of Camdenton onto MO-D, park at the castle lot, and walk 100 yards to the ruins and the bluff rail.
What turns here
- sugar maple
- white oak
- eastern redcedar
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 22Typical color progression for Ha Ha Tonka Castle Bluff. No change from Sep 14 to Oct 1. First color from Oct 1 to Oct 10. Approaching peak from Oct 10 to Oct 18. Peak from Oct 18 to Oct 26. Past peak from Oct 26 to Nov 5. Bare from Nov 5 to Nov 19.
Color starts around Oct 1.
Light at peak
Ha Ha Tonka Castle Bluff on October 22, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:59 AM |
| Sunrise Rises ESE · 103° | 7:26 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 36 min of low, warm light | 8:02 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 12:55 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 36 min before sunset | 5:48 PM |
| Sunset Sets WSW · 256° | 6:24 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:51 PM |
Times in America/Chicago · day length 10h 58m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises ESE, sets WSW.
Aim within 45° of those and the canopy glows translucent. Turn your back to them for flat, accurate color.
Location pages name the light directly.
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.