Schoolhouse Falls, Ozarks near Hector, Arkansas

2/23/2018 - Schoolhouse Falls

GPS Coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Austin Trailhead:  35.53615   -92.80366,  1516 ft.
  Parking Location:  35.53000   -92.80261,  1434 ft
  Schoolhouse Falls:  35.53019   -92.79877,  1273 ft

Pet Friendly: Yes.  No problem for dogs off leash.  

Motorcycle Friendly: No.  It is about 15 miles on a gravel road, no place for a heavy cruiser or touring bike.

Hiking Statistics:  The hike to Schoolhouse Falls is less than a half mile each way, with an elevation change of only 180 feet.  Most of the hike is along an ATV trail, the rest is on a volunteer trail.  I would rate this as an easy hike.  Of course, this is from where we parked today.  If you park further up the road toward the Austin Trailhead, your hike will be that much further.

GPS files:
    Pelsor - Deer area waypoints
    Schoolhouse Falls GPS track

Nearby areas:
    Lizard Log Falls
    Ladderbucket and John Mountain Falls

Schoolhouse Falls

Today was a day for short hikes and dodging the rain.  My hiking companions today were Dan Frew and David Dedman.  We had met in Dover early this morning, thinking that if we were lucky we could get in a hike to Grapevine Shelter Falls.  We wanted to see it in all the glory that the 6+ inches of rain we had received the last few days could provide.  We did that hike, and with only an occasional light rain to deal with, we decided to hike the nearby Sand Cave Hollow polyfoss.  After that, our luck was still holding, so we decided Schoolhouse Falls was another one that we could get to and get out fast should the monsoon we were promised arrive.  

Sign at 'Y' in White Oak
Mountain Road - bear left

To get there, drive north from Hector on Highway 27.  Less than a mile from the Big Piney Ranger station in Hector, you cross over Dare Creek.  Look upstream when you cross and you will see a nice little waterfall.  Immediately after crossing Dare Creek, turn right onto White Oak Mountain Road (aka FR-1301).  This is a gravel road but is a well-traveled and fairly well-maintained road.  Go 11.7 miles on White Oak Mountain Road.  Be careful 7.2 miles from Highway 27 and bear left where the road branches at the 'Y' in the road.  See the sign at right - you want to stay on White Oak Mountain Road at this point.  After following it for 11.8 miles, turn right onto Wilderness Trail (aka FR-1307).  Go another 3.3 miles and turn right onto a dirt road, FR-1338.  If you get to Jobe's Way, you have gone just a little too far.  Where you turned off Wilderness Way onto the dirt road is the Austin Trailhead.  Go down the dirt road for 0.3 miles and turn left onto an ATV trail.  I say ATV trail, but it has been widened recently and it's possible a Jeep might fit down it all the way to the creek.  I'm pretty sure my FJ is a little too wide to fit, but you can proceed at your own risk.  It isn't much of a hike, anyway, so no need to take chances.  We parked at a clearing that had been used as a campsite. This is the parking location I listed coordinates for above. 

Upper Schoolhouse Falls

Schoolhouse Falls is directly below in the hollow, and the ATV trail will take you all the way down to the creek. This is part of the Brock Creek Recreation Area, so there are ATV and single-track trails all over the place.  The hike starts out on the level, then gradually gets steeper as you get down into the creek canyon below.   Where the ATV trail crosses the creek, we crossed the creek as well, and there is a volunteer trail alongside the creek.  We took that and hiked downstream.  Schoolhouse Falls is a short distance, less than 50 yards, downstream of the trail crossing.  Along the way, you pass a smaller upper waterfall just upstream of the top of Schoolhouse Falls.

Schoolhouse Creek, from behind the waterfall

Continuing downstream, you will notice a bear crack leading down from the trail to below the bluffline.  I usually jump at any bluffline break I can find, so the temptation is to drop down through it to get to the base of the waterfall.  You really don't need to, however.  If you continue on down the bluffline, in just a few yards it slopes down to the creek level and you can go around and back up into the waterfall grotto without any climbing.  The weather was holding out, so we stayed a while and enjoyed the scenery while getting some photos.

Schoolhouse Falls

Schoolhouse Falls is one of a number of waterfalls in the Brock Creek Recreation Area.  The area is popular with hunters, mountain bikers, and ATV riders, as well as fellow waterfall chasers.  You see the hiking and ATV trails all over this fairly large area.  Down in the actual steep hollows, however, all you generally see is nature and the occasional waterfall chaser.  This is such a beautiful waterfall, yet so easy to get to, that you will wonder why no one else is there.  Today, of course, it was supposed to rain heavily all day, so only demented people like us were there.  Well, okay, just us and no other crazy people today.

Blue - Schoolhouse Falls GPS track
Red - Lizard Log Falls GPS track
Orange - Brushy Creek GPS track