Ft. Leonard Wood, MO

Ande Flagg

Have you ever longed to live in the middle of nowhere yet have all the accommodations you need right at your fingertips? Then go get lost in the woods!

Fort Leonard Wood (FLW) is affectionately and unofficially also known as Fort Lost in the Woods. It is a training and doctrine (TRADOC) post “in the middle of nowhere” Missouri and serves as the home of the Army Engineers, Military Police and Chemical Corps. We lived there twice for the two engineer courses Tim needed to attend, Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) and the Career Course.

Living on Post

Our first time at Ft. Leonard Wood was for Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC). I talk about the moving experience here. The house we moved into was an unrenovated 1960’s era duplex that was falling down around us. The post promptly razed it after we moved out. This was good.

Most of the post now has updated housing done over the course of the last 15 or so years. Our old neighborhood is now full of renovated ranch-style homes that are predominately single-family quarters. Most of the duplexes were remodeled and updated as larger homes.

On our second time around for my husband’s career course, we found ourselves in a brand-new townhouse duplex in a different part of post. Since FLW is not very big, it was not a matter of choosing a “better” part of post. Rather we were given a home that better suited our needs. The fact that we had two kiddos of early elementary ages and we were living on a cul-de-sac with a playground in sight of the kitchen was a huge benefit. I could encourage play time outside knowing the cars wouldn’t be going 30 mph through our street.

Happily Lost in the Woods

My friends and I know a secret that helps us submit a preference list when it’s time to PCS. The more isolated the post, the better the community. While Fort Leonard Wood is far away from all the big cities, it is definitely a place with a strong sense of community. Both times we lived there we felt like we were back in the mid twentieth century.

Families would gather outside to watch kids play in front yards. For trick or treating whole families walked together, leaving candy on front porches while they strolled and enjoyed seeing each other’s costumes while visiting in the neighborhood. One of my favorite memories was a few families gathering regularly on our street. We’d pop over to a friend’s home after dinner on a Friday night and let the kids play until the sun went down. It was a great way to get to know the neighbors.

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

A petting zoo on post entertained the boys one summer.

The garrison’s efforts to build a sense of community was noticeable too. There were activities geared toward whole families that were the talk of the neighborhood. A petting zoo came to visit one summer while we were there. They had concerts and fireworks in the summer too. I remember an Oktoberfest celebration in the fall, full of brats, German beer, and even folk dancing!

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

Daugherty Bowling Center kept the Flaggs busy while they were at Ft. Leonard Wood.

The garrison also made sure to keep the regular amenities available to the military community up to date too. This encompassed the library, The Rec Plex (which included the pool) and the bowling alley. To this day I have never seen such as well stocked children’s library on a military installation. The weekly story time was a highlight of our week both times we lived at FLW.

The Rec Plex included the pool, a mini golf course and go karts. The pool required a pass and was the only outdoor pool on post. If you needed more than the slides and diving boards available there, you could always go off post to the community pool and Aqua Park in St Robert. The bowling alley was a popular place whether for time to get together or for birthday parties or even league play.

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

The City Museum in St. Louis provides endless entertainment for kids.

The website reminded me of just how comprehensive the MWR offerings are at FLW. We were able to get (very good) discounted tickets from MWR for the City Museum in St. Louis.

Lake of the Ozarks Recreation Area (LORA) provided cabins to rent on the lake, boat rentals for a day or a place to park your camper. You can read more about the recreation area here.

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

Several caves on post provide underground thrills for the whole family.

Some other fun things I remember doing while we were there included exploring the caves that are on post and open to the public. The one we took the boys to see was just big enough and enough of a hike to be a wonder to our little guys.

If you want a bigger cave experience, Meramec Caverns is about 75 minutes east on I-40. Take a lunch or add it to a day you need to drop someone off at the airport in St Louis. It’s an easy trip.

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

Tim took the boys fishing while at Ft. Leonard Wood.

Tim also took the boys fishing in the trout pond where they stocked the trout seasonally, but the fishing was available year round. The Outdoor Recreation Center website did say that they have hunting and fishing licenses available along with information on post regulations.

Venturing Out

Just beyond the gates, the FLW area had a lot of outdoor activities available including hiking, camping, hunting, fishing and canoeing on the Roubidoux River. Seasonally there were various festivals around town and in the park. One of my favorites was the Veteran’s Day Parade!

About 45 minutes away is a larger town named Rolla and the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T) . A cooperative agreement between the university and the Army allows career course students at FLW to get graduate degrees. My husband did one of the programs while we were there. His master’s degree has served him well, opening up some additional doors in the Army.

Finally, there is a reason FLW is known as Fort Lost in the Woods. If you are a city lover, you might be a little sad. Alas! But St. Louis is an easy two-hour drive away, a great day trip. If you just want better shopping, but a bit closer Osage Beach offers Target and outlets. You can also go to Springfield for shopping, which is about 90 minutes away.

Christopher Boswell/Adobe Stock

Springfield offers a “bigger city” shopping experience.

Springfield has the Bass Pro Flagship store. We still go there whenever we are in the area. Pro tip: The small building next door is an outlet filled with their “last year’s” gear, sometimes for cheap!

Between Springfield and Branson (a resort town and an hour beyond Springfield) is one of our favorite places to eat. It’s the home of the “throwed rolls” or Lambert’s Cafe. It’s worth the wait!

There is plenty to do in Missouri, but you will have to drive a little way to get there. Perhaps, since Missouri is the “Show Me” state, all the driving you will do to get various places is an opportunity for Missouri to “Show you” all of the wilderness that it has to offer.

There’s always more

After sharing everything I could remember, I looked at pictures and realized even though we only lived there for a total of about 20 months, I still forgot things.

Since FLW is the home of the Army’s engineers, we celebrated the Engineer Corps with a ball. It was the largest (and perhaps the best) ball we have ever attended in our 14 years of Army life. It was a true celebration of the engineers, so engineers from all over the country came to the ball.

Ande Flagg/PCS Adventures

Ande and Tim attend the Engineer Ball.

To add to the festivities, I participated in some spouse events designed to help us learn more about “a day in the life” of an Army Engineer. This may have been part of the special things they did for career course spouses, but if you have a chance to do something similar, I recommend it. It was fun and a learning experience for sure.

Finally, the U.S. Army Engineer Museum is at FLW is worth a visit. While it is small, it is a fun place to take the kiddos and out of town guests. This is one of the places social events are often held, so you may get to see it often. The gift shop is tiny, but the only place to get real US Engineer bling and do-dads.