Written Directions
From the intersection of MO-5/MO-76 and MO-14 (NW 12th Ave.) in Ava, MO, head west on MO-14. Continue for approximately 27.5 miles to the intersection with MO-125 on the east side of Sparta, MO.
Scenery
The route travels through mostly open fields with occasional wooded sections, especially in the middle portion of the route. The route travels through a combination of creek valleys, ravines, and broad ridge tops. This gives some nice views of the northern edge of the Missouri Ozarks, with some nice colors in the fall.
Drive Enjoyment
The beginning of the route is easy sweeping turns and rolling hills. This turns into some tighter sequences of turns and more dramatic hills and ravines in the middle section, before ending with a generally straight, gently rolling section for the last third of the route, with a few easy chicane like curves, ending with left/right set of tighter turns.
Tourism Opportunities
The town of Ava is the county seat of Douglas County, and has numerous notable sites, including Militia Spring Park and the Ava Ranger Station Historic District (on the National Historic Register), many shops and restaurants, and is home to the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association. The town of Sparta is smaller, with only a couple of restaurants, but is a bedroom community of the greater Springfield area.
