Completed in 1980, Long Branch Lake is a 2430 acre reservoir at the junction of Long Branch Creek and the East Fork of the Little Chariton River, just west of Macon, Missouri. Long Branch State Park borders the southern portion of the Lake and covers the Bee Trace Peninsula that stretches between the feeder streams; other shorelines and the backwater zone are protected within State Conservation Areas.
A popular destination for hunting, fishing and camping, the Lake and its surroundings are also excellent for wildlife watching and uncrowded hiking. Indeed, on this sunny, mild morning, my wife and I found that human activity was almost exclusively limited to the marina and campground areas. Though a limited trail network connects those sites, 7.5 miles of trails wind through the Bee Trace Peninsula and several backroads lead to isolated beaches along the reservoir.
The natural habitat is a mix of grassland, bottomland woods and upland oak-hickory forest. Among our sightings today were two immature bald eagles, great blue herons, northern bobwhites, red-headed woodpeckers, brown thrashers and eastern phoebes (not to mention dozens of turkey vultures). Just an hour's drive north of Columbia, the lake and its adjacent ecosystems proved to be a rewarding day trip.
