Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area — Attraction in Branson

I absolutely love this place. This is a little gem nestled in the hills of Branson. It's off the beaten path a bit, but that is what makes it particularly amazing.

Parking. There is plenty of parking, a wonderful view, and informational boards, where you can learn about the wildlife there, and the habitat that surrounds you there in the conservation area.

Bathrooms. Although you can't see them from the front, when you pull in, one thing that is nice is they have a bathroom. No, they don't have electricity in them, and no sink, and yes...it's a non-flushable "hole that leads to the ground" sort of toilet, they still have a place for you to sit and potty. Which, I thought was nice, after I first thought they didn't have one at all.

Walking trails. I've only ever been on one walking trail here, which is the Dewey Bald Trail, and it's a very nice, paved trail. A good portion of it is uphill, but it's not unbearable, and it kind of had to be, to get you up to the cool part at the top - where it leads you to.

Observation Tower. If you want a really amazing view, and you're not entirely afraid of heights (or even if you are, and are willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone, which is what I did) you will want to check out the observation tower which is the cool part I mentioned, in the middle of the Dewey Bald Trail. It is between 6 & 8 flights of stairs, but the view at the top IS worth it.

Overall, I highly recommend this place. It's a family favorite of ours, anytime we're in Branson, and have the time to hike and catch a cool view of the...

We went to the conservation area and Lookout point this week while visiting Branson. The weather was about 80° out with clear skies and it was a perfect, sunny afternoon. There were sprinkles during the afternoon, but we learned that in Branson it’s common to have sprinkles during the afternoon in June, but that they quickly go away and not to let them prevent you from enjoying your time outside The skies quickly cleared up after 15 to 20 minutes of rain. It was a gorgeous afternoon to spend the day on the trails, walking through nature and enjoying the fresh air. My kids loved looking at different leaves and walking down the path. The trails were well visited, and we ran into lots of other hikers. We actually saw three baby possums that were running along the trail. I would definitely recommend going to as many lookout spot as possible while you are in Missouri. Check out as many hiking trails as you possibly can as well. Not only are they free, but it’s a great experience for both adults and children to be out in nature and enjoying the natural habitat of Missouri. It’s a great way to teach your kids about land conservation. You can also spend the day escaping the tourist trap of downtown. I would highly recommend that you wear tennis shoes or very sturdy shoes. The trails have a lot of tree roots that are uneven, and some rocks that are uneven as well. You do need shoes that...

There seemed to be some confusion from other reviews and the map/details they post here. There is are multiple observation towers. One right at the (lower) parking lot off 76. Another about a 10 minutes hike down the west side of the Glade trail. There is a longer 3.4 mile Homesteader trail also accessible from the northern parking lot. I did the lower, shorter loops. See my last picture for trail map with distances. These trails start at the base of the wooden platform in the parking lot. Hike a few minutes down and the trail splits. If you just want to get to the better, more scenic, observation tower stay to the left on the Glade trail. It is about a 10 minutes hike from the parking lot. There's some elevation change, rocks, tree roots and maybe mud. It isn't wheelchair or stroller accessible but younger kids should be fine. That being said, the rest of the Glade trail after the observation tower (or if you take a right at that first sign to go to the Streamside trail) is definitely more moderate to difficult in spots due to rocks mud and elevation change. It is also worth it in my opinion. Very...