The Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area offers a terrific opportunity for some gentle trail running just two miles west of Branson. The 200 acre property has a nice variety of mainly wooded trails. Altogether one can put together a 4-5 mile route in the forest without overlapping. Really pretty in spring with the blooming eastern redbuds and flowering dogwoods, and in fall with the changing colors.
The accompanying map has information about the Forest, with distance information for each of the trails. The two longest are the 1-mile Lake Taneycomo Trail, which is more difficult, and the 2.4 mile Ridge Trail, which is easy-to-moderate. To get the heart rate up, don’t miss the Bluff Trail, which includes 338 hand-lain stone steps that lead down to the lake!
