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The Atlas/Missouri/Lake of the Ozarks BikeFest
Rally · Event

Lake of the Ozarks BikeFestSep 15–20, 2026 · Missouri

Sep 15–20, 2026
Next dates
6 days
September, ~6 days
—
Attendance
Missouri
Region

The Lake of the Ozarks BikeFest is a multi-day lake-wide motorcycle rally centered on Lake Ozark and Osage Beach in central Missouri. Now in its 19th year, the event spans more than 300 biker-friendly establishments throughout the Lake of the Ozarks area and features 50+ live music and entertainment shows, vendor villages, bike shows, and mapped scenic rides through the surrounding Ozark hills. It is the largest recurring motorcycle rally in Missouri.

// Why riders attend

Missouri's largest motorcycle rally takes over the entire Lake of the Ozarks area each September — more than 300 biker-friendly stops, 50+ live music shows, and mapped scenic rides through the rolling Ozark hills, all free to attend.

// The rally

Started in 2006 by local businesses wanting riders to explore the region, BikeFest has grown from a few thousand attendees into the largest recurring motorcycle rally in Missouri. The event is not anchored to a single venue — it spreads across Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, and the broader lake area, with activity at bars, restaurants, campgrounds, and outdoor venues throughout the week. Lodging can book up quickly, so planning ahead and centering your base in Osage Beach or Lake Ozark puts you close to the main action.

On the riding side, the rally publishes mapped scenic routes through the Ozark hills that riders can download and follow at their own pace. The Bagnell Dam Strip closes to car traffic during the event, leaving it open to motorcycles only. For a structured option, the Passport Run — a charity fundraiser for the Christian Motorcycle Association — sends riders to participating stops around the lake, with completed passports entered for a motorcycle giveaway.

Beyond riding, expect vendor villages with gear and apparel, bike builder displays, and more than 50 live music and entertainment shows spread across the lake area across genres from classic rock to country. The rally is free to attend, though individual events or merchandise may have a cost.

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// Rider photos

Shot by the riders who've run it.

Riders upload photos to their profile and tag the road or stop — tagged shots show up here automatically.

1 rider submission
2023
@dilsmitty
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// Ride it into the rally

The best two-lane within a tank of the venue — fold one into your route in.

StopMissouri
Big Spring
Missouri
One of the largest springs in the United States, Big Spring discharges an average of 286 million gallons of water per day from the base of a 140-foot dolomite bluff on the Current River, 4 miles south of Van Buren off MO-103. Managed by the National Park Service as part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the site has a paved parking area, a short trail to the spring pool, and a historic CCC-era picnic shelter. Riders on MO-103 or the Ozark Hellbender route (MO-19 corridor) routinely detour here; the blue-green water emerging from solid rock is a striking visual reward.
StopMissouri
Carl's Drive-In
Missouri
Carl's Drive-In at 9033 Manchester Road in Brentwood sits on the historic Route 66 alignment west of St. Louis. The small carhop-style stand dates to a 1918 service station footprint and has operated as a restaurant since the 1940s; Carl Meyer bought and renamed it in 1959. The menu centers on burgers, hot dogs, onion rings, and root beer floats from a hand-dipped soft-serve machine. The retro stand is routinely featured in Route 66 guides as one of the few genuinely intact mid-century carhop experiences still operating in Missouri.
StopMissouri
Eminence — Ozark Hellbender Hub
Missouri
Eminence (pop. ~515) is the county seat of Shannon County and the geographic heart of Missouri's Ozark National Scenic Riverways. Sitting at the intersection of MO-19 and MO-106, it is the named starting/turnaround point of the 122-mile Ozark Hellbender motorcycle route — a loop through nearly 300 curves in the Mark Twain National Forest. The small downtown has basic services: fuel, a couple of cafes, canoe and kayak outfitters, and campgrounds along the Jacks Fork River. The town is consistently cited by motorcycle route guides as the anchor stop of the southeastern Missouri Ozarks.