This is the seventh post of a new travel series to Branson, Missouri. To start at the beginning, go HERE!

Our last day in Branson was one of our best days. My husband and I did something together we have not done since we were dating....bike riding! I have begged my husband for years to go bike riding with me, but he always resisted. For the first time in over 35 years he finally said "yes" and we had so much fun I not only purchased an E-Bike after this experience, but we are planning many more bike riding trips.

We began our new adventure at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. It is owned by the non profit Johnny Morris foundation. Johnny Morris is the founder of Bass Sports Shops, who also owns Top of the Rock. Dogwood Canyon is a "10,000 acre outdoor paradise nestled in the Ozark Mountains". Here you can engage in a variety of activities such as hiking & biking, horseback riding, and wildlife tours.

There is a beautiful six mile round trip trail you can either hike or bike. We chose to bike, but I was surprised how many people were hiking it. The bikes only cost $15 per person to rent which I thought was a steal compared to most bike rental places. The trail is SO BEAUTIFUL and is filled with the most gorgeous natural scenery, amazing bridges which are architectural marvels to me, and lots and lots of waterfalls.

There are twenty four points of interest on the trail and I think we stopped at each and every one. We loved this covered bridge which was built by the Amish.

My husband took this short video while we were riding bikes. Because we are early risers, we were the first ones to arrive at Dogwood Canyon and had the trail pretty much to ourselves. It was so peaceful. Later in the day, it did fill up fast and at times it was hard to maneuver a bike around all the hikers who would take up the whole trail instead of staying to the right. I highly recommend getting there early if you can, or late in the afternoon a few hours before they close.

Our next stop was the Hope Wilderness Chapel; a log church with glass walls behind the podium and a waterfall in the background. Wouldn't you love to go to this church on a weekly basis? Dogwood Canyon does host wedding here and at other spots on the property.

This is the waterfall behind the church. It has a beautiful large patio for receptions.

Here's a short video of the waterfall behind the Chapel.

Hubby enjoyed viewing the waterfall from the comfort of one the rocking chairs.

The bikes you can rent were just simple one speed bikes with pedal brakes. I really struggled with the pedal brakes as I'm use to hand brakes and almost ended up in a crash because I couldn't stop my bike in time. Thankfully, I remained upright! 😄

If you don't like to bike or hike, you can also ride the tram. You also get to go a little bit farther on the trail in the tram to see wildlife like bison and elk. The tram costs $34 for an adult, and $24 for a child. A lot of people complain on-line about the cost of Dogwood Canyon because you have to pay admission plus the cost of the bikes or trams. I actually understand the admission price because people who want to go hiking should have to pay a park entrance fee just like you do at most state or national parks. People come to Dogwood Canyon to do different activities, so it makes sense to have an admission fee. Once you are in the park, you can pay specifically for what you want to do whether it's biking or horse back riding or the tram ride. Hiking is free once you paid your admission fee. They also have combo tickets which same you a lot of money. When we went to the Top of the Rock, we purchased our Dogwood Canyon admission at the same time and got a significant discount.

This beautiful waterfall is Thunder Falls, number six of the scenic stops.

I truly lost count of how many gorgeous bridges we crossed. The entire trail seems to constantly have views of moving water and waterfalls.

This is the Great Spirit Rock Shelter. This is a spot not to be missed because you can get off your bike and walk behind the waterfall!

The bridge to the rock shelter was so cool! I love the bear statue poking out!

From the top of the rock shelter you also have a great panoramic view!

Here is a short video of me walking under the waterfall.

Below is "Kid's Cave", number 12 of the scenic stops.

This was one of my favorite waterfalls..."Glory Hole", number 14 of the scenic stops. I just loved the turquoise blue water, the ornate fencing on top of the falls, and the plants hanging down the rock edge.

All the water features had trout that you could feed with fish food the park sold. It was so fun feeding the fish.

I love how you can see another waterfall under this stone arch.

Turtle Rock Bridge is very appropriately named as the rocks on the bridge looked like turtle shells.

Scenic spot #19 is Emerald Pool...gorgeous isn't it?

You do cross state lines on this trail. You could put one foot in Missouri and the other in Arkansas.

At the very end of the trail, bikers and hikers must stop at Wish Bowl Falls, the tram riders however continue on to go to the Wildlife section to view bison and elk.

Wish Bowl Falls is a beautiful double waterfall flowing over moss covered rock into stunning blue water.

The pool is filled with these gorgeous golden rainbow trout. I thought they were koi at first, so I referred to them as koi in the video below, but later I found out that they were trout.

But our adventure did not end with the bike ride, for there is so much to see and do here. In the gorgeous mill you see below is a restaurant, there is also a more inexpensive place you can eat outside on the patio that serves hot dogs and such.

Diners can enjoy viewing a gorgeous waterfall as they dine. The waterfall can also be seen inside the restaurant.

I love how the mill is built against the rock. It appears as if the glass is coming out of the rock.

Here is a short video of the mill and waterfall.

The inside of the mill is just as stunning as the outside. You are free to go inside and walk around even if you are not eating at the restaurant. Apparently they do live demonstrations of how they use the mill to make products and those products are also available to purchase. I did not see live demonstrations going on when we were visiting, but I would have loved that!

Across from the Mill & Restaurant is the Nature and Conservation Center. It is a two story building with a nice gift shop below and the Nature center above.

It is filled with nature demonstrations like this eagles nest and taxidermy.

There were also several large classrooms. The foundation educates about the importance of protecting and conserving the great outdoors.

But perhaps the most exciting thing in this area was the TREEHOUSE built by Animal Planets "Treehouse Masters".

The suspension bridge leads to both the treehouse and the Nature and Conservation Center.

Here is a four minute video of me exploring the treehouse!

And that concludes my last post of Branson Missouri. It was such a fun trip and very different from our usual adventures. I never thought we would have so much fun just going to Branson for a week, but we did! Sometimes, the simplest vacations are the best vacations.

Next week I will finish this series with a stop at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens, which we hit on the way home.

For more posts on Branson, Missouri, check out these posts:

Six Days In Branson, Missouri: Silver Dollar City, Day One

Six Days in Branson, Missouri: Silver Dollar City, Day Two

Six Days in Branson, Missouri: Day Three, "Top of the Rock"

Six Days in Branson, Missouri: Day Three, The Fish Hatchery and College of the Ozarks

Six Days in Branson, Missouri: Day Four, The Titanic Museum and "David"

Six Days in Branson, Missouri: Day Five, The Butterfly Palace and a Branson Waterfall!

Day Four of Our Vacation in Missouri - A Visit to Branson

A Return to Branson, Missouri, Part One

A Return to Branson, Missouri, Part Two

Have A Great Day! Amy