Lake of the Ozarks is an approximately 54,000-acre reservoir on the Osage River in central Missouri, spanning Camden, Miller, Morgan, and Benton counties. It was created in 1931 when Union Electric (now Ameren Missouri) completed Bagnell Dam and the Osage Energy Center for hydroelectric power. Unlike most large Missouri reservoirs, it is a privately operated FERC-licensed hydro lake rather than a Corps flood-control project.

The lake has about 1,150 miles of shoreline—often nicknamed the Missouri Dragon for its serpentine shape—averages near 70 feet deep, and reaches about 130 feet near the dam. The main Osage Arm stretches roughly 92 miles from Bagnell Dam upstream toward Truman Lake, with major arms on the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois Creek. Most shoreline is privately owned and heavily developed with docks and homes within a few feet of the water.

Lake of the Ozarks is one of the Midwest's busiest recreation destinations for boating, water sports, and fishing for black bass, crappie, catfish, and paddlefish, with fisheries managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Marinas, public ramps, state parks, and resort communities from Osage Beach to Camdenton provide dense access along the developed shoreline.

Water levels on Lake of the Ozarks are managed by Ameren Missouri around a normal full pool of 660.0 feet above mean sea level, and the lake typically varies only a few feet because it is not operated as a Corps flood-storage reservoir. Truman Dam releases and Osage River inflow still move the pool, and Ameren's FERC project boundary near 662 feet governs shoreline permitting, so monitoring current lake levels remains useful for docks, navigation, and shoreline work.

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