A Complete Guide to Branson Hiking Trails

There are countless outdoor activities in Branson, MO and the surrounding area, but the Branson hiking trails are by far my favorites. Whether you are visiting Branson and want to enjoy the natural beauty of the area or you’re a Branson local looking for something fun to do on your day off, I hope this Branson hiking trail guide is helpful for you!

***This is very much a work in progress and still has missing info but I wanted to go ahead and publish the info I have ready for people planning trips to Branson soon!**

- Want to skip straight to the list of trails? Click here!

I noticed something when I was searching for a list of Branson hiking trails recently: every list I came across was either seriously lacking in detail or compiled by someone who had clearly never actually done any of the trails. I also found guides that would just describe a trail as “moderate” or “easy” very frustrating. Easy for who? Give me details!

So I wanted to put together a guide to Branson hiking trails that’s actually helpful. I’ve tried to include everything I can think of to help you know what to expect. Is this a trail you can bring small kids on, or is it better for experienced hikers? Do you need waterproof shoes to cross creeks and make your way through mud? If there are multiple trails at one location, what’s the best one if you have one hour and want the best experience?

I’ve almost hiked every trail on this list multiple times, usually 10+ times. For the few exceptions that I haven’t gotten to yet, I did extensive searching to pull together as much information as possible for you and will continue to update this page as I get the chance to explore them in person.

To keep things organized and easy, I’ve included the following info for each of the Branson hiking trails:

💭 Summary: The trail summed up in a few words so that you can quickly decide if you want to learn more.

🌿 Number of trails: Many locations have just one trail, but others have several to choose from.

⏲️ Estimated Time: A ballpark figure of how long to allow if you’re walking a trail at a moderate pace and perhaps stopping to take a few photos. My goal is to at least give you an idea if you should plan on 20 minutes or two hours.

🚴 Bikes? I’m not a mountain biker (yet!) but a lot of these trails are popular with people who are, and a couple are great for regular bikes, too.

🐕 Dog Friendly Hiking Trails in Branson: If a trail has any signs about whether four-legged friends are welcome or not, I’ll include that, plus whether or not they have bags to clean up after them or any other relevant info. (Side note: If you go hiking with an adventure cat, I totally want to see photos!)

🔰 Difficulty Level: It’s hard to give objective difficulty ratings; one person’s walk in the park is another person’s Mt. Everest. Since our definitions of the “average person” might be quite different from each other, I’m basing my ratings on someone who is at a fitness level where you’re comfortable walking for an hour but not a serious athlete. I try to include info for those with mobility disabilities, because the outdoors are for everyone. I’ll be using the following 1-5 rating system to help you decide if a trail is right for you:

1 – A casual stroll. This trail is suitable for almost anyone, including small children and those with limited fitness levels. Perfect for a long chat with your walking buddy while enjoying the scenery.

2 – A fairly easy trail. This may be a bit longer or rougher than a level 1 trail, or offer some sort of obstacle like crossing a stream that may somewhat limit who can navigate it. You might need to be able to step over large rocks or walk up and down some moderate hills, but otherwise it’s just a nice walk in the woods.

3- A moderate trail. This trail might be a bit of a workout, but still suitable for our “average” person described above.

4- Moderately difficult – A physically challenging trail, either in terms of length, rugged terrain, or other factors.

5- Difficult – A serious challenge. To be honest, it’s unlikely you’ll see me reviewing any of these. I’m a writer who spends most of my time in front of a laptop! If you’d like to review difficult Branson hiking trails (if we even have any here?) for this site, though, let me know!

🌿 Terrain makes a big difference! A half mile long trail that’s rocky and steep can be ten times more exhausting than a two mile long flat, paved trail, in my experience.

Paved: I’ll note if these are suitable for strollers and wheelchairs.
Smooth: Not paved, but a mostly flat surface. This may include trails with gravel or wood chip footing, or dirt trails that are not very rocky. You can probably do these in whatever comfortable shoes you happened to pack.
Natural: A natural dirt or grassy trail. May be a bit hilly or rocky (skip the flip-flops for these!), but not especially rugged.
Rough: Expect steep hills, rocky footing, or otherwise uneven footing that is going to require your attention.

📸 Points of Interest: Is there a scenic overlook point, an old cabin, a cool waterfall, or something else to see along the way?

🚻 Facilities: Are there restrooms, water fountains, or sinks available near the trail? If so, they will be listed here.

❇️ Also On Site: Playgrounds, gift shops, attractions, and anything else you might find at the same location.

🧭 Where to Find It: How to get to the trail. I’ve provided an address you can use in your GPS or Maps app if possible, otherwise nearby streets and landmarks are given. Parking is also noted here.

🗺️ Trail Map: If a map of the trail is available online, you will find a link here.

🌿 Review: If I have blogged about the trail, you will find a link to the post about my experience. Check these out for more in depth info about each route as well as plenty of photos, suggested routes, the closest place to find a bottle of water or a restroom if there are none on-site, suggested footwear, and my personal tips on how to best enjoy each trail.

Note: For some reason my table of contents links take you to a couple of lines below where each one actually starts, so if you use them to navigate just scroll up a bit to get to the actual beginning of each trail. If anyone is a HTML wizard and knows how to fix this, please share!