Waterfalls
Splashdown Falls and Intersection Falls
I have written several articles now about waterfalls that I have missed while hiking to others close by. My research is getting better, so hopefully I won’t keep missing them. But I recently visited two more waterfalls you can easily combine with other waterfall hikes in the Falling Water Creek area. Splashdown Falls and Intersection Falls are two that are located off Falling Water Rd near several popular waterfalls. If you ever hike to Terry Keefe Falls, you should definitely add Splashdown Falls to the same hike. There are a lot waterfalls in this area such as Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls, Horsetail Falls, Terry Keefe Falls, and others. If you ever stop to see ANY of the waterfalls along Falling Water Rd, Intersection Falls is another quick and easy stop you can add. I had...
Horsetail Falls off Falling Water Creek
If you hunt enough waterfalls in Arkansas, you will eventually miss one that’s close to an area you’ve already hiked. I like to cover as much as I can in each hiking trip and article. So when I miss a cool feature on a hike, it’s pretty common for me to go back and do it again. One area that I’ve recently revisited for this exact reason is Horsetail Falls off Falling Water Creek. I did an article last year on Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls. On that hike, I accessed Fuzzy Butt Falls by crossing Falling Water Creek at Six Fingers. I knew the trail went back upstream to the bridge crossing Falling Water Creek. But what I didn’t know was that the trail takes you right by Horsetail Falls! I had heard of Horsetail Falls before but had never looked it up. So I...
Hike to Schoolhouse Falls near Lost Corner
I love finding new areas to hike that I’m completely unfamiliar with. They offer brand new sights, new mountains, streams, waterfalls, and trails. For me it’s the same excitement as taking a vacation to a new but popular place. You don’t know exactly what to expect, but you know you’re going to enjoy it. Even though I’ve explored quite a bit of Arkansas, this still continues to happen (which is a good thing!). The latest example is an area of the Big Piney Forest I’ve been exploring lately, just east of Hector. And my first visit to this area included a quick hike to Schoolhouse Falls. Yes, I realize a lot of people know about this area and hike it regularly. But for some reason, I’ve skipped right over it for years on my way to areas northwest of ...
Forked Mountain Falls in the Flatside Wilderness
In the northeast corner of the Ouachita Mountain region lies the Flatside Wilderness area. It is an area that’s relatively less explored and often overlooked. I think this may be because exploring this area requires a LOT of dirt road driving, which may turn some folks away. Personally, I like driving those dirt roads. I think another reason is that people mostly hear about the beautiful scenery and waterfalls in the Ozarks, because it’s the most popular area. Hey, I get it – the Ozarks are still my favorite too. But there is also great scenery – including waterfalls – in the Ouachitas. One of those is Forked Mountain Falls in the Flatside Wilderness area. Forked Mountain can be seen from many different places while driving through the Flatside Wilderness area...
Hike to Magnolia Falls in the Ozarks
When it comes to hiking, I learned long ago to plan your hike, research it, and know what you’re getting into. I’ve learned this lesson several times. But every now and then I seem to forget it, and will go off exploring without a plan. Or I’ll plan a hike and change my mind on the way so I can see something else. Such was the case the first time I made the hike to Magnolia Falls between Deer and Fallsville. I had planned two other waterfall hikes near Ponca that day in early October. But after seeing that the area creeks would be low on water, I opted for Magnolia Falls. I had Magnolia Falls on my list for a while and even read a little bit about it. But I was still completely unprepared that day. I had not downloaded a map or read enough about how to access the other wa...
Sweden Creek Falls Hike in the Ozarks
For my first hike of the year I continued on my quest to hike all the major waterfalls in the Upper Buffalo River area. I decided to start the year off with the Sweden Creek Falls hike since it had been on my list for a while. And the conditions were perfect for a waterfall hike that day. The Kingston area had gotten some rain for several days before, and even some snow. On the day of my hike, the sun was out in full to warm things up to the mid-40’s. This meant there should be plenty of water in the falls from the snow-melt and previous rain. Full sun and water in the falls? I couldn’t ask for better conditions, especially for this hike. Driving up Hwy 21 from Clarksville to Boxley, I was pleased to see there was still a light dusting of snow on the ground. I haven’t see...
Hike to Winding Stairs on Eagle Rock Loop
I continue to be blown away by the natural beauty in our state. Just when I think I’ve seen the prettiest hike in Arkansas, I eventually go on another one that changes my mind. The hike to Winding Stairs on the Eagle Rock Loop Trail in the Ouachitas is the latest one. I’ll admit that I have not given enough attention to the Ouachita Mountain region so far. Sometimes I get in the habit of heading straight to the Ozarks for hiking waterfalls and paddling rivers. But there are areas of the Ouachitas that are just as great and in my opinion, very underrated. This area around the Eagle Rock Loop is right up there with some of the best spots in the Ozarks. Many people have gotten confused and lost trying to follow this trail. Unless you download a map, it can be easy to get off the t...
Alum Cove Natural Bridge
Many of the hikes I have written about so far are located in the areas between Russellville and Jasper, or Clarksville and Ponca. Nestled right in the middle of all those hills, creeks, and waterfalls lies Alum Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area. In all my trips through this area, I’ve passed really close to Alum Cove probably a hundred times. And until recently, I had never stopped to visit – always in a rush to get somewhere else. But this past November, I made it a point to specifically stop in to check out Alum Cove. I was not disappointed. I had actually set out to do a different hike that day a little further north. But the road to that trailhead was flooded so I had to call an audible. I’d been saving the Alum Cove area trail as a backup plan for just such an occa...
Paige Falls and Broadwater Hallow Falls
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 ...
Hike to Hideout Hollow
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 th...
Hike to Balanced Rock Falls
The Buffalo River is well-known as probably the most popular floating and paddling river in Arkansas. But the lands around it are home to some of the best hiking spots in the state. In particular the Upper Buffalo area near Ponca, Boxley Valley and Compton is where you’ll find a lot of the most popular trails. There is a lesser-known hike in this area that is worth a look and that is the hike to Balanced Rock Falls. You won’t find the trailhead for this one on Google maps like the other ones. Nor is it listed on the Buffalo River NPS hiking page or the Hiking Project App. But you can find it on the AllTrails app I found this hike when I saw pictures of Balanced Rock Falls posted on some of the Facebook hiking pages that I follow. I like interesting rock formations as much as I ...
Hike to Terry Keefe Falls
With the recent rain, the next few days will be a great time to see some waterfalls in Arkansas. I have written before about the many options along Falling Water Rd in the Richland Creek Wilderness. On my last venture to this area, I took a friend out that wanted to spend a day seeing some falls. On our last stop of the day, we made the beautiful hike to Terry Keefe Falls. Before we started this hike, we had made stops at Falling Water Falls, Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls. We were prepared to see others after Keefe Falls, but those got rained out. I have seen other people comment in different forums that Terry Keefe Falls was not their favorite in the area. I would have to agree, but only because the other falls in the area are so great. This waterfall is still absolutely worth hik...
