diff --git a/src/acceleration_data.rs b/src/acceleration_data.rs
index 83ff513..b1ac865 100644
--- a/src/acceleration_data.rs
+++ b/src/acceleration_data.rs
@@ -8,12 +8,13 @@ use crate::ray::Ray;
 use crate::triangle::Triangle;
 
 pub struct AccelerationData<'a> {
+    recursive: bool,
     triangles: &'a [Triangle],
     data: [AABB; 1024],
 }
 
 impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
-    pub fn create_tree(input_data: &'a [Triangle], triangles_per_as: u32) -> Self {
+    pub fn create_tree(input_data: &'a [Triangle], triangles_per_as: u32, recursive: bool) -> Self {
         // we are creating the tree from the bottom up
 
         // create our slice
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
 
         // return result
         AccelerationData {
+            recursive,
             triangles: input_data,
             data,
         }
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
         let mut closest_distance = MAX;
         let mut barycentric = Vector2::zero();
 
-        self.traverse_tree(|_, aabb| {
+        self.traverse_tree(&mut |_, aabb| {
             if aabb.intersect(ray) {
                 // check if node is a leaf
                 if aabb.start_index != -1 {
@@ -78,7 +80,7 @@ impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
     }
 
     pub fn print_tree(&self) {
-        self.traverse_tree(|index, aabb| {
+        self.traverse_tree(&mut |index, aabb| {
             print_aabb(index, aabb);
             true
         })
@@ -87,7 +89,35 @@ impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
 
 // private
 impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
-    fn traverse_tree<F>(&self, mut f: F)
+    fn traverse_tree<F>(&self, f: &mut F)
+    where
+        F: FnMut(usize, &AABB) -> bool,
+    {
+        if self.recursive {
+            self.traverse_tree_recursively(f, 0);
+        } else {
+            self.traverse_tree_iteratively(f);
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn traverse_tree_recursively<F>(&self, f: &mut F, index: usize)
+    where
+        F: FnMut(usize, &AABB) -> bool,
+    {
+        if (*f)(index, &self.data[index]) {
+            let left_child = self.data[index].left_child;
+            if left_child != -1 {
+                self.traverse_tree_recursively(f, left_child as usize);
+            }
+
+            let right_child = self.data[index].right_child;
+            if right_child != -1 {
+                self.traverse_tree_recursively(f, right_child as usize);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn traverse_tree_iteratively<F>(&self, f: &mut F)
     where
         F: FnMut(usize, &AABB) -> bool,
     {
@@ -106,7 +136,7 @@ impl<'a> AccelerationData<'a> {
 
             discovered[v] = true;
 
-            if (f)(v, &self.data[v]) {
+            if (*f)(v, &self.data[v]) {
                 let left_child = self.data[v].left_child;
                 if left_child != -1 {
                     if !discovered[left_child as usize] {
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 65a9c74..edf613b 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ fn f_to_u(color: f32) -> u8 {
 fn debug_raytracer_camera(dim_x: u32, dim_y: u32, camera: &Camera, data: &[Triangle]) {
     let mut imgbuf = ImageBuffer::new(dim_x, dim_y);
 
-    let acceleration_data = AccelerationData::create_tree(data, 8);
+    let acceleration_data = AccelerationData::create_tree(data, 8, true);
 
     acceleration_data.print_tree();