I have written a few articles lately about hiking around the Upper Buffalo River. That’s because there are so many great places there to hike. And most of them are not that far from each other, so it’s easy to do several in a day. All the trails have something different to offer. Some of them have waterfalls, others have majestic views, and some have caves and weird rock formations. They range from easy to difficult, short to long. And some of them are barely a hike at all. Paige Falls and Broadwater Hallow Falls is one of those.
Much like Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls, it’s really hard to call this one a hike because the falls are so close to the road. The hike may be really short, but that doesn’t make the waterfalls here less impressive. In fact, this is one of the prettiest areas I’ve visited this year and I feel like these falls should be much harder to reach. I mean, it kind of feels like cheating that we get to see waterfalls like this without having to really hike to them. But that just makes it the perfect stop after another hike such as Hideout Hollow, Hemmed-in Hollow, or Big Bluff/Centerpoint Trail. Paige Falls and Broadwater Hollow is closest to Hideout Hollow, which is the hike I did just minutes before coming here.
Directions
The Paige Falls 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 reach the JB Trading store on the left, go about .8 miles further and take the gravel road 2660 on the right. Follow this road for several miles until you see an obvious parking area. I included the parking area in my video further below so you can see what to look for. Or use the map here to navigate yourself to the trailhead. Once you park, walk along the road down the hill and you’ll see the start of Paige Falls on your right. You can’t miss it.
What to Expect
Before I talk about the waterfalls, I need to comment on the drive to get here. Once you turn off of Hwy 43 onto the gravel road, it’s all downhill from there. Literally…it’s all downhill…on a pretty rough dirt road. It’s kind of bumpy in some places, kind of steep, and a little narrow in some places. I read reviews on AllTrails about people having a hard time getting back up the road coming out of there. Some commented on the road being slick and their car sliding. I didn’t encounter any of these problems. I had no problems at all getting in or out of there. But it was a dry day when I went and the road wasn’t muddy. And I have a truck with decent clearance, but not 4WD. Unless the road gets completely washed out, it shouldn’t be a problem for most vehicles. But it is still worth mentioning here. Now, on to the falls.
Paige Falls
When I first walked up on Paige Falls, I kind of thought the first thing I saw was all of it. And it was a little underwhelming. But I quickly figured out that the first part is just a series of cascades leading down to the main waterfall. The water flows through a tight, narrow corridor of rock, almost like a tunnel. It’s really cool. As I mention in the video, it looks man-made, like something you would see in the lobby of a luxury hotel or something. You can follow this water all the way to the top of Paige Falls and look down into the pool.
On the left side of that corridor are some really cool rock formations. There are trails that wind in between them and can take you to the main trail which leads to the bottom of the falls. Here you can get some really great photos of the waterfall and the turquoise pool it empties into. It’s a beautiful area, and probably the spot I’m hanging my hammock on my next visit. From this point, you can continue to follow the water downstream to the top of Broadwater Hollow Falls. I’ll show you this part in the video below.
Broadwater Hollow Falls
Follow the stream from the bottom of Paige Falls to reach the top of Broadwater Hollow Falls. It is a cascading waterfall that kind of looks like a waterslide. From here it looks like you could jump in and slide to the bottom. But don’t try it. To get to the very bottom of these falls, you’ll need to go back upstream to Paige Falls and uphill to the main trail. The main trail gets a little bit hard to follow because of the fallen leaves and low traffic. But even if you lose the trail, it’s not hard to improvise. Whatever you do, make your way down to the bottom. It’s worth it. There are several different vantage points to view and photograph the falls. This is another awesome spot where I could stay and hang out a while.
From the bottom of Broadwater Hollow Falls, you can continue following the stream for a bit. You’ll see a natural spring coming out of the side of the hill that empties into the creek. This is where I stopped. But I think if you can find a way, this creek will lead all the way to Cecil Creek, and on down to Hideout Hollow. It would be a pretty long hike though.
Plan Your Trip
Like I said, this isn’t really a hike. So planning just depends on how much time you want to spend here. Maybe take a hammock or lunch with you if you want to stay a while. I would recommend combining this visit with another hike in the area. There are plenty to choose from, and the hikes I listed above are the closest to these falls. 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 for rent and a few campgrounds in the area to do just that. The JB Trading store in Compton has gas food, restrooms and lots of awesome hiking and floating gear.
This is an area where you’ll want to keep an eye on the rainfall. If the falls are running, this place is awesome. But without water in the falls, I’m not sure it will be all that great. So for your best visit, try to go within a few days of rainfall in the Ponca/Compton area. If you visit Paige Falls and Broadwater Hollow Falls, be prepared to pack out any trash you might have and leave no trace. Help take care of areas around the Buffalo by taking only pictures and leaving only your footprints.
