Waterfall hikes are some of the most photographed and most family-friendly trails in any state — the destination delivers a clear visual reward, and many are short enough to do before lunch. We pulled every Missouri trail in our database whose name explicitly references falls, cascade, chute, or plunge, then ranked them by accessibility so the easiest and shortest waterfall hikes surface first. The result is ten hikes that pay off without punishing the people you're hiking with.
Missouri straddles the Ozark Plateau in the south — clear-running rivers, sandstone bluffs, and dolomite karst — and the rolling glaciated plains in the north. Spring and fall are best; summer is humid and tick-heavy; winter trails are quiet but ice-prone in shaded ravines. Waterfalls run hardest in spring snowmelt and after sustained rain — the same windows when trail surfaces are slipperiest.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 7,319 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in Missouri — but the data has limits worth being honest about. We identify waterfall hikes by scanning trail names for terms like "falls," "cascade," "chute," and "plunge." That misses unnamed seasonal cascades and trails whose primary feature is a waterfall not mentioned in the route name. Treat the list as a confident sample, not a complete catalog.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. Angel Falls Trail
Angel Falls Trail near Lansing in Leavenworth County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #1 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Angel Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Beaver Falls Bottom
Beaver Falls Bottom near Godfrey in Madison County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #2 slot for accessibility. Expect unpaved surface on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. A paved surface makes this one of the more accessible options on the list — good for strollers, mobility aids, and wet-weather days. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Beaver Falls Bottom trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #3 slot for accessibility. Expect gravel surface on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. A gravel-and-dirt tread holds up well after rain, though loose surface on descents calls for trekking poles or careful footing. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #4 slot for accessibility. Expect gravel surface on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Missouri, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. A gravel-and-dirt tread holds up well after rain, though loose surface on descents calls for trekking poles or careful footing. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #5 slot for accessibility. Expect wood surface on a forgiving grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #6 slot for accessibility. Expect gravel surface on a forgiving grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. A gravel-and-dirt tread holds up well after rain, though loose surface on descents calls for trekking poles or careful footing. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #7 slot for accessibility. Expect wood surface on a forgiving grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #8 slot for accessibility. Expect gravel surface on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. A gravel-and-dirt tread holds up well after rain, though loose surface on descents calls for trekking poles or careful footing. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #9 slot for accessibility. Expect wood surface on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Missouri, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. Bethany Falls Trail
Bethany Falls Trail near Blue Springs in Jackson County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #10 slot for accessibility. Expect gravel surface on a forgiving grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. A gravel-and-dirt tread holds up well after rain, though loose surface on descents calls for trekking poles or careful footing. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bethany Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your Missouri trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for Missouri. Spring and fall are best; summer is humid and tick-heavy; winter trails are quiet but ice-prone in shaded ravines. Copperheads and rattlesnakes in the Ozarks, ticks across the state, and flash floods in narrow river canyons after thunderstorms.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More Missouri hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our Missouri coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in Missouri — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in Missouri — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in Missouri — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Most challenging hikes in Missouri — Expert-rated routes for experienced hikers only.
- Best national parks in Missouri — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in Missouri — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in Missouri — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in Missouri last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
