This Incredible Park In The Ozarks Offers Nature Trails, Waterfalls, And Wildlife Tours

Not far from one of the top five U.S. glamping spots and about half an hour southwest of Table Rock State Park, you can discover a gem of the Ozarks. While officially located in Lampe, Missouri, this destination actually stretches across the Arkansas-Missouri border to encompass a total of 10,000 acres. Throughout that acreage, thoughtfully planned hiking trails and paved walking paths weave past waterfalls and forests of sycamores, maples, and dogwoods. Dogwood trees even give the place part of its name.

Known as Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, this attraction began taking shape in 1990, when Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris bought a tract of land that would grow to include everything from horseback riding stables to a working gristmill. Today, the Dogwood Mill is what greets all those entering the park, and its inner machinations can be viewed as visitors walk through to the Artifact Hall. Filled with displays showcasing relics related to the region's natural history and Indigenous heritage, the Artifact Hall sits between the mill and the on-site restaurant.

Outside the windows lining the hall and restaurant, more outdoorsy views await in the form of a tiered waterfall framed by tree-topped cliffs. While it's worth taking the time to sit down and enjoy a meal with a side of waterfall views here (especially if you're traveling with kids who need some entertainment as they eat), sightseers eager to jump into the park itself can continue walking on through to the breezeway, where the trams pick up for wildlife tours. This is also where those who prefer to explore on foot can start wandering the trails that wind through Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. While visiting the area during a press trip (which included free lodging and meals) hosted by the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation, I experienced all of these elements of the park and more. Here are some of the most important details for travelers to know.

Parkgoers who want to set their own pace can spend hours exploring the various trails throughout Dogwood Canyon. While the main breezeway is also used by trams, there is another path behind the treehouse and Conservation Center (both fun, interactive spaces worth perusing) that pedestrians can follow. This starting area is also where you can rent bikes.

As visitors set off on their merry way, they'll see find the park's primary walkway paved and able to accommodate strollers, bikes, and mobility aids such as wheelchairs. Within Dogwood Canyon, these developed trails span about 6.5 miles and weave between key sights. While you walk, look out for highlights like the waterfall and ancient burial cave site at the park's entrance, the Hope Wilderness Chapel, and the twin streams of Wish Bowl Falls. For easier navigation, pick up a paper map of the park; it'll help you locate and identify all of these wonders and a list of 20 others. A map will also guide you toward the park's unpaved hiking trails. Off the main walkway, hikers can pursue detours along the forested, half-mile-long Hickory Ridge Trail, the moderately challenging Pine Ridge Pass, or the rocky Box Canyon Trail. These three routes are less developed, allowing visitors a chance to feel fully immersed in nature.

Cyclists will have to stick to the main paved trail. Thankfully, restrooms are located in a handful of places along this route, so no one will need to double back to the park's entrance for a pit stop. Anyone who follows the paved pathway to its end will also cross state lines from Missouri into Arkansas. This area is located near the Bison-Elk Country pasture, but only tram tour passengers can actually enter the pasture.

Far from your standard tour, Dogwood Canyon Nature Park's wildlife tram tours load you into an open-air passenger car and lead you toward some of the area's best sights. During this two-hour adventure, visitors can expect to ride over stream crossings and past waterfalls while a guide shares details about the region's history, flora, and fauna. One of this excursion's biggest perks is that it grants you access to the Bison-Elk Country pasture. Located across state lines in the Arkansas portion of Dogwood Canyon, the pasture not only hosts elk and bison but also eye-catching longhorn cattle. Seeing these animals up close is a grounding experience that travelers seeking less screen time and more connection with nature will love. Plus, the information provided by tour guides will particularly appeal to wildlife enthusiasts.

America's complex history with bison isn't glossed over during this tour, either. Instead, its impact on bison populations and Indigenous cultures can be recognized and discussed alongside Dogwood Canyon's ongoing conservation efforts. This throughline of consideration also connects to the off-site but nearby Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, which founder Johnny Morris had blessed by the Native American Tribal Council (a group which has some of its leaders featured in historical displays at the museum). Those curious to explore this site after visiting Dogwood Canyon Nature Park will find it within the larger Big Cedar Lodge property in Ridgedale, Missouri. Overlooking Table Rock Lake (a nationally renowned fishing spot), the lodge is part accommodations, part outdoorsy theme park. Self-described as a "wilderness resort," this area features a nature trail, golf courses, restaurants, swimming pools, and even a family-friendly park called Fun Mountain (complete with go-carts, bowling, a ropes course, and other amenities).