Mill Pond Trail
- 0.7 mi
- loop
- 77 ft
- climb
- 949 ft
- high point
- Loop
- route
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- best months
Mill Pond Trail is a short, easy loop in Missouri, about 0.7 miles long and roughly 0.5 miles from the town of Herrick Ford. The trail rises from a low point of about 852 feet to a high of about 949 feet, with a total climb of 77 feet and a total descent of 127 feet. The steepest stretch comes at about 0.36 miles in, with a grade of about 6 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show October highs around 70°F with lows near 43°F, and May highs around 76°F. July is the warmest month, with highs near 89°F. The trip takes about half an hour. Bikes and horses are not allowed on the trail. Red Trail is about 1.7 miles away, and the Little Niangua River, Mountain Creek and Bennett Spring Branch are all within about 10 miles.
- Red TrailHiking1.7 mi
- Little Niangua RiverCanoeing6.1 mi
- Mountain CreekCanoeing8.2 mi
- Big Niangua River TrailCanoeing8.7 mi
- Bennett Spring BranchRiver fishing9.5 mi
Whistle TrailHikingPhoto: Cyote, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)9.6 mi
Bridge TrailHikingPhoto: rjones0856, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)9.7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Whistle TrailHiking · ~16 min drivePhoto: Cyote, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Natural Tunnel TrailHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: rjones0856, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Turkey Pen Hollow TrailHiking · ~20 min drivePhoto: Log.base, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Bridge TrailHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: rjones0856, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Lake View Bend TrailHiking · ~41 min drivePhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Red TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
Savanna Ridge TrailHiking · ~18 min drivePhoto: cm195902, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Cole Creek Red LoopHiking · ~55 min drive
Boulder Ridge TrailHiking · ~19 min drivePhoto: Semipaw, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Cole Creek Yellow LoopHiking · ~57 min drive
Best time to visit Mill Pond Trail
Best months: March–June and September–November. 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
43° / 20°
7 wet
Feb
48° / 24°
7 wet
Mar
58° / 33°
10 wet
Apr
68° / 42°
11 wet
May
76° / 52°
12 wet
Jun
84° / 61°
10 wet
Jul
89° / 66°
8 wet
Aug
88° / 64°
8 wet
Sep
81° / 55°
7 wet
Oct
70° / 43°
8 wet
Nov
57° / 33°
8 wet
Dec
46° / 24°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Buffalo 2n, MO, 16.7 mi away at 1,071 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
