GPS Coordinates: (Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)
Parking Location: 35.72437 -93.94653, 1926ft.
Alternate route intersection: 35.71114 -93.94295, 1630 ft.
Jack White Falls: 35.70711 -93.94729, 1529 ft.
Bear Crack: 35.70630 -93.94615
Bluffline Break: 35.90678 -93.94758
Phipps Branch Falls: 35.70584 -93.88002, 1557 ft
Pet-Friendly: Dogs will be fine, either on-leash or off. This is a hike with a well-defined trail. It is in a rugged area, but the route to the waterfall and back is fairly unobstructed.
Hiking Statistics: We took one route to Jack White Falls and an alternate route on the way back. The upper route is more overgrown and has more debris in the trail. The lower route is about 0.4 miles longer but is easier hiking. We hiked a total of 4.58 miles, with a minimum-to-maximum elevation difference of 501 feet. Our round trip hiking time was two hours, with 84 minutes of that being actual moving time and 37 minutes taking photos and looking around. There is a little up-and-down on the trail, but it is mostly on the level. I would rate this a moderate hike.
GPS files (.gpx format) - See maps at the bottom of this blog post
Mulberry River Area waypoints
Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls GPS tracks
Mulberry River Area waypoints
Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls GPS tracks
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| Phipps Branch Falls |
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| Jack White Falls with Boomer |
This is an area that is far from major highways, with a maze of dirt roads coming and going from various directions, so there is any number of ways to get there, depending on where you are coming from. Since I intended to hike to Jack White Falls but stop at Phipps Branch on the way back, that alters the route also. I took what I thought would be the most scenic route to get there, and took a different route going back. I'll describe the way I got there today, and then tell you what I consider to be the best route. I still think the best way is to let the navigation unit in your vehicle or the navigation app you use on your phone have the first crack at it. Supposedly, they are smarter than we are, but I find you have to keep a pretty close eye on Aggie (the FJ Cruiser). She has no idea what shape some of the backroads are in and doesn't see hairpin turns with hundred-foot drop-offs and no guardrail as a big deal. As it turns out, Aggie chose to take us along White Rock Mountain Road, which is one of my favorite backroads, so I let her have her way on the way out.
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| Parking location |
Going by Aggie's 'best time and shortest route', we exited I-40 at exit 35 and headed north on Highway 23 (aka "The Pig Trail"). Go 12.6 miles on highway 23, and almost a mile after crossing the Mulberry River, turn left on White Rock Mountain Road (aka CR-76). This is the second left after crossing the bridge. Go 14.7 miles on White Rock Mountain Road, then turn right (east) on Hurricane Road (aka CR-79). Go 0.6 miles on Hurricane Road, then turn left onto Bowles Gap Road (still CR-79, and also a continuation of White Rock Mountain Road). Go 2.3 miles on Bowles Gap Road, and park in the turn-out on the right. This is the trailhead for Jack White Falls. I should point out that Tim Ernst details a driving route from exit 24 off I-40 in his highly recommended guidebook Arkansas Waterfalls. This will probably be the best and shortest route if you are coming from Fort Smith.
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| Grays Spring Picnic Area - White Rock Mountain Road |
This route fit the bill pretty good for today since it took us through some very scenic country along the road less traveled. I do love White Rock Mountain Road, too. It has great scenery, including the oldest rest stop/picnic area that I know of, built by the CCC back who knows when. It's old, and looks it, and is a picturesque stopping point to enjoy some great views. This road takes you along and over three mountains, White Rock Mountain being the last of these. It has lots of switchbacks and goes over Spirits Creek and Salt Fork Creek, so you can see how those are flowing. All that being said, I have to say it is in terrible shape, or at least it was today. They are working on it, but even in areas they put down new gravel and shale, it is still boggy, squishy, slick wet clay. Most of it is still really rough and bumpy with potholes and rocks everywhere. No problem with the FJ, but I can't recommend taking a regular sedan on this road. So, what would I recommend? I'd recommend he way I drove out, which I'll discuss later.
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| Jack White Falls |
From the parking location, a gated ATV trail takes off down the hill toward the south. We started trekking down the ATV trail, which is actually in pretty good shape and is easy hiking. It is a little rough, and there are some downed trees across it. If not for the trees and the fact that the gate was closed today, I could have driven the FJ down it all the way to Jack White Falls. Note that I'm not recommending this. It would be tight in spots and Aggie would pick up even more 'Arkansas pin-striping', not to mention the downed trees in the way. I'm just trying to illustrate how good a hiking surface the ATV trail is. About 1.2 miles down the trail is an intersection with another ATV trail (GPS coordinates listed above). Today, we kept going straight and hiked until about 2.0 miles down the trail. Here, we crossed over a couple of streams that combine to form the creek that feeds Jack White Falls. Just past this, there is a trace road on the left that parallels the creek and takes you down to another ATV trail. Turn left onto this trace road and you are at the top of the waterfall where it crosses the creek.
To the right of the bluff that Jack White Falls spills over, there is a is a steep but fairly safe way down to the base of the bluff. Depending on which route you take to the waterfall, there is also a bear crack about 45 yards on the other side of the creek (left side as you face downstream) that offers a safe and easy route to the base of the bluff. I spent some time taking photos of Jack White Falls, while Boomer did some swimming, frolicking, and general stuff that magnificent mountain dogs do. We headed back, but not the way we came. I like to do a loop trail whenever possible, just to get some different scenery along the way.
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| Ice buildup on the way to Jack White Falls |
Instead of going back the way we came, we stayed on the ATV trail where it crossed the top of the waterfall, and followed it as it wound around the top of the bluff and eventually back uphill to that intersection we passed on the way out. This route is slightly longer, about 0.4 miles more, but is a more gradual climb than the trace road along the creek. It also has no debris from large fallen trees across the trail, as the upper ATV trail has, and no undergrowth to get through as the trace road along the creek has. All in all, it is much easier hiking on this lower route and despite the longer distance, you can make better time by going this way. There are also some side drainages with nice cascades as they tumble down the bluff. As I mentioned, I like to vary the scenery when possible, so I prefer going the upper route on the way out and the lower route on the way back. If all you care about is getting there and back, I would suggest just going the lower route both directions.
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| Ice buildup after a couple hours of hiking |
Getting back a little higher in elevation at the parking location, I could see that things had actually got a little more frosty while we were out hiking. Along the trail 500 feet lower, we didn't have much ice or frost, but it never did get above freezing while we were hiking. On the way in, everything in the forest along the road was ice covered as we got higher on White Rock Mountain. We didn't get started hiking until around noon, and I kind of thought it would be thawed out by the time we got back. Not so. There was a pea-soup fog all over the top of the mountain, and apparently freezing fog is a real thing. The layer of ice was noticeably thicker on everything. It wasn't really a problem for us; Boomer has his fur coat, and I walked briskly enough to keep plenty warm. We loaded up and headed off to the second stop on today's adventure.
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| Phipps Branch Falls from Fane Creek Road |
Whenever you go to Jack White Falls, you might as well plan on going to Phipps Branch Falls as well, either on your way there or your way back. It's "really close to where we were anyway" - that's excuse #1 that I frequently give to my wife. If you stop on your way back, it's also "right on the way home" - which is excuse #2 she hears all the time. It's about 8.4 miles by road, so "close" is relative, I guess. To get there from the Jack White Falls Parking location, continue north on Bowles Road (aka FR-1505, also White Rock Mountain Road on some maps) for 1.8 miles, and turn right on Bidville Road (aka FR-1007). Go 2.5 miles on Bidville Road, and turn right onto Potato Knob Road (aka FR-1510, or CR-78). Go only 0.5 miles on Potato Knob Road and veer left onto West Fly Gap Road (aka FR-1506, but still CR-78). Go 2.3 miles on West Fly Gap Road and at the 5-way intersection known as the summit, make a right turn and an immediate left turn to get on Fane Creek Road (aka FR-1520, or CR-101). Go 1.3 miles on Fane Creek Road and you can see Phipps Branch Falls on the right. Park anywhere off the road.
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| Phipps Branch Falls |
Phipps Branch Falls isn't as popular as Falling Water Falls because it doesn't have the big pool to swim in, but it is similar to it in many ways. It's a beautiful waterfall you can drive right up to and walk to the top of the waterfall, and with a little extra climbing down the bluff, you can access the base of the waterfall. I noticed when coming down Fane Road that they have done a lot of work on the road and have improved it immensely. Unfortunately, in the process of doing that, they bulldozed some big trees right over the bluff next to the road, making it difficult to climb down and access the base of the waterfall, and interfering in taking photos from several perspectives. I was hoping the road crews would clean that up after they finished rebuilding Fane Road, but I see no sign of that happening. Boomer and I parked and went downstream to where we could hike down and around the debris, then walked up along the creek to Phipps Branch Falls.
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| Trees pushed over bluff at Phipps Branch |
Even climbing down and around all the downed trees and back, it is only about a quarter mile round trip, so I didn't count our stop at Phipps Branch Falls as part of today's hike, just a pleasant stop along the way. Going home, I decided to stay on Fane Creek Road and see if they had improved it all the way out. They have indeed, including new, higher, low water bridges at the Cove Creek and Fane Creek crossings. All the way down the mountain, they installed large culverts every 40 to 60 feet to ensure even torrential downpours could be accommodated and the road wouldn't wash out. Fane Creek Road may well be the best dirt road in Arkansas now. We took Fane Creek Road another 6.0 miles to Cass, then turned right onto the Pig Trail, Highway 23, and 13.6 miles down Highway 23 got on I-40, heading home. This is the route I would recommend you use, going to or from Phipps Branch Falls and Jack White Falls. From Phipps Branch, of course, you can just reverse the directions above to go to Jack White Falls. If you have a good 4WD and just like the extra adventure and scenery, you can always take White Rock Mountain Road as well. That will still be my preference.
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| GPS tracks for Jack White Falls Red - Upper Route Blue - Lower Route |
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| Phipps Branch Falls GPS track |
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