Bethany Falls Trail
- 1.3 mi
- loop
- 69 ft
- climb
- 899 ft
- high point
- Loop
- route
- Mar–Apr, Jun
- best months
Bethany Falls Trail is a short, easy hike in Missouri, about 2 miles from the community of Lake Tapawingo. The trail is roughly 1.3 miles long, with a one-way climb of about 69 feet from a starting point near 842 feet to a high of about 899 feet. The steepest stretch comes early, at about 5% grade, and the route stays mostly flat after that. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Independence show October highs around 67°F with lows near 45°F, and May highs around 74°F. July is the warmest month, with highs near 87°F. The trail sits close to several other short walks. Hickory Grove Trail is about 0.1 mile away, Missouri Tree Trail about 0.3 mile, and Prairie Connector Trail about 0.4 mile. For time on the water, Fire Prairie Creek offers canoeing about 9 miles off.
- Hickory Grove TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Missouri Tree TrailHiking0.3 mi
- Prairie Connector TrailHiking0.4 mi
- Wildlife Habitat TrailHiking0.7 mi
- Fire Prairie CreekCanoeing8.6 mi
- River Front TrailHiking9.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Clearfork Woodland TrailHiking · ~1h 15m drivePhoto: nousernameforme, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Opossum Hollow TrailHiking · ~1h 12m drive
- Hickory Grove TrailHiking · Next door
- Missouri Tree TrailHiking · Next door
- Prairie Connector TrailHiking · Next door
- Wildlife Habitat TrailHiking · ~1 min drive
- River Front TrailHiking · ~17 min drive
- S. Meadow TrailHiking · ~25 min drive
- Rush Creek TrailHiking · ~26 min drive
- Maple Woods NaHiking · ~32 min drive
Best time to visit Bethany Falls Trail
Best months: March–April, June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
38° / 19°
7 wet · 3 snow
Feb
43° / 23°
6 wet · 2 snow
Mar
55° / 33°
9 wet · 1 snow
Apr
65° / 43°
11 wet
May
74° / 54°
13 wet
Jun
83° / 63°
11 wet
Jul
87° / 68°
10 wet
Aug
86° / 66°
9 wet
Sep
78° / 57°
9 wet
Oct
67° / 45°
9 wet
Nov
53° / 33°
7 wet · 1 snow
Dec
42° / 24°
7 wet · 2 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Independence, MO, 4.9 mi away at 985 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
