Dogwood Canyon

A beautiful drive about 40 minutes from Branson you will find the Amazing Dogwood Canyon.

This place is spectacular.

I highly recommend making reservations for any of the tours they offer at least 2-3 days in advance.  We made reservations for a Saturday tour on Thursday, and were only able to get a late afternoon – 3:00 Tram tour.

You can walk/hike, bike, ride a Segway or a Tram tour through this amazing park.  Each tour – even walking costs you extra money, but it is completely worth it to see the amazing waterfalls and natural beauty of the Ozarks.  There is even a restaurant on property, where you can enjoy food and beverage, or just sit on the porch outside of the restaurant and gaze at the magnificent waterfall.

Cost:

We choose the Tram Tour which cost $35 a person.  The 2 hour tour on an open air tram pulled by a Toyota Sequoia was the perfect way to see the entire park, as well as the animals, including Buffalo, Elk, Deer and Long Horned Cattle.  The prices are a little high, but once you get in and see all the beauty, it is completely worth it.  This is a privately owned park and not state funded, so all the funds help to maintain the park.

The property was first acquired by Johnny Morris, the Founder/CEO of Bass Pro Shops in 1990. The park is owned and maintained by the Dogwood Canyon Foundation, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to protecting the canyon’s natural plant and wildlife environment.

Tram Tour:

Our tram operator was extremely knowledgeable and funny at the same time.  You could really tell that he enjoyed his job with Dog Wood Canyon.

The tram is the only way to see the animals in Bison-Elk country.

As you pass through the park on the tram, the operator has certain stops, and would even let you get out at certain areas to explore.

There were two different stops where you could see trout, and he even brought along fish food, and the fish almost came right up on the bridge.  If you choose to walk or bike through the park, you could actually fish in certain spots.  The places we stopped at you could see the rainbow trout and even golden trout.

Passing the beautiful scenery was amazing, but all the different waterfalls was truly one of the reasons we choose to see Dogwood Canyon.  The abundance of waterfalls is amazing.  There were over 10 large waterfalls and numerous smaller waterfalls that we saw right from the road, or even up close.

Seeing all the waterfalls and beautiful scenery was breath taking.  I would love to come back in the fall and see all the trees change color and spend more time taking photos and my husband would love to try fishing for some of the rainbow trout!

Summary

Dogwood Canyon is an amazing place for anyone, including nature lovers, fishermen, hikers, bikers and just the average tourist.  The short drive from Branson is quick and has some great views of its own.  I highly recommend taking the time to spend the day or even a ½ of a day at the beautiful privately owned nature park.