Dogwood Canyon Nature Park via Private Safari Tour
While we were happily settled in the charming town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Aaron and I made the decision to take a leisurely day trip to Lampe, Missouri, where we we had booked a private tour of the beautiful Dogwood Canyon Nature Park. We arrived early in the afternoon to fully appreciate the stunning grounds, as well as to savor a lovely lunch at the inviting restaurant before we set off on our adventure with our knowledgeable guide. If you visit make sure to arrive at least an hour early so you can visit the Treehouse built by Treehouse Masters, the gift shop, museum, and educational building. There’s lots to see!
With temps soaring into the low 90’s I was happy to have an enclosed jeep as our safari vehicle rather than the open air trolleys that roam the grounds. Our guide was very passionate about his knowledge of the park and surrounding areas having grown up in a homestead nearby. He was very patient allowing numerous stops along the way so we could photograph the stunning scenery. With that said, I’m not sure the private tour was worth $275. Why?
We met people walking and or taking a bicycle to visit the exact same spots we did! No they couldn’t see the bison. longhorn, or elk (which felt like a petting zoo) in the gated wildlife area, but the trolley or tram tour visits that area for a much cheaper price!
Perhaps if you booked the tram you wouldn’t experience the ‘off road’ portion that involved bumping along a narrow dirt road at break neck speed, but the off road portion didn’t really have anything to write home about. It wasn’t particularly unpleasant, just not as stunning as the ‘groomed’ area of the park. If we chose to visit the park again, we’d rent a bicycle to explore at our leisure. That all sounded like it was a negative experience which is far from the truth, I’m simply advising you can see much of the same, and save yourself a lot of money by taking the $30 tram which sees the ‘good’ stuff and is narrated by a tour guide!
My advice? Have lunch, take the trolley tour for the history of the area and access to the elk and bison - then decide if you want to rent a bicycle, book a horseback ride, or plan a hike to visit more of the area at your leisure. It’s a beautiful place!
