About the Area
Binder Community Lake provides the birders of Jefferson City with excellent waterfowl and shorebird viewing opportunities. Binder Park Road, which follows the western shoreline, has multiple parking lots for ease of access to the water. A small marsh is located on the northern tip of the lake. Arrive just before sunrise and listen for sora, Virginia rail, and American bittern. When the marsh birds stop calling, move to the main body of the lake and set up a spotting scope. You never know what you will see. Visitors have seen surf scoter, Caspian tern, and red-necked grebe, to name a few. A pair of mute swans is commonly found cruising along the shoreline of Binder Lake.
From Jefferson City, take Highway 50 west to the Apache Flats/St. Martin’s exit, continue west on Business 50, turn right (north) at South Binder Lake Road, left (west) on Rainbow Drive, and right (north) on Binder Park Road.
You will be near downtown Jefferson City, which offers all the dining and lodging accommodations you might need. The Capitol building sits atop a limestone bluff and greets visitors to the city. If anyone in your group is a history buff, they might enjoy checking out the Lewis and Clark Monument Trailhead Plaza, the Museum of Missouri Military History, or the Cole County Historical Museum. If you’re in the mood for something spooky, the Missouri State Penitentiary offers tours of the “bloodiest 47 acres in America.” Many local birding hotspots are also nearby. You might visit Marion Bottoms Conservation Area or Scrivner Road Conservation Area.