As much as I hate for summer to end, there is a silver lining to Fall and cooler weather getting here. It’s my favorite time of the year to go hiking, for so many reasons. Overgrown trails become more clean. Ticks, chiggers and snakes go away. I can hike all day without sweating my ass off. The fall colors make the drive and the hike even more scenic. And late Fall means more rain, which means the waterfalls are running! This Fall I picked the perfect day to make the hike to Hideout Hollow.
Hideout Hollow is a huge grotto/gorge (a hollow) encased in steep bluff walls with a 40 foot waterfall in the middle. Beneath the cliffs you can find the remains of an old “hideout” structure used by outlaws years ago. Hence the name “Hideout Hollow”. Stories vary on who the outlaws were – from draft dodgers to random outlaws, to even Jesse James (which I find doubtful). I think it was most likely moonshiners or something like that. Either way, this is a fairly short hike that offers a lot of different things to see. This one definitely makes my list of recent favorites.
Directions
The Hideout Hollow trailhead is located on the north side of the Buffalo River near the Compton community. From Ponca, take Hwy 43 north towards Harrison. When you see the JB Trading store on the left, take the next gravel road (CR121) on the right. At the next intersection, turn right on CR19/Erbie Rd. Coming from Harrison, go southwest on Hwy 43 towards Compton. Turn left on CR19/Erbie Rd. If you miss it, take the next left across from JB Trading. Follow CR19/Ebie Rd for about 3 miles until you see an obvious parking area. Pics of the parking can be found below. Or use the map here to navigate to the trailhead.
What to Expect
The Hike
The hike to Hideout Hollow is only about 2 miles out and back, just under a mile each way. It is an easy hike on a well-marked trail that’s easy to follow. No map is needed. There are a few small creek crossings along the way. Unless you go right after a downpour, I’d say creek shoes are not necessary. But it can get pretty muddy in a couple of spots. The trail winds slightly downhill through the woods. As it gets closer to the falls, you’ll see lots of really cool boulders and rock formations. Just past that the trail will come to the edge of the bluffs. A left turn here will take you to the top of the falls.
There are several short side trails along the edge of the bluffs that are worth exploring. Please be careful along the bluffs and don’t get too close to the edge. Some of these bluffs are close to 50 feet high. If you have kids with you, please keep a close eye on them and don’t let them close to the edge. The views from the bluffs alone are worth the 3-hour drive for me. And there are plenty of those here.
The Falls and the Hollow
Walking around the top of the bluffs, you can see down into the hollow. If you cross over the small stream at the top of the falls, the trail continues along the top of the bluffs around to the other side of the hollow. That side is higher and has some great views of the mountains and valleys in the distance to the east. I highly recommend exploring that side. A short hike up the creek that forms the falls is also worth checking out. After exploring all these areas, you might be asking “OK, so how do I get down to the bottom?”. You definitely want to make your way down there. And yes, there is a way.
Finding the way to the bottom of the hollow can be a little tricky, but it’s not that hard to do once you find it. I was looking all over for some clever hidden path between the boulders, or a some sketchy way of scaling down the cliffs. But it was staring me in the face the whole time. So…when you first get to the creek that forms the waterfall at the top, go all the way to the edge. Look across the creek and there is a path that leads to an overhang in the bluffs. Walk beneath that overhang to the far end of the ledge. From there, you can lower yourself down to a stack of rocks on the next level down. Watch the video below where I explain this at the end.
Once you get to the bottom, there is plenty to explore down there. The grotto is gigantic. There are shallow caves and rock formations on either side of it. You’ll find plenty of great angles to photograph the falls, and you can walk underneath the waterfall beneath the grotto. And of course, there are the remains of the old outlaw hideout you can find if you look long enough. It would be a really cool place to camp out or maybe just string up a hammock and hang out a while.
Plan Your Trip
As I mentioned, there are a couple of creek crossings and it can get a little muddy. So don’t wear any shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. The area is a little remote, but surprisingly I was able to get a cell signal there to access the AllTrails app. The road from the highway to the trailhead is all dirt and gravel. It gets muddy in some parts and a little washed out in others. A four-wheel-drive is not necessary, but your low-rider or sports car will be a bad idea. As for pets, the trails in the Buffalo River NPS areas are supposed to be no dogs allowed. But I saw several on my hike. So take your chances if you wish. But the rangers can write a ticket for it.
The hike to Hideout Hollow is fairly short and only takes an hour or two depending on how long you want to hang out or explore. I would recommend combining this one with another hike in the area. After my hike I went just down the road to see Paige Falls and Broadwater Hollow Falls, which I’ll write about soon. There are plenty more to found, like Hemmed-In Hollow, Thunder Canyon, Big Bluff/Centerpoint Trail (aka Goat Trail) and many more. You could make a whole weekend of hiking the trails between Ponca and Compton and probably not see them all. There are plenty of cabins in the area for rent to do just that. The JB Trading store in Compton has food, restrooms and lots of awesome hiking and floating gear.
As I always say, be prepared to pack out any trash you might have on your hike to Hideout Hollow and leave no trace. Take only pictures and leave only your footprints. If waterfall hiking is your thing, then this is an easy but very scenic one you should add to your list. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Be safe out there and happy trails.
