Geocaching
Hiking
Dogwood Canyon
Within minutes of the bright lights of Branson, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, trout and bass fishing, hunting, trap and skeet shooting, spelunking, rock climbing and recreational and competitive sporting activities. Area public parks, beaches, resorts, campgrounds, forests and recreational facilities abound. The Branson/Lakes Area has three pristine lakes with hundreds of miles of natural shoreline and more than 100,000 acres of city, state, federal and privately-owned forest, conservation, wildlife, wilderness and park areas available to visitors. Included in the Branson area on Hwy. 76 W, guests can hike the trail at the 1,574-acre Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area. There are three hiking trails, a cave and a view of Lake Taneycomo within the 130-acre Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area on Fall Creek Road. Missouri’s 1.5-million acre Mark Twain National Forest offers guests a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities in and around the nearby towns of Kimberling City and Forsyth.
Topography The Ozark Mountain terrain of caves, streams, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, grasslands, forests, steep rocky hillsides, bottomland and glades make up the breathtaking topography of the Branson/Lakes Area. 30
Big Cedar Lodge
Balds Although hardwood forests cover much of the Branson/ Lakes Area, one of the most intriguing features is the “glades,” frequently referred to as “balds” by locals because of their characteristically sparse terrain of semi-desert soil, ledge-rock, scattered cedar trees and prairie plants amidst rolling seas of oak and hickory trees. You’ll most often see glades on the south- and west-facing slopes of hills where intense and prolonged sunlight coupled with fires started by lightning or by Native Americans and early settlers have kept them relatively clear of trees.
Bald Knobbers The area’s balds served as important meeting spots for the 1880’s vigilante justice gangs that organized in Taney County after many years of lawlessness following the Civil War. Started by upstanding citizens, the Bald Knobbers as they became known, concealed their identities for fear of retribution by criminals and eventually lost popular support due to their increasingly ruthless and seemingly indiscriminate tactics. You can still see “Baldknobbers” in Branson, the musical instrument-toting kind, at the Baldknobbers’ Jamboree show and as characters in the Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Drama, both of which are well past their 50th year of bringing music and entertainment to Branson audiences. (Cont.)
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