Falling Water Road near Ben Hur is home to many popular Ozark waterfalls. Some of them require a short, easy hike to see. Some of them are longer, tougher hikes. Others, such as the ever-popular Falling Water Falls, can be seen from the road. Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls are two others that are very accessible and easy to get to.
Six Finger Falls, just like Falling Water Falls, is one that you can see from the road. You literally park next to it, walk 50 feet down a rocky trail, and you are there. Fuzzy Butt Falls on the other hand, cannot be seen from the road. But it is so close that I hardly even consider it a hike. If you are not a big hiker but still want to see some awesome waterfalls, these two are for you. They are so close together that if you are going to make the drive to see one, you might as well see both.
Directions
These falls are right off Falling Water Rd, deep in the Richland Creek Wilderness. This is about 35 minutes northeast of Sand Gap. Use the map below to navigate to either point, or map yourself directly here. On Falling Water Rd, after crossing the narrow concrete bridge over Falling Water Creek, you’ll see a fork in the road. Stay to the left. Around a quarter mile past that, be looking to the left for some blue hashes on trees and a wide spot in the road. When you see those, you’ll also see Six Fingers Falls. (Note: the blue hashes indicate a trail leading to the creek. There are several of these along Falling Water Rd.)
To reach Fuzzy Butt Falls, you will need to cross Falling Water Creek at Six Fingers. I recommend walking across the top of the falls to the other side. Or you can take the horse trail that starts at the foot of the narrow concrete bridge. I have not taken this trail, so I can’t provide any details on that. But I think it’s close to a mile, and I imagine it’s pretty easy. Anyway, when you cross the creek at Six Fingers, take the trail to the right going downstream. Follow this until you see a small creek running into Falling Water Creek. This is the run-off from Fuzzy Butt Falls. Take a left to follow the trail and creek up into the cliffs that form Fuzzy Butt Falls.
What to Expect
Six Fingers Falls
As I mentioned, Six Fingers Falls is visible from the road. It is a very short trail down to the creek. There are a couple of steep steps on the trail, as well as a couple of muddy, slick steps. But unless you have major mobility issues, you should be able to get down to the creek close to the falls. Even if this waterfall were not close to the road, it would still be worth hiking to. It is a very unique waterfall. It is actually composed of 6 sections of falls that span the whole width of the creek. There are 6 different rock formations that look like they are protruding out into the water like fingers. The water flows between them all to form the falls.
It is kind of difficult to capture the entire group of falls in one picture due to the large size of it and the angle of some of the “fingers”. But there are lots of different spots along each side of the creek to get different angles and capture some pretty cool pictures. There is not a lot to do here except take in the view of the falls, or find a spot to relax or have lunch. There are plenty of spots to do that along the creek.
Fuzzy Butt Falls
Like I said, this one is too short for me to even consider it a hike unless you reach it via the horse trail at the bridge. It is only about a 10 minute walk down the path from Six Fingers. But just like Six Fingers, I would still hike miles into the forest to see these falls if I had to. When I visited, I changed out of my hiking boots into water shoes to cross the creek. Then changed back into hiking boots after crossing because I thought it was a longer hike. And I did it again on the way back across. You could easily make the walk to Fuzzy Butt Falls in the same wet river shoes or sandals worn to cross the creek. Changing shoes each time isn’t really necessary.
There are two towering rock outcroppings with a corridor between them. You walk up inside that to see the falls. The layers of rock, the moss and ferns, the falls – it’s very cool, and looks like something from a movie. There are some trails that wrap around the outside of the rock outcroppings. We didn’t explore those too far, but I’ll bet one of them finds its way to the top of the falls.
Plan Your Trip
This area is one of the most highly concentrated areas for waterfalls in the state. If you come in from Sand Gap, you’ll pass by the trail head for Kings Bluff Falls. As you drive down Falling Water Rd, you’ll pass right by the popular Falling Water Falls. Just down the road from Six Fingers is the trail for Terry Keefe Falls, along with Calypso and Splashdown Falls. And even further down Falling Water Road, and deep in the wilderness, you can find Richland Falls and Twin Falls. Unless you want to hang out at Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls all day, you might consider planning a hike to one of the others to fill out your day. Remember, this is a pretty remote area as far as cell service goes. You will lose cell service long before you reach Falling Water Rd. So if you plan to hike other trails, download or print a map before you go.
It might be important for some people to know that Falling Water Rd is a long gravel road. It is rough in some places, but most vehicles should be able to handle it. There are also no public restrooms near here. The Pedestal Rocks parking area has a pit toilet, but that’s about it. So unless you’re cool with going in the woods, you’ll need to handle your business well before you arrive. There are also no gas stations or convenience stores within 45 minutes of here, so keep that in mind. If you plan to spend all day, you might want to take some food, but definitely take water. Water shoes are handy for creek crossings unless you want to barefoot it, or if the water is really low.
Another thing to remember is that these easy-access areas are really popular with people that can’t or don’t want to hike. They do get kind of crowded sometimes, especially when the weather is really nice. If photography is your thing and you want pics without people in them, it’s best to go when it’s cold or rainy. Middle of the week is probably better too. The water level in Falling Water creek does tend to get lower in the hot summer without any rain. You’ll want to plan for that too. Regardless of when you visit Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls, remember to leave no trace. These areas have become extremely popular and are getting more and more traffic. Please remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. Thanks.
