Waterfall @ Bethel Spring Nature Preserve Land Trust of Alabama

Bethel Spring Nature Preserve is a 360 acre property on Keel Mountain with 200 acres open for outdoor recreation. The preserve currently offers hikers a little under two miles of free trails to explore from dawn to dusk daily, including upland forest, working farmland, historic sites, an environmentally-significant spring and creek, as well as one of Madison County’s largest waterfalls.

It is impressive enough above ground but continues its descent into a cave below, flows downhill underground, and exits through a spring at the base of the mountain. The cave below the falls – Paul’s Cave, one of three known to exist on the property, is listed on the Alabama Cave Survey as 1,338 feet in length and 334 feet in depth. These and other limestone features are common to Keel Mountain due to its significant karst geology. Due to safety concerns and the vulnerability of these unique ecosystems, caves on all Land Trust nature preserves are not open to the public without a permit acquired through the National Speleological Society.