Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area - Branson, Missouri

Stephen He

Very technical trail except for parts near the cabin. Found three caves. No waterfall. The stairs section is about 300 steps and not all parts have rails. You need some level of physical fitness to explore here. Areas of the trail are very narrow with a step dropoff so you have to be mindful on the paths.

melissa van zile

An amazing place to stay. Every single detail was impressive. The decor was top notch. We spent way longer than the average stay. And never felt like going home. We will be back.

Kelly M

Great detailed map to plan your hike. Well marked paths as well. Really enjoyed our hike and the bathrooms were clean. Definitely be ready to walk on rocks but better than mud. ?

Andy Calderon

It’s become a family tradition to come down here and reach the beautiful cold water. The views on all the trails are great to see. We start off at the blue trail until it intersects with the red. We then proceed from the red trail into the purple trail until we reach the wilderness falls. We happened to run into a family who thought it wasn’t possible to get down to the water from the falls as the trail gets a little rougher but it’s definitely possible and worth it. Go back the way you came from and skip the red line junction and go straight to the blue trail if you want a harder trail. You will run into many steps. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you’re insanely fat. I’m pretty fat and the purple trail back up once you reach the steps was tough but possible.

jacob H.

A very rugged hike if you do the full length on the red route and the stone stairs. The stone steps are not for the faint of heart, they are a real workout. The caves were fun to explore, and the history of the old homesite is interesting. The only detractor is the road noise from the highway. The trail is hidden in the city, so it looks and feels like wilderness but you are right if the Branson strip and highway 65.

Kate Stone

Phew. It was hot. Trails are easy to follow, but as far as we could tell there was no easy access to the water at the end. There are LOTS of steps, which is fine if you're up for it or have ample time. Our kids did well (11, 8, 6, and 4). The little cave is relatively easy to find. Once you take a left from the blue trail and take the small set of steps down you have to scramble over some rocks, then the trail continues. The cave isn't far past that. Clean bathrooms at the beginning of the trail and a small playground with some picnic tables in the shade.

Shanon McKee

There is a nice play area in the front. Not a traditional playground but things to climb on and jump off. They have a variety of trails ranging from an easy walk to somewhat difficult. Overall very clean. The picnic tables are not in the best shape, but usable nonetheless.

TKOEF1112

I only did the yellow trail up to the homestead, green trail, then back, but it was beautiful. It was spitting rain in the morning, but those two trails did okay. Yellow is mostly gravel like a driveway. Green trail starts narrow then opens up as you turn the corner of the wall. There is an overlook at the homestead but it was too cloudy that morning to see anything.

I'm inconclusive on the idea of ghosts, but near the end of the green trail I heard muffled groans and kinda felt uneasy. It may have just been traffic sounds and well abandoned houses give a weird vibe anyways, but I decided then to head back to parking.