Welcome to AR Own Backyard blog! Here I’ll be blogging about my own hikes, floats, bike rides, and other outdoor excursions. I’ll also blog about gear, cool articles, other sites, and occasionally have guest bloggers share some of their stuff. So subscribe or check back now and then if you like it. Today I want to share one of my first hiking trips in the Big Piney Forest in the Ozarks. This will be part 1 in a series of a day hiking waterfalls in the Big Piney Forest. Part 1 is waterfall hiking at Haw Creek Falls.
Quite a few years ago I started to get serious about hiking and exploring some of the scenic places around the state that I kept seeing pictures of. Hundreds of waterfalls can be found in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains. My hiking buddy and old college friend, Hollie suggested we see how many of these we could hike to. So on a warm spring day we set our sights on the Pelsor area of the Big Piney Forest.
Directions
This area is just north of Dover (off I-40 at Russellville) on Hwy 7. It is one of the best areas in the state to hike because you can find so many trails, waterfalls, grottos and rock formations all in one area. It’s a great place to see a lot of things in one day. Our first stop was Haw Creek Falls (North on Hwy 7 past Dover to the Sand Gap/Pelsor area. West on Hwy 123 at the Pelsor Post Office). See Google map below.
It was an area I had explored before but wanted to revisit. Within a 3 mile radius of the Haw Creek Falls campground, you can find Pack Rat Falls, Pam’s Grotto, and Haw Creek, among others. It is a good place to access the Ozark Highlands trail, as it passes right through the campground along Haw Creek. It’s also a good spot to start a hike to Cedar Creek Pool. But that’s another story for another day. This day was all about waterfalls.
What to Expect
As you enter the Haw Creek campground, you will come to a spillway crossing the road. You might have to get out and walk into the campground depending on how high the water is. If so, it’s a short walk, so figure out how to cross the creek (it’s doable) and go for it. Once inside, you’ll find a primitive campground (no running water or showers), restroom, parking area, and trails. The falls themselves are literally right next to the parking area. So waterfall hiking at Haw Creek Falls is not actually a hike unless you head up to Pack Rat Falls.
I have found these falls to be kind of tricky to figure out. It’s hard to predict when the water will be high and ideal for viewing. I’ve been there when I thought it would be dry and yet the falls were perfect. And I’ve been there other times right after a rain thinking the water would be high, and the falls were almost dried up. So if anyone knows the secret to the water levels at Haw Creek, please comment below.
Anyway, we spent a little time hanging out at the falls before hitting a section of the Ozark Highlands trail to explore Haw Creek itself. We didn’t go too far, but saw just enough to tell that this would be a great spot to come back and do a longer hike, possibly overnight. We also looked for the trailhead to Pack Rat Falls but were unable to find it that day. That trail is not marked. And since there is NO cell service in the area, we could not get online to research it. Since then, I have discovered how to find the Pack Rat Falls trail, and even made a return visit. Here’s the story on Pack Rat Falls you can check out.
Plan your Visit
As I mentioned, there is no cell phone service in this area. So be sure to print out trail maps and directions, or save them to your phone. If you are spending the day, bring food and water. There is only one store in the area (the Pelsor post office and general store). They may or may not be open when you’re there. Same goes for gas stations so make sure you have plenty of gas. Bathrooms are primitive, so if that’s an issue for you, well…you know what to do.
Here are few pics from Haw Creek Falls and the campground. As you can see, we got lucky and hit Haw Creek Falls on a day with lots of water, giving us some pretty good photo ops. Hope you like these. Be sure to check out Part 2 of the Big Piney Waterfalls day hike – Kings Bluff Falls.
