tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88780238547932574472024-03-21T02:20:15.411-07:00Rick's Hiking BlogRick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-58966207700031310672020-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:002020-03-04T18:28:42.472-08:00Waldo Mountain waterfalls and bluffs, Ozarks along Bullfrog Valley, north of Dover, Arkansas<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>1/13/2020 - Waldo Mountain waterfalls</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Parking Location #1: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.550674,-93.175677</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Parking Location #2: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.535018,-93.185718</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #1</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.549817,-93.176752</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #2</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.549608,-93.176175</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #4</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.546136,-93.179214</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #5</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.545749,-93.179762</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #6</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.545296,-93.180082</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #7</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.545091,-93.181607</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #8</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.544592,-93.181082</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Waldo Mountain Falls</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.544553,-93.181671</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #10</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.544413,-93.181617</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #11: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.543449,-93.183146</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #12: 35.541641,-93.183777</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Pet Friendly:</b><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> It's public land in the national forest, so dogs are allowed. That being said, it is a total bushwhack, sometimes on steep slippery slopes and places where a little climbing was involved. Boomer would have done fine on this hike, but many dogs would not. Know your pet's capability and use your own judgment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> We hiked from the top of Dry Branch to the bottom, so the statistics I have are just for that one-way hike downhill. The one-way distance from parking location #1 to parking location #2 is 2.16 miles. The highest-to-lowest elevation difference is 712 feet, but remember it is going downhill. We still had to hike up the occasional bluff and back down again when the route along the creek was impassable. We also did a little exploring around the bluffs above Waldo Mountain Falls. I would rate this a moderately difficult bushwhack. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Waldo%20Mtn%20waypoints%20no%20caves.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Waldo Mountain area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Dry%20Branch%20on%20Waldo%20Mountain.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track for Waldo Mountain along Dry Branch</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/02/longpool-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Longpool Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/05/rough-hollow-waterfalls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Rough Hollow</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/03/grimmet-springs-area-waterfalls-ozarks.html">Grimmet Springs Hollow</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/01/graves-creek-canyon-arkansas-ozarks.html">Graves Creek</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/02/upper-graves-creek-ozarks-north-of.html">Upper Graves Creek</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/twister-falls-near-longpool-recreation.html">Twister Falls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waldo Mountain Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are in the middle of moving to a new home near Mountain View, so I felt a little guilty leaving Bethany to the packing and numerous other tasks that had to be done. But when longtime hiking partner Dan Frew asked if I could get out for a little while this morning, she encouraged me to do so. After all, it won't be that easy to get to the places around the southern Ozarks north of Dover (where our current house is). Neither of us had</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> a lot of time today, so we set out to see how much ground we could cover in the morning. My Topo map system has tracks all over the area close to Dover and Bullfrog Valley, but I'm constantly amazed that there are still areas I have not ventured into fairly close to home. Today, Dan wanted to explore an area on Waldo Mountain, just off Pilot Rock Mountain Road. Dry Branch is situated with both the top and bottom of the hollow fairly close to roads, so it was perfectly suited to taking both our vehicles, parking one at the bottom and then going up with the other to hike it straight through without worrying about a loop hike or an out-and-back hike. This was just what we needed when limited on time. We took Dan's Jeep and my FJ Cruiser and headed for Bullfrog Valley (Hwy 164 between Hwy 7 and Hwy 123).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Downstream of Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting there from Dover was pretty quick and pretty straightforward. As usual, the easiest thing is to enter the coordinates for the parking locations listed above into your navigation unit. If you can't do that and need turn by turn directions:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the Dover town square (intersection of Hwy 7 and Hwy 27), go north on Hwy 7 for 5.5 miles and turn left onto Hwy 164.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 4.7 miles on Hwy 164 and bear right onto Pilot Rock Mountain Road (FS-1800). This is just after the twin bridges over Big Piney Creek</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 1.6 miles on Pilot Rock Mountain Road. This is Parking Location #2, where we left my FJ. There is a pull-off trace road on the right where you can park off the road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go an additional 1.7 miles on Pilot Rock Mountain Road and turn right onto Dry Creek Road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 0.5 miles on Dry Creek Road and park off the road. This is Parking Location #1.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZantOciyZkX99rRlg3SeYW9V3_2m1c25i0Oy89lzsoAYGy7gNWKh_fh187jBC9et_sQMAksFIjpDviWyVBIN-90bKgC0mX4dA2bzdKJP4DM2W6GJ-nMUewBVIkNSvBNUomE86cnBjKKnk/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25231+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZantOciyZkX99rRlg3SeYW9V3_2m1c25i0Oy89lzsoAYGy7gNWKh_fh187jBC9et_sQMAksFIjpDviWyVBIN-90bKgC0mX4dA2bzdKJP4DM2W6GJ-nMUewBVIkNSvBNUomE86cnBjKKnk/s400/20-01-13+WM-WF%25231+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We found a place on the left side of the road to park, crossed the road and headed straight down into the hollow on the main upper fork. See the map at the bottom of this post for our route down Dry Branch. While Dry Creek Road is not at the top of the mountain or the top of this hollow, it was above all the actual water in the drainages. I'm not sure name which is correct, Dry Creek as the road is named, or Dry Branch, as the creek is named on my maps. At any rate, it wasn't actually dry, which is the most important thing for waterfall chasing. We soon came to our first waterfall find high in the hollow, a fairly nice one for as high in the drainage as it was. Just downstream of Falls #1, another fork joined in from the left (east). Looking upstream, sure enough, Falls #2 was flowing over the same bluffline. Downstream of that juncture a short distance, we found Falls #3, a short but beautiful waterfall.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjIKtQP9t2wr-KpEFGDCxdMQepLlyDdYhyphenhyphen4hxcBPgWatUiY5Y0knKsvmgVsdU0CBlSVtLPRsity3RhLJ3qqeLaS0k11X-QAVqvdpKqUqgxqGQq3VehyGqjxEuQUFdJZTM2PN3XYYsMhDD/s400/20-01-13+WM-WF%25234+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjIKtQP9t2wr-KpEFGDCxdMQepLlyDdYhyphenhyphen4hxcBPgWatUiY5Y0knKsvmgVsdU0CBlSVtLPRsity3RhLJ3qqeLaS0k11X-QAVqvdpKqUqgxqGQq3VehyGqjxEuQUFdJZTM2PN3XYYsMhDD/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25234+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was starting to look like a veritable polyfoss, with a plethora of waterfalls. As often happens when we start thinking like that, we stopped finding waterfalls on the main creek. But then, we found Falls #4 a little more than a quarter-mile downstream and quite a few more that were 100 yards or less apart on the creek. Falls #4 was one of my favorites for this hike, a series of tumbling smaller waterfalls flowing into a nice pool. Unfortunately, Dan lost a lens cap here and it disappeared into the pool, which was much deeper than it appeared. While I was congratulating myself on having a lanyard on my lens cap, somewhere in the short distance between Falls #4 and Falls #5, my lens cap decided it would come loose and get lost. I now carry a spare lens cap in my pack, because continually cleaning the lens in a wet, cold, foggy, muddy, and slippery area like this can get a little old.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bear Cave/Tunnel<br />Access downstream to Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #5, as I mentioned, was less than a 100 yards downstream of Falls #4. This one is a beautiful waterfall flowing into a very steep and relatively deep canyon. Downstream, Falls #6 was equally beautiful in its own way, although much shorter. The fog, which had lifted entirely on our road trip here, had closed in again and made this waterfall look kind of spooky. Going downstream from Falls #6, the next waterfall downstream on the creek was what would eventually be the tenth of our waterfall finds today. However, the terrain forced us into another direction first. To get out of the creek level where we were and continue downstream, we had to go through a cave (more like a tunnel) to another drainage of Dry Branch, so we ended up at Falls #7 in a different side drainage of the main creek. The cave had signs of bear, both hair and scat, and you could see where it/they had bedded down. If there were any bears around today, I'm sure they got spooked and ran off long before we got to this point. This area has the nicest scenery and prettiest waterfalls, in my opinion, of this entire hollow. It's just hard to get from one to another except for a round-about way. Fortunately, they are all grouped fairly closely together between the two prongs. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #7 is a nice one, falling off a tall bluff in this side drainage. downstream of it was another small waterfall, followed closely by Falls #9, which we later decided to call Waldo Mountain Falls. Shortly downstream of Waldo Mountain Falls, this drainage flows into the main creek of Dry Branch and you can follow it back upstream a short distance on the left to an accessible area just below Falls #10. This waterfall is one of the prettiest waterfalls I have seen in the Ozarks, but it is very difficult to get a shot of it that shows that beauty. I'm not a big drone user and don't like packing stuff like that on a bushwhack, but it sure would have come in handy for photographing Falls #10. Heading downstream from this wonderful area, we first went up to explore the bluffs and rock formations above Waldo Mountain Falls, then headed downstream. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOib6v-Sl42h49wy9BKThrUNRmdWsVpi5FdZ8OLtiHb7dSxnCzzw4cNe8fdcRgYyytgXPReR_AS7rYjf3VXVfc2tbvA-oRCBHheGDrVCe7hmFwALdhGJD9R2JPya0ybYtx1u5ZPVEdagW/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOib6v-Sl42h49wy9BKThrUNRmdWsVpi5FdZ8OLtiHb7dSxnCzzw4cNe8fdcRgYyytgXPReR_AS7rYjf3VXVfc2tbvA-oRCBHheGDrVCe7hmFwALdhGJD9R2JPya0ybYtx1u5ZPVEdagW/s400/20-01-13+WM-WF%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We found a couple more waterfalls on Dry Branch on the way back to where we had left the FJ Cruiser parked. Below Falls #10, the creek flattens out some and we even picked up an old trace road along Dry Branch that always makes for easy hiking. It is less than a mile from Parking Location #2 to Waldo Mountain Falls and is much easier hiking than the very steep and rugged terrain upstream of that juncture. If you only have one vehicle, or you just want to see the biggest and nicest of the waterfalls here, I would suggest parking at the lower parking location and just hiking up Dry Branch and back down. This is one of those areas that I can't believe was practically in my backyard and I had never gotten around to exploring it. It is well worth it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9iF5-WH3vnYMRcvdgmOn2tEYAu_tSirX55T8Jlx1GfBb7Oh8zz2RRD4Pj2doveWbJ_bd5obT1iYWpq_Ajlif0sEsffNQZ_AcNFO557B_VHTkFcvk2yL5DG_GeyX4fQBPahvhUDvK9IIR/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25233+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9iF5-WH3vnYMRcvdgmOn2tEYAu_tSirX55T8Jlx1GfBb7Oh8zz2RRD4Pj2doveWbJ_bd5obT1iYWpq_Ajlif0sEsffNQZ_AcNFO557B_VHTkFcvk2yL5DG_GeyX4fQBPahvhUDvK9IIR/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%25233+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #3</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__wRCbgB2FqWqLuJOWZkgC7Rlq91zVbcQnimZrA6MJecLPyYbqDl0LnxgMcGln4s2zsDYdEuQqzzAy4wRQFx900O64_aI96eyuRQ22avXbdO6HzqlGWGnLKOnd_CYd1-mRbm0l6Oimywl/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25235+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__wRCbgB2FqWqLuJOWZkgC7Rlq91zVbcQnimZrA6MJecLPyYbqDl0LnxgMcGln4s2zsDYdEuQqzzAy4wRQFx900O64_aI96eyuRQ22avXbdO6HzqlGWGnLKOnd_CYd1-mRbm0l6Oimywl/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%25235+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBRlEhxsdniUw7Vn3CzTQ3-4Un9KZ4jcClpNG63JfKRAw9agC7UyTiN-VMn7e0GW9TvbX59gi1DqEHW-9vjg0J7cLqHBRV6YYbImA5H0vbUCJ2_VgnD4LnghTdP0jyM5QI-8VVEMf06gx/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25237+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBRlEhxsdniUw7Vn3CzTQ3-4Un9KZ4jcClpNG63JfKRAw9agC7UyTiN-VMn7e0GW9TvbX59gi1DqEHW-9vjg0J7cLqHBRV6YYbImA5H0vbUCJ2_VgnD4LnghTdP0jyM5QI-8VVEMf06gx/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%25237+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3ULVob_txx4gUlo6kkAM0TWlBfAeNKxH6u-_9_PsuduloKXt-A4UWwWqXPp6XdPLCQtKZbzjirtS3sGhS3zlXYLfO-te2MBII68hTtaE0T3MrIKGjqfdaifEonN8J1hrcsYY5zDvG9tq/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3ULVob_txx4gUlo6kkAM0TWlBfAeNKxH6u-_9_PsuduloKXt-A4UWwWqXPp6XdPLCQtKZbzjirtS3sGhS3zlXYLfO-te2MBII68hTtaE0T3MrIKGjqfdaifEonN8J1hrcsYY5zDvG9tq/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%25238.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #8</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6Bk-RsIK5ArHvnioZAim8xBX4Tc7xIbC74c7Wt3abpBlP8M8GmqkT7KljJFYaEIY-qmP-42Om9DryuAY2Pg3MEMKfY3vzK5cNxXYJITGxXN-_nK-hq2j732pe86uU5kFMAE72i2RsQOA/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25239+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw6Bk-RsIK5ArHvnioZAim8xBX4Tc7xIbC74c7Wt3abpBlP8M8GmqkT7KljJFYaEIY-qmP-42Om9DryuAY2Pg3MEMKfY3vzK5cNxXYJITGxXN-_nK-hq2j732pe86uU5kFMAE72i2RsQOA/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%25239+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Downstream of Waldo Mountain Falls (background right)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIgp5so3XbypPjf4EIZ5CfuZLJmvFJ-a4Uor-PsOVnCgW0f1nTKh9GegNqSXPgTeL6voTBaGhJUxv53bnSkO9MMDNWYtwXBYtUINlStUFx5YaE5NBM-fnWdyFKNnvQLhJLGfpcaG81uLU/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%25239+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIgp5so3XbypPjf4EIZ5CfuZLJmvFJ-a4Uor-PsOVnCgW0f1nTKh9GegNqSXPgTeL6voTBaGhJUxv53bnSkO9MMDNWYtwXBYtUINlStUFx5YaE5NBM-fnWdyFKNnvQLhJLGfpcaG81uLU/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%25239+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waldo Mountain Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOib6v-Sl42h49wy9BKThrUNRmdWsVpi5FdZ8OLtiHb7dSxnCzzw4cNe8fdcRgYyytgXPReR_AS7rYjf3VXVfc2tbvA-oRCBHheGDrVCe7hmFwALdhGJD9R2JPya0ybYtx1u5ZPVEdagW/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOib6v-Sl42h49wy9BKThrUNRmdWsVpi5FdZ8OLtiHb7dSxnCzzw4cNe8fdcRgYyytgXPReR_AS7rYjf3VXVfc2tbvA-oRCBHheGDrVCe7hmFwALdhGJD9R2JPya0ybYtx1u5ZPVEdagW/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4BAT5WUj2dVpg2ItDUJdJ9DN4rLeQ_1UujAANrVpd8yz5FRtyVeyK5Ir_D4H2dCH3bfenmT8w0NTWdDb5_ICMFSRa8NoybiXcQq9IOgd9wFhUUOnyMgdmsB2cg5sn1mBavECj5iEmK25/s1600/20-01-13+WM-WF%252312+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4BAT5WUj2dVpg2ItDUJdJ9DN4rLeQ_1UujAANrVpd8yz5FRtyVeyK5Ir_D4H2dCH3bfenmT8w0NTWdDb5_ICMFSRa8NoybiXcQq9IOgd9wFhUUOnyMgdmsB2cg5sn1mBavECj5iEmK25/s640/20-01-13+WM-WF%252312+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #12</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AzDaP3LdBe_3ccYm-y8k8tCERce4BJEdqQlQnvWQd5MU9JHIk2GMpotwlR05rFcwfoY3c21Xv-MO5FjUTZ7zUl2MJd2JVppO28jnf1du0sgmAFMBQkW_qIMcH5dWEy_ooal77uksbRrx/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AzDaP3LdBe_3ccYm-y8k8tCERce4BJEdqQlQnvWQd5MU9JHIk2GMpotwlR05rFcwfoY3c21Xv-MO5FjUTZ7zUl2MJd2JVppO28jnf1du0sgmAFMBQkW_qIMcH5dWEy_ooal77uksbRrx/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS track for Dry Branch on Waldo Mountain</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-77437434074204865612019-12-21T11:45:00.000-08:002020-05-16T14:06:41.434-07:00Round Top Mountain Hiking Trail, Ozark NF near Jasper, Arkansas<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">12/21/2019 - Round Top Mountain Hiking Trails</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking Location: 35.983764, -93.178591</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Cave #1: 35.986266, -93.180037</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Turn off trail to caves: 35.986373, -93.179762</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Cave #2: 35.986084, -93.179999</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span> B-25 Crash Site: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.987184, -93.179868</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> Dogs are will have an easy time here, the trail is well maintained and traveled. This area is not part of the Buffalo National River, so dogs are allowed. It is a popular trail, so odds are you will encounter other people at some point. If your dog is not well behaved around other people or other dogs, please keep it on a leash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> This is an easy hike as far as trail steepness and terrain goes. The beauty of it is that it is all fantastic scenery and you can do as much or as little as you like. Today, I tried to go everywhere there is an actual trail, so we ended up hiking a total of 3.55 miles. The total minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was 373 feet, from the parking area to the top of the mountain. I would rate this an easy hike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Round%20Top%20Mountain%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Round Top Mountain Waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Round%20Top%20Mountain%20Trails.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Round Top Mountain Hiking trails GPS track</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3XAw7VNhL0cNUdT4eZqxY6dg-vfCzSNUq5XglS0qDbqZ7kF7j8eUPptDVCrDBP_gIcz2BwCEC08-HteJlp1gdqAj8PZiZKixBDYj-EGE1NtPlrjHqNix7Jc06FxRZ6MOx2VLaNSActv4/s1600/Z50_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3XAw7VNhL0cNUdT4eZqxY6dg-vfCzSNUq5XglS0qDbqZ7kF7j8eUPptDVCrDBP_gIcz2BwCEC08-HteJlp1gdqAj8PZiZKixBDYj-EGE1NtPlrjHqNix7Jc06FxRZ6MOx2VLaNSActv4/s400/Z50_0136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">View from the north bluff overlook. <br />The Newton County Fairground is straight ahead,<br />and Jasper is right behind it.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Today, Bethany and I woke up in a Newton County frame of mind. For some reason, right after breakfast, I started thinking about the deep-fried burger at the Ozark Cafe in Jasper. After that, it was all downhill. It doesn't take much to convince Bethany to make the hour-long drive up to Jasper if it means a stop at the Ozark Cafe. We didn't want that to be the only thing we did if we drove up there, so what's a good hike to work up a little appetite around there? Round Top Mountain, of course. This trail system is just off Highway 7, just before you go down into Jasper. It's not very strenuous at all, but plenty of trails to stretch your legs and see some awesome scenery. Perfect for our needs today.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2FIDfV-4gtEybNZzxGAYYbRA6MO9gV33fN18VBPGd9UXTIzp-AZZHAGpPPiGJUz9LMqoIktYeaoP8qxoutsxMDkVCKVXAcSL3Wkk9jW8E92Rsuc6-aoLC2EmcgD2o017DhyphenhyphenWQ7gTsPnh/s1600/20191221_151500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2FIDfV-4gtEybNZzxGAYYbRA6MO9gV33fN18VBPGd9UXTIzp-AZZHAGpPPiGJUz9LMqoIktYeaoP8qxoutsxMDkVCKVXAcSL3Wkk9jW8E92Rsuc6-aoLC2EmcgD2o017DhyphenhyphenWQ7gTsPnh/s400/20191221_151500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Visitor center and toilets (background) at the trailhead</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting there is pretty easy. If you have ever been to Jasper, you have no doubt seen the sign on Hwy 7. If you haven't ever been to Jasper, what's wrong with you? What a great little town! As you drive into Jasper from the south on Hwy 7, you start a long decline from the mountain ridge top that Hwy 7 follows, about a mile and a half before you get to Jasper. When you start that decline, you'll notice a sign on the left (west) that says "Round Top Mountain Scenic Hiking Trail". That's it. Turn onto the road and follow it about a hundred yards up to where you park at the trailhead. If you are coming from Jasper, it will be on the right a short distance after passing the Newton County Fairgrounds. There are public toilets here, as well as a small visitor center that has never been open any time I have been here.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIY19ZjMEenhKAO3xsZd6kpUlsqIGudw6WCIvu80HJuhKj0egd7I8yb0WaYGxzxdYXX5pNR9C4AJdRjz9KduHbxWFGr7qOmWWnrmqPCy5jb4mvs2nwyz0QgzIVJXoWOmhA-8UKz6sVhyphenhyphenr/s1600/20191221_151521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIY19ZjMEenhKAO3xsZd6kpUlsqIGudw6WCIvu80HJuhKj0egd7I8yb0WaYGxzxdYXX5pNR9C4AJdRjz9KduHbxWFGr7qOmWWnrmqPCy5jb4mvs2nwyz0QgzIVJXoWOmhA-8UKz6sVhyphenhyphenr/s400/20191221_151521.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Map at the trailhead</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the trailhead, you will also note a large sign with a map of the whole trail system, so you don't even need to download the GPX file above. It's a fairly simple trail system with two big loops and is about impossible to get lost on. We went up the trail and decided to hike the lower loop counter-clockwise today, so we turned left onto the loop. I'm kind of lazy and like to do ascents early in a hike, while I'm still fresh, and then save downhill parts when I'm more tired. Not that any of this trail is difficult or steep, it really isn't, it's just one of those hiking habits deeply ingrained in me. By going this way, in about a quarter-mile you come to a trail junction on your right with a stone-cut stairway leading up to the upper loop. We headed up to the upper loop and started hiking around it. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHQuV8DawH04YigALODjh9m7fDnzmTtYaNeXtsL8sEvmrI1sV0oZTdqhL4jQm3FEqyWmuZ6SFVcFhwCKEJS22TjGlNZIV1S7couAeQ6qZDbPHQPvc2SCTU6J2WQ9ggQerqa16jCXlgag4/s1600/20191221_140152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvHQuV8DawH04YigALODjh9m7fDnzmTtYaNeXtsL8sEvmrI1sV0oZTdqhL4jQm3FEqyWmuZ6SFVcFhwCKEJS22TjGlNZIV1S7couAeQ6qZDbPHQPvc2SCTU6J2WQ9ggQerqa16jCXlgag4/s400/20191221_140152.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">South Gap Narrows</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every bit of trail here is just a leisurely stroll through some fantastic scenery. It is great in any season, but especially beautiful in the Fall, in my opinion. This was technically the first day of winter, and Christmas was right around the corner. Normally, I like peace and solitude to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, but today, we put our Christmas playlist on my phone and listened to Christmas songs on our stroll. We only passed three other couples on our entire hike, and they seemed to enjoy the Christmas spirit as well. On the very north end of the upper loop, there is a spur trail that goes down to an overlook from on top of the north bluff. From there, you can see seemingly forever, and you can look down right into the downtown part of Jasper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the southernmost point of the upper loop, there is a narrow spit of rock that you can climb on and walk out to the end, with sharp dropoffs on each side. It goes right out and over the South Gap, a "gap" between Round Top Mountain and Judea Mountain just to the south. The lower loop goes around the base of this narrow bluff. Continuing on around the upper loop trail from South Gap, we soon came to our stairs leading down to the lower loop. We turned right and continued our counter-clockwise hike around the lower loop trail. At this point, the trail mostly follows the base of the bluff, with lots of small shelter caves, enigmatic holes in the rock, and fossils from a bazillion years ago when this was </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismpsEsjhlG1L2lOMFgu8zbhpnXohW7w_sksn3EQBAPVxJjFTi_JzfpzAAQ5gWNfzhmX0EGJAp9yX5LicGCRrU3Jb35pfRQjJsTgUDVHhEiu-X6xa8-C000LCqFzgdWLQTJL3oVBBIbyXd/s1600/20191221_141353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismpsEsjhlG1L2lOMFgu8zbhpnXohW7w_sksn3EQBAPVxJjFTi_JzfpzAAQ5gWNfzhmX0EGJAp9yX5LicGCRrU3Jb35pfRQjJsTgUDVHhEiu-X6xa8-C000LCqFzgdWLQTJL3oVBBIbyXd/s400/20191221_141353.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">South Gap Narrows<br />from below the bluff</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">on the bottom of a large sea. We soon came to the base of that narrow spit of rock extending into South Gap and continued on around the lower loop trail. At this point, the trail kind of meanders away from the bluff a bit as you hike along the west side of Round Top Mountain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are a few points along the trail overlooking the lower bluff on this side of the mountain, with stunning vistas of the Little Buffalo River Valley. If you want to explore the upper bluff, you'll need to leave the trail and do a little bushwhacking. We didn't want to get overly dirty before going to eat, so we didn't do that. Also, one of my goals for today was to cover all of the trails here and get a good GPS track of the whole thing, so we pretty much stuck to the trail today. That said, it's a great trail to stick to, with beautiful scenery and cool formations everywhere. After you hike all the way around the west side and north end of the lower trail, the trail turns almost due south and a couple hundred yards after that is when you come to the B-25 crash site. See the coordinates listed above. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back on February 6, 1948, a B-25 bomber was flying from Dayton, Ohio to Little Rock, Arkansas on a training mission with five crew members on board. As Snoopy used to write, "...it was a dark and stormy night...". No one knows exactly what went wrong, but at about 8pm, the plane crashed into the upper bluff of Round Top Mountain. It is theorized that the freezing rain that night caused the wings to ice up, and the heavy fog limited the crew's ability to </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Plaque commemorating the 1948 crash site</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">navigate. Keep in mind this was in the days before on-board radar and the niceties of aviation electronics we know today. One of my Uncles piloted a B-25E during WWII, and ironically crashed his plane into a mountain near Sarajevo. Of course, his crash was helped by anti-aircraft fire. We can only theorize about the details of this crash, but it was horrific. All five crew members died. One engine was actually embedded in the bluff rock, and you can still see scorch marks of the burning fuel. Locals heard and felt the explosion while at a basketball game in Jasper, and helped authorities search the wreckage and secure the scene until daylight. The crash site was finally added to the register of Arkansas Historic Places in 2010, and a plaque honoring the crew was placed at the crash site. I like to just stop and take a moment here to pay my respect and do a little deep thinking about life in general.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKDOuImDgAHXdmdJpW3hg8PocE4fcYpoIh0W3tb8SXprJBy_aWwXOI1SBfw1nfCQLhqaTmh3R4xJpeY4Mr3TIfmYYiqnj0PKUuiA7x6HYaxOULqNr9X2VcYpFxZr-qEHhtJcR11xRPJwR/s1600/20191221_144838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKDOuImDgAHXdmdJpW3hg8PocE4fcYpoIh0W3tb8SXprJBy_aWwXOI1SBfw1nfCQLhqaTmh3R4xJpeY4Mr3TIfmYYiqnj0PKUuiA7x6HYaxOULqNr9X2VcYpFxZr-qEHhtJcR11xRPJwR/s400/20191221_144838.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cave #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are still some remnants of the wreckage here, but please take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints. Continuing south on the lower loop trail, you soon pass another point of interest. On the right, there is a volunteer trail leading up to the bluff and a couple of small caves. For me, it's hard to pass by a cave without going and checking it out, so I did. They are small and not all that special, but they are caves and caves are cool, at least for me. Going south on the lower loop trail from there, you soon come full circle back to the trail leading from the loop trails back to the parking location. This is an enjoyable, fairly easy hike that I would highly recommend for hikers of all ages and hiking abilities. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the time we finished our hike we had worked up quite an appetite, so off we went for our 'reward' at the Ozark Cafe. Deep-fried burger with cheese and an egg over-hard on it, then brownie with a ton of toppings for dessert. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Along the lower loop trail - with Bethany</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6Q4R2JYcTqwE3RYfR-cNV5roWeTd8IU-KCwBbtZNutvDH0aS32XckN5stuy67BOJ-N9rf8ret1wG8-Eu-tf6s_08wB282bq6UrsuEu2pDFYKQJkwZSh9Qp8badseHroEWuTPeWNNBl1O/s1600/20191221_141206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1600" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6Q4R2JYcTqwE3RYfR-cNV5roWeTd8IU-KCwBbtZNutvDH0aS32XckN5stuy67BOJ-N9rf8ret1wG8-Eu-tf6s_08wB282bq6UrsuEu2pDFYKQJkwZSh9Qp8badseHroEWuTPeWNNBl1O/s640/20191221_141206.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This hole in the bluff was just the right size, so I stopped and took a breather.<br />Behind me, there is a chimney that goes all the way to the top of the bluff.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGqsOOrYAkxxUOdrOrCy7QDGAS0yfYYCsUPpzCfS7JZFTIdyrYXQYL61c9gomzobiRt4Ff0HJhTOd1oYFmT8QBu9lHJBTq3RS818n5QZjMd1of0Uyjr4_UOMm_jHAl1bYRyssoZZTfhxq/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGqsOOrYAkxxUOdrOrCy7QDGAS0yfYYCsUPpzCfS7JZFTIdyrYXQYL61c9gomzobiRt4Ff0HJhTOd1oYFmT8QBu9lHJBTq3RS818n5QZjMd1of0Uyjr4_UOMm_jHAl1bYRyssoZZTfhxq/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document31.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Round Top Mountain Trails</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-35824289923932996532019-11-09T21:36:00.000-08:002019-11-09T22:21:57.479-08:00Ladderbucket and John Mountain Falls, Ozarks on White Oak Mountain, north of Hector, Arkansas<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>11/9/2019 - Ladderbucket Falls and John Mountain Falls</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking Location: 35.54074, -92.79777, 1547 feet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Turn left onto ATV trail: 35.54159, -92.79934, 1601 feet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: 35.5444, -92.80044</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Keep right onto ATV trail: 35.55351, -92.7603, 1407 feet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluff Break: 35.55073, -92.79351, 1222 feet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> John Mountain Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.55112, -92.79336, 1223 feet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: 35.55010, -92.79433 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Ladderbucket Falls: 35.54868, -92.79469, 1227 feet</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet Friendly:</b> Yes. No problem for dogs off-leash. A dog kept on a leash may have some difficulty going up and down the break in the bluffline. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> The one-way distance to John Mountain Falls and then on to Ladderbucket Falls is 2.23 miles. The return hike is slightly less distance because you can go directly from Ladderbucket Falls to the bluffline break, bypassing nearby John Mountain Falls. The highest-to-lowest elevation difference is 554 feet, but there are no extended steep climbs. Approximately 3/4 of this hike is along an old logging road and a couple of ATV trails so it is easy hiking. The remaining hike is a bushwhack but is fairly open hiking without a lot of undergrowth or obstacles. I would rate this a moderately difficult bushwhack.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b> </b><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Ladderbucket%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Ladderbucket area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Ladderbucket%20and%20JM%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track file to John Mountain and Ladderbucket Falls (.gpx format)</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/02/schoolhouse-falls-ozarks-near-hector.html">Schoolhouse Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/jacobs-stairway-and-upstream-waterfalls.html">Jacob's Stairway</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/03/lizard-log-falls-brock-creek-recreation.html">Lizard Log Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/05/brushy-fork-northeast-prong-waterfalls.html">Brushy Fork waterfalls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbA3Zz1juR5-eID9Up7VKEfphBtRuKWriyveFqYWGbiRl1i5dopq7T8eBYPuxJMZqkIKJydVXcqnYiT9nKUmm9B9Ek9M6dqO3gPfY3nz6puQOJUROBezqxe7BZF5BCel4WwIl6Acov4MDm/s1600/2019-11-09+Ladderbucket+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbA3Zz1juR5-eID9Up7VKEfphBtRuKWriyveFqYWGbiRl1i5dopq7T8eBYPuxJMZqkIKJydVXcqnYiT9nKUmm9B9Ek9M6dqO3gPfY3nz6puQOJUROBezqxe7BZF5BCel4WwIl6Acov4MDm/s400/2019-11-09+Ladderbucket+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ladderbucket Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It has been over five years since Boomer has been to Ladderbucket Falls with me, and I owed him a day out in the woods since he wasn't allowed to go to the Buffalo River with me. The <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/05/ladderbucket-falls-and-john-mountain.html">last time we visited this area</a>, he was bitten by a copperhead and I was curious to see if he would remember the area. It was five and a half years ago, but it was very traumatic. He almost died. I ended up carrying him on my shoulders for a while until he just couldn't take it anymore. Even after rushing him to Doc (his vet), he got the anti-serum but the paw that was bitten had to be repeatedly hydrolazed and cleaned out where the flesh was abscessed and rotted. It was a full two months before he was allowed to hike and swim again. So today, we loaded up in the FJ and headed out this morning for the White Oak Mountain area north of Hector and a do-over for Boomer on this hike.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sign at 'Y' in White Oak<br />Mountain Road - bear left</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is one of those places where just plugging the coordinates for the parking location into your GPS navigation unit may not give you the best route. Your navigation system will probably tell you to take Lindsey Motorway since it will be about five miles shorter. However, that road is always a wild card. You never know what the status of the ford across the Illinois Bayou will be like, and Lindsey Motorway itself is normally a pretty bad road around the river. White Oak Mountain Road is much better and always seems faster for me, so that is what I recommend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To get there:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Drive north from Hector on Highway 27. Less than a mile from the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Big Piney Ranger station in Hector, you cross over Dare Creek. Look upstream when you cross and you will see a nice little waterfall.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 11.8 miles on White Oak Mountain Road. Be careful about seven miles from Hector and bear left where the road branches at the '</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Y' in the road. See the sign in the photo at right - you want to stay on White Oak Mountain Road at <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECgQJYcSHe0A2nXGM9PvQ6jKbciLDm2LEzDhQbnF23GLvyVMsYf3m9pj-Co5ySwZazh4vicdwIveV5VVc-c9Mo1sjP2k_Dhp_7cXvOFZ5ZyyiiW0qzSf7yiOOUMDAcUsJfIn3kSV3WttV/s1600/20191109_135445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECgQJYcSHe0A2nXGM9PvQ6jKbciLDm2LEzDhQbnF23GLvyVMsYf3m9pj-Co5ySwZazh4vicdwIveV5VVc-c9Mo1sjP2k_Dhp_7cXvOFZ5ZyyiiW0qzSf7yiOOUMDAcUsJfIn3kSV3WttV/s400/20191109_135445.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
this point.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After following it for 11.8 miles, turn right onto Wilderness Trail (aka FR-1307).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go another 3.5 miles and turn left onto Jobe's Way, then drive a quarter mile to the parking location coordinates (</span>35.54074, -92.79777). If you drive up to the gate with the "no trespassing" sign, you have gone too far. I used to think the private property started at this fence and gate, but it is actually somewhat before that. Look at the photo of the parking location; see that bear-proofed utility pole further down the road? That is where private land begins. </span></li>
</ul>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir08mkRl7xEvwZndROnTS9_c3pCNl8BB3nJd3k16F8ALeh7TnDXsXD6UOjNIYV0vN8b-hHk1UE00-dkX9BWB6vV3J9Xtak4kkxQ3Mpm7CAk_oP9p11k7IuMKDLdjDoIfKTAgwXImG2k8RY/s1600/Screenshot_20191109-214202_BackCountry+Navigator+PRO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="779" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir08mkRl7xEvwZndROnTS9_c3pCNl8BB3nJd3k16F8ALeh7TnDXsXD6UOjNIYV0vN8b-hHk1UE00-dkX9BWB6vV3J9Xtak4kkxQ3Mpm7CAk_oP9p11k7IuMKDLdjDoIfKTAgwXImG2k8RY/s400/Screenshot_20191109-214202_BackCountry+Navigator+PRO.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The shaded area is private land</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That is John Mountain to your left as you drive into the parking location, hence the name of the waterfall on the side of this mountain. If "Jobe's Way" looks more like "Jobe's driveway ruts", that's because it is. The cleared area beyond the gate and a hundred yards or so around that is private land and is well posted, so please respect the landowner and stay off. Jobe's Way and the parking location are on public land. If you draw a line perpendicular to the road, that is the approximate boundary of Harry Jobe's little chunk of land. From the parking location, hike directly uphill through the woods, then turn to your right after about 200 yards where it levels out. Then hike on the level for about a hundred yards and you will come across an ATV trail. That point is marked with GPS coordinates listed above. This little bushwhack through the woods in pretty easy bushwhacking as it is mostly clear of undergrowth and other impediments. It's just a short detour through the woods and you are around the private land and onto a trail you can follow most of the way to John Mountain Falls. See the map at the bottom of this post for more detail.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaju6I2FmmhyphenhyphenzTGUy-dCuNKOu5I3g6-VkXv_H_85ViZLkCcBk3c-6pLuf4ZL5fb8PXiaVVzeiyPFc_W52rI4Qc9BRujtoB4UXLezSWNPEhfovOfooc2aH56rJgy-ncTnP_TfWzs0RWAxpX/s1600/2019-11-09+John+Mountain+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaju6I2FmmhyphenhyphenzTGUy-dCuNKOu5I3g6-VkXv_H_85ViZLkCcBk3c-6pLuf4ZL5fb8PXiaVVzeiyPFc_W52rI4Qc9BRujtoB4UXLezSWNPEhfovOfooc2aH56rJgy-ncTnP_TfWzs0RWAxpX/s400/2019-11-09+John+Mountain+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">John Mountain Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn left onto an old logging road, away from Harry's property, and stay on it as it swings around the end of the hollow. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you stay on the logging road for almost 1.5 miles, it will swing back to the right and down to a point just north of the top of John Mountain Falls. Where the logging road has a 'Y', bear to the right, where it is more of an ATV trail. staying on this trail until it ends. Where the trail ends, you are actually only about 100 yards from the top of John Mountain Falls. Leave the trail to the right and go down a slight slope to a small creek. This is the creek that feeds John Mountain Falls. Cross the creek and follow it downstream a short way further to the bluffline.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trick to seeing the waterfalls in this hollow is finding the spot where you can actually get down through the bluffline to access the base of the waterfalls. That spot is right where the hollow's bluffline bends around to the grotto where John Mountain Falls is. In other words, where the falls bluffline bends around to the bluffline for the main hollow. In fact, you can see the waterfall from this point around the bluff to your left. There are two breaks in the bluffline here that you can take to get below the cliff. When you do, stay at the base of the rock cliff instead of going further down the slope to the creek level. Follow the base of the bluff around, keeping the bluff to your left, and it will take you to the base of John Mountain Falls. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfU0HhTBneOKjfWmZnwofYpDqbIturjsjkbWTZrAVgdTvHsR6YhWuimIsR-ROGjv6XaN-Gygcx8c1SOt2FGxuLWjLHOftPDyvEbPV-3-Jwlavge5qRxk2lnFc-o9DrEtGtlfZrxPHgeoE/s1600/2019-11-09+LB-WF3+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfU0HhTBneOKjfWmZnwofYpDqbIturjsjkbWTZrAVgdTvHsR6YhWuimIsR-ROGjv6XaN-Gygcx8c1SOt2FGxuLWjLHOftPDyvEbPV-3-Jwlavge5qRxk2lnFc-o9DrEtGtlfZrxPHgeoE/s400/2019-11-09+LB-WF3+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #3</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">John Mountain Falls is a tall one, falling off the bluff ledge for 84 feet before hitting the rocks below. Today, it had enough water flow to look great. But, as with a lot of the tall waterfalls, it is difficult to get a good photo of the entire waterfall due to the foliage and height of the waterfall. It was also a very bright and sunny day, not the best for photographing waterfalls. I did the best I could with it. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To get to Ladderbucket Falls, you can go down to where the creek from John Mountain Falls flows into the main creek and go upstream, or you can follow the base of the bluffline back around the way you came. Today, we did a little of both. We hiked upstream on the main creek until we saw Falls #3 flowing off the bluff, then hiked up to it and followed the base of the bluff upstream right to Ladderbucket Falls</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_eL_9UU-tlr7I5aih83srDzHn_xbAjcVLn-jTTbSiRBRuquJv_jQ7Z3Bbn7PpfNQL1bs21oYeBdpqVnvmm0Fwmk627jOMY1h0aPPUeF7Ihczd74WM-lOtENAnpFrTdIvHA1kUrd-cTkT/s1600/2019-11-09+Ladderbucket+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_eL_9UU-tlr7I5aih83srDzHn_xbAjcVLn-jTTbSiRBRuquJv_jQ7Z3Bbn7PpfNQL1bs21oYeBdpqVnvmm0Fwmk627jOMY1h0aPPUeF7Ihczd74WM-lOtENAnpFrTdIvHA1kUrd-cTkT/s400/2019-11-09+Ladderbucket+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ladderbucket Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing on around the base of the bluff keeping the bluff on your right, you will come to Ladderbucket Falls. This is a beautiful 36-foot waterfall, with a steep cascade at the top half, then falling the rest of the way into a large pool. Ladderbucket Falls is on the main creek running down this hollow. After relaxing, shooting some photos, and swimming (well, Boomer did, anyway) we headed back. The easiest way back is the way you came in, along the bluff and back up through the bluffline break. The return trip is slightly less distance since you won't be going around the bend to John Mountain Falls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was back at our break in the bluffline that Boomer got bitten on his left rear paw by a snake. I think he has probably let time heal those bad memories. He seemed to have a great day out hiking today. We made pretty good time hiking the two miles back to the FJ. This hike is really not that difficult, from a technical aspect,,</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> especially compared to most areas of the Ozarks</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. The part that is bushwhacking is not rough, and this route is relatively free of brush and other obstacles. I would recommend this hike for anyone capable of getting off trail and hiking a few miles. There is that private property to be cognizant of, but if you stick to the track that I made you'll be OK. Using a GPS device or app will assist you with that. You can click on the "Glossary and FAQ" link at the top right of this post for information on what I a using for GPS guidance.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirap5DXh0w1dDiKqqvdmICPnc_kVZM6PZSXQxFcdgGdgKdnOsOe1VqFEnvM2HB7_BEwNKZg1q-TMsjd4YslU_GQNgDMseRlXF2i222pOCdjTP4vA65CfauW_qdQymuEIn9Exj1ialMBrZT/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirap5DXh0w1dDiKqqvdmICPnc_kVZM6PZSXQxFcdgGdgKdnOsOe1VqFEnvM2HB7_BEwNKZg1q-TMsjd4YslU_GQNgDMseRlXF2i222pOCdjTP4vA65CfauW_qdQymuEIn9Exj1ialMBrZT/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map11.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS track for today's hike</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-87946638304030330302019-10-31T14:09:00.000-07:002019-11-07T16:32:39.680-08:00James A Villines Homestead, Buffalo National River near Ponca, Arkansas<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10/31/2019 - Jamee A. Villines homestead</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park: 36.02134, -93.35495</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Villines Homestead: 36.02230, -93.35302</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> Dogs are not allowed here. This area is part of the Buffalo National River and is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Pets are not allowed on trails within the Buffalo National River (BNR), with the exception of the Mill Creek trail, Tyler Bend campground trails and the Buffalo Point campground trails. You can take them on the river itself, and in campgrounds, on a leash, but not other areas of the BNR. You can see the NPS policy <a href="https://www.nps.gov/buff/planyourvisit/pets.htm">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> This is an easy hike of only 1/3 mile for the entire loop trail. You do go up on the hill above the old log cabin, but the lowest-to-highest elevation difference is still only 120 feet. I took my time, and it took less than 16 minutes. I would rate this an easy hike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Leatherwood%20Creek%20Waypoints1.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Leatherwood Creek Waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Villines%20Homestead%20loop1106.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Villines Homestead GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/10/balanced-rock-falls-and-leatherwood.html">Balanced Rock Falls and Leatherwood Creek</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/12/triple-falls-and-rock-bridge-creek.html">Triple Falls and Rock Creek Bridge Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/12/comptons-double-falls-amber-falls-owl.html">Whitaker Creek waterfalls - Compton's Double Falls, Amber Falls, Owl Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO3mAvKcZEFsBjGde4_ygonayzWrqnoYP80QowVG9w43GXKjnAoz7C_l7PuXpkNtWYL1qZr1kTPbpDyChvKgIlnjSjuDJ2_TJMbIkOATfgo4PubzJ7cHORsFvLkPhyCdlxSJSO004gKbn/s1600/20191031_151828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoO3mAvKcZEFsBjGde4_ygonayzWrqnoYP80QowVG9w43GXKjnAoz7C_l7PuXpkNtWYL1qZr1kTPbpDyChvKgIlnjSjuDJ2_TJMbIkOATfgo4PubzJ7cHORsFvLkPhyCdlxSJSO004gKbn/s400/20191031_151828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Villines Homestead Log House</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After spending a few hours exploring Leatherwood Creek, I came out of the woods at the trailhead near the Ponca low water bridge. Guess what else is there? That's right, the trailhead for the historic Villines Homestead. This is such a cool slice of history and is so easy to get to, it's practically a crime to not go check it out. The James Villines family were early settlers in the Buffalo River area, and many descendants of the family still live in the immediate area. They were an influential lot, having built the Boxley Grist Mill near where Mill Creek flows into the Buffalo River, a little upstream from this farmstead. They built up the dam on the spring-fed mill pond by hand, to power the grist mill when Mill Creek was too low. Three generations of the Villines family operated the mill for almost a century. The NPS (National Park Service) gives tours of the old mill on weekends between April and October. When the locals' dependence on mills to grind corn, wheat and other grains faded, the Villines family built fishing cabins on the site and helped kickstart the tourism industry in Boxley valley by hosting out of town fishermen on their mill pond. As I said, an influential family in the valley. This farmstead gives you a little glimpse into how they lived.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMEV1fb6vhpE-anqz7XTtk6DLgKMmYWkiLhN3S3d1u3puIawf8V89UaeMnzWAbtxZcUSsqarOw5s89-0q3maHs55R7WGaoycAa_hmt65TJ942qSTHOOKdwW-BNu38xypm6ZC_PepfugrK/s1600/20191031_153942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMEV1fb6vhpE-anqz7XTtk6DLgKMmYWkiLhN3S3d1u3puIawf8V89UaeMnzWAbtxZcUSsqarOw5s89-0q3maHs55R7WGaoycAa_hmt65TJ942qSTHOOKdwW-BNu38xypm6ZC_PepfugrK/s400/20191031_153942.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park on this side of the low water bridge.<br />There is plenty of room!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to the parking location is super easy; just go to the Ponca access on the Buffalo River, where the low water bridge is: </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Jasper, go north on Highway 74 to the junction of Highway 74 and Highway 43. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just prior to the junction, Highway 74 has a bridge over the Buffalo River. While on that bridge, if you look to your left, you will see a low water bridge over the buffalo. That's where you will park.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn left (west) on Highway 43, then in about 100 yards, turn onto the gravel road on the left. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The gravel road goes only 0.2 miles to the parking area on the Buffalo River.</span></li>
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<u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">OR</u><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> from Boxley, go east toward the junction of these two highways. The Buffalo River access road will be on the right 100 yards before the junction with Highway 74. If you find yourself in Ponca or on the Highway 74 bridge over the Buffalo, you went too far. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS1KyyBqhO7I9SQUH_nsgE2vavi5vs4OP3_Cwj5JMdDVUvZ-OCLi9m65BXdudy1bNGWFF85qbQIhU0FuLKng_lqcc5issq1jQIrziSF8d93RJlJG_2SxiNCO2b5AWicPR8ESE8pSgocqY/s1600/20191031_151804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS1KyyBqhO7I9SQUH_nsgE2vavi5vs4OP3_Cwj5JMdDVUvZ-OCLi9m65BXdudy1bNGWFF85qbQIhU0FuLKng_lqcc5issq1jQIrziSF8d93RJlJG_2SxiNCO2b5AWicPR8ESE8pSgocqY/s400/20191031_151804.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">NOTE: It is always good practice to park on the highway side of the low water bridge. There is room on the other side for a couple of vehicles, but there are some other considerations. There is a "No Parking" sign on the gate on the left that goes up to the Villines homestead. More importantly, the Buffalo River can rise several feet in a very short time during rainy periods. If you park over there and it rises over the low water bridge, your vehicle isn't going anywhere for a while. Yes, people have been stranded there. Don't be one of those people. There is a vault toilet in this large parking area that looks like it may have been built back in the CCC or WPA eras but is kept fairly clean, as most facilities in the BNR are.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKvisj3mylC0J_iahxAwIKdWXiSPdn-PbbgZPp7H4nb53BUYGy0z45cao5735EK6VCKS5Rw82TQ-4GAQWZKVJ8UpMJS-bwsx5AaHQFTpJhMKQ2KKllxcIdcVCRo9f-pYjGgZxQkbpBTnY/s1600/20191031_152139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKvisj3mylC0J_iahxAwIKdWXiSPdn-PbbgZPp7H4nb53BUYGy0z45cao5735EK6VCKS5Rw82TQ-4GAQWZKVJ8UpMJS-bwsx5AaHQFTpJhMKQ2KKllxcIdcVCRo9f-pYjGgZxQkbpBTnY/s400/20191031_152139.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once across the low water bridge, there is a gate with a trail going up the hill. It is a loop trail, so when you get to a branch to the right, you can go either way around the loop. I bear to the left, so you go up the hill a bit more and come out on the main structure in the farmstead, the log cabin where James A. "Beaver Jim" Villines lived with his family. The story has it that he lived his whole life within a mile of where he was born. I find that hard to believe, but I can easily believe he didn't stray more than walking distance from this farmstead. He was born and raised in Boxley in 1854, and in 1882 he married Sarah Arbaugh and moved across the Buffalo River to this farmstead. He got his "Beaver Jim" nickname from his legendary skills as a trapper. He lived here with his family until his death in 1948, a considerable lifespan for that era. I think if I had a place at the juncture of the Buffalo River and Leatherwood Creek, I probably wouldn't be wanting to move either.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWwS_tr0Ab74ui6VMgr9BGT9b8TZNYiCAWAthdt7WMGEluQxQWD7qLroGGssMxxywvButvY5TZab7qJylutqfxzw0OQlJJChC4Adt9C54Q3yUpE8LH8A92RTiEOyfDJEK5ig7sXFj4Dst/s1600/20191031_152615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWwS_tr0Ab74ui6VMgr9BGT9b8TZNYiCAWAthdt7WMGEluQxQWD7qLroGGssMxxywvButvY5TZab7qJylutqfxzw0OQlJJChC4Adt9C54Q3yUpE8LH8A92RTiEOyfDJEK5ig7sXFj4Dst/s400/20191031_152615.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The National Park Service (NPS) now maintains the historic structures here and has some posting to the effect that you can look all you want, but you can't go inside. I'm assuming the floors or something else aren't quite that stable and this is a way to preserve it and prevent injuries. You can go inside some of the other old structures in the Buffalo National River, such as the Parker-Hickman Homestead. The NPS has put up informational placards to describe the various buildings. As you wander from one building to another around the short loop trail, it is a fascinating insight to the way folks lived 'back in the day'. Before you know it, you are back around the loop and at the low water bridge. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVOwfXjDBtjxP-203LI1RsjvLhDE0Y2GDfHtZ5VebNNj-bRoovClQBkTHk_uH7YLRi70vxvGBjFZsXlh2blh56WEFUjNOC7_EACsvgViu9sACRwZMItQBGzw315lNMXfvU-ExKk5JPchp/s1600/20191031_151856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVOwfXjDBtjxP-203LI1RsjvLhDE0Y2GDfHtZ5VebNNj-bRoovClQBkTHk_uH7YLRi70vxvGBjFZsXlh2blh56WEFUjNOC7_EACsvgViu9sACRwZMItQBGzw315lNMXfvU-ExKk5JPchp/s400/20191031_151856.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took my time, taking photos and checking out various locations for possibly doing some Milky Way photos here (I don't think that's going to work), and it still only took me just a little over 15 minutes to walk around the loop. I never did get the 'big camera' out of my pack, these photos are all cell phone pictures. This is a short, easy hike with a little history lesson kicked in. It is highly recommended for all.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-XKrtLMf9gjwIpIe4r1WrJ_4p0fT5w1iGNrg0uiCgkgx8eZKqE-0MUV_Csn2pFkEpHczwi1KELZt5KIHZW1Gf4GcxLQJXQJyJtjt-U5m-4zDJuQ06V_QFvXsH3WDzSMgAptSj_VukSNu/s1600/20191031_152116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-XKrtLMf9gjwIpIe4r1WrJ_4p0fT5w1iGNrg0uiCgkgx8eZKqE-0MUV_Csn2pFkEpHczwi1KELZt5KIHZW1Gf4GcxLQJXQJyJtjt-U5m-4zDJuQ06V_QFvXsH3WDzSMgAptSj_VukSNu/s640/20191031_152116.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS track for the Villines Homestead loop trail (black)</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-87415218907128305752019-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:002020-04-07T15:37:55.777-07:00Balanced Rock Falls and Leatherwood Creek, Buffalo National River near Ponca, Arkansas<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10/31/2019 - Leatherwood Creek and Balanced Rock Falls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking Area: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.021338,-93.354948, 1007 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Trailhead: 36.021370,-93.354290</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: 36.019940,-93.352310</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Leatherwood Spring: 36.018108,-93.350642</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.016920,-93.350200</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Old homestead: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.016400,-93.349850</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.016250,-93.349480</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.016410,-93.348900</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Balanced Rock Falls: 36.016800,-93.348120, 1213 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #6: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.016850,-93.347880</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.015350,-93.349510</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.014540,-93.349210</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #9: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.014040,-93.348900</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #11: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.013600,-93.348430</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #12: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.013480,-93.348480</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #13: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.013160,-93.348670</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #14: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.013690,-93.348200</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #15: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.013800,-93.348010</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #16: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.014040,-93.347640</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluffline Break to Wading Falls: 36.013125,-93.347783</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Wading Falls: 36.013184,-93.347653</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #18: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.012980,-93.347150</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Kizmet Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.012490,-93.346610</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #20: 36.011940,-93.345550</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #21: 36.011651,-93.345040</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #22: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.011000,-93.344440</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Leatherwood Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.010780,-93.344040, 1210 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> Dogs are not allowed here. This area is part of the Buffalo National River and is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. Pets are not allowed on trails within the Buffalo National River (BNR), with the exception of the Mill Creek trail, Tyler Bend campground trails and the Buffalo Point campground trails. You can take them on the river itself, and in campgrounds, on a leash, but not other areas of the BNR. You can see the NPS policy <a href="https://www.nps.gov/buff/planyourvisit/pets.htm">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> This is an easy hike to Balanced Rock Falls, with a volunteer trail. The distance to Balanced Rock Falls is approximately 3/4 mile one-way. The rest of Leatherwood Creek is a bushwhack, but not difficult by Ozark Mountain standards. I hiked a total of 3.37 miles today, including a little wandering around and exploring. The highest-to-lowest elevation change was only 233 feet. That is the approximate climb to both Balanced Rock Falls and to the BNR boundary line at the upper end of the creek from the parking location. I would rate this a moderate bushwhack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Leatherwood%20Creek%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Leatherwood Creek Waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Leatherwood%20Creek.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Leatherwood Creek track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Leatherwood%20Creek%20-%20return1106.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Leatherwood Creek return track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/10/james-villines-homestead-buffalo.html"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">J</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ames A Villines Homestead</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/12/triple-falls-and-rock-bridge-creek.html">Triple Falls and Rock Creek Bridge Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/12/comptons-double-falls-amber-falls-owl.html">Whitaker Creek waterfalls - Compton's Double Falls, Amber Falls, Owl Falls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIDJ-A4vkb1ucWjj9Ph6ZR6gsojIU7_0t2gnh6-SF0x7sXd3bcZV-COWM-SYcqZ3qdb4WKupGU_b3Zv8Jo1RkQUV-xPlES1DJFVyH2Zun8GQHrI3soiEFJn-Ct2h_oWv1H650KUqoKXJn/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF5+Balanced+Rock+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIDJ-A4vkb1ucWjj9Ph6ZR6gsojIU7_0t2gnh6-SF0x7sXd3bcZV-COWM-SYcqZ3qdb4WKupGU_b3Zv8Jo1RkQUV-xPlES1DJFVyH2Zun8GQHrI3soiEFJn-Ct2h_oWv1H650KUqoKXJn/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF5+Balanced+Rock+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Balanced Rock Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, let me clarify where this is. Like many creeks, hollows, lakes, etc., there is more than one Leatherwood Creek in the Arkansas Ozarks. There is a Leatherwood Creek that runs through the heart of the Leatherwood National Wilderness, then into the Lower Buffalo Wilderness Area, and flows into the Buffalo River only seven or eight miles from where the Buffalo flows into the mighty White River. This is NOT that one, this is the Leatherwood Creek that flows into the upper Buffalo River at the Ponca river access. Ever since Danny Hale first explored Leatherwood Creek and documented it in the <a href="http://takahik.com/trails/leatherwood/leatherwoodcreek.html?fbclid=IwAR163kc7UI61g2JMuF0G4a5E6dXzHSKMQlb2Xv9QMn1f4qLPh-FN1qjwSMg">Takahik website</a>, it has been high on my list to explore. Finally, we got some rain and all the stars aligned in my busy life of retirement and I packed up and headed for Ponca. Yeah, I know you folks that aren't retired don't understand. You probably visualize, as I did, retirement as a life of leisure and free time to do whatever you want. The reality is, we pretty much do whatever we want, but somehow that makes us busier than we ever have been. I don't know how I ever had time for a job. But I digress again, please forgive me. Bethany heard the word "bushwhack" and opted out, and Boomer isn't allowed in most of the Buffalo National River (BNR), so he had to stay home and I was on my own today. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMEV1fb6vhpE-anqz7XTtk6DLgKMmYWkiLhN3S3d1u3puIawf8V89UaeMnzWAbtxZcUSsqarOw5s89-0q3maHs55R7WGaoycAa_hmt65TJ942qSTHOOKdwW-BNu38xypm6ZC_PepfugrK/s1600/20191031_153942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMEV1fb6vhpE-anqz7XTtk6DLgKMmYWkiLhN3S3d1u3puIawf8V89UaeMnzWAbtxZcUSsqarOw5s89-0q3maHs55R7WGaoycAa_hmt65TJ942qSTHOOKdwW-BNu38xypm6ZC_PepfugrK/s400/20191031_153942.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park on this side of the low water bridge.<br />There is plenty of room!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to the parking location is super easy; just go to the Ponca access on the Buffalo River, where the low water bridge is: </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Jasper, go north on Highway 74 to the junction of Highway 74 and Highway 43. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just prior to the junction, Highway 74 has a bridge over the Buffalo River. While on that bridge, if you look to your left, you will see a low water bridge over the buffalo. That's where you will park.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn left (west) on Highway 43, then in about 100 yards, turn onto the gravel road on the left. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The gravel road goes only 0.2 miles to the parking area on the Buffalo River.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTpS2h_qVYB4r6PgLFq27RDBXcg9wgGhd2kmw-P6A-MMIHK2Zuko4ep93YHGz3FVPqTycesQlquQIGflynp9IGe4Wj9rFvAw8YBuitosUhNC7-N_d6FvUXvFtvuyeQuAnyzCAbUx_4BS4/s1600/2019-10-31+2019-10-31+Trailhead+%25281%2529+with+text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTpS2h_qVYB4r6PgLFq27RDBXcg9wgGhd2kmw-P6A-MMIHK2Zuko4ep93YHGz3FVPqTycesQlquQIGflynp9IGe4Wj9rFvAw8YBuitosUhNC7-N_d6FvUXvFtvuyeQuAnyzCAbUx_4BS4/s400/2019-10-31+2019-10-31+Trailhead+%25281%2529+with+text.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To access Leatherwood Creek,<br />Look for this unmarked trail over a small berm</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>OR</u> from Boxley, go east toward the junction of these two highways. The Buffalo River access road will be on the right 100 yards before the junction with Highway 74. If you find yourself in Ponca or on the Highway 74 bridge over the Buffalo, you went too far. NOTE: It is always good practice to park on the highway side of the low water bridge. There is room on the other side for a couple of vehicles, but there are some other considerations. There is a "No Parking" sign on the gate on the left that goes up to the Villines homestead. More importantly, the Buffalo River can rise several feet in a very short time during rainy periods. If you park over there and it rises over the low water bridge, your vehicle isn't going anywhere for a while. Yes, people have been stranded there. Don't be one of those people. There is a vault toilet in this large parking area that looks like it may have been built back in the CCC or WPA eras but is kept fairly clean, as most facilities in the BNR are.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe1YjEqpxKumOSyGtKRwxSJsQtDNy4pIe6_KANH-ft6s_vmKvDti2ahaM5-ySV6Hcfdn0H0Y8098ZZR-GgCosFsm9tba5f25uj2hc9-kg9ipgSXJThZlkgu5QaVctMd2Gm7FQ3aP9xcj4/s1600/2019-10-31+20191031_110901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAe1YjEqpxKumOSyGtKRwxSJsQtDNy4pIe6_KANH-ft6s_vmKvDti2ahaM5-ySV6Hcfdn0H0Y8098ZZR-GgCosFsm9tba5f25uj2hc9-kg9ipgSXJThZlkgu5QaVctMd2Gm7FQ3aP9xcj4/s400/2019-10-31+20191031_110901.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thong Tree</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the other side of the low water bridge, there is a clearly marked trail on the left by the aforementioned gate that goes to the old Villines homestead. On the far right, there is another clearly marked trailhead for the Buffalo River Trail. In between the sign and the BRT trail is a volunteer trail that goes up and over a little berm that is NOT marked in any way. That is the trail for going up Leatherwood Creek. There is no official maintained trail in this valley. The volunteer trail only exists because after Danny Hale posted some photos of Balanced Rock Falls, it suddenly became very popular. It's a relatively easy hike along a remarkably beautiful little creek. The fact that it has gone unnoticed for decades, for the most part, tells you a little about how common this type of scenery is in the Ozarks, and especially areas like the Buffalo River. There are literally thousands of waterfalls in the Arkansas Ozarks, but this one is such a unique formation that folks were certainly drawn to it after Danny found it. If you visit it, please keep it as pristine and beautiful as it is now. Leave no trace, and take only pictures.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKZve8z8lXc_aAZbuAMzkUpI74woLnbiA8zCwwHGyMJEVhjMCvCW3QYPkzBMTNo5nK9nZ0sYeOufcrTi5_nBmtWaKtvfDSqJhYjeYaLVWryjpZtSaJgwk4k0ll0EbOVa0plfuBIYnTslw/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF2+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKZve8z8lXc_aAZbuAMzkUpI74woLnbiA8zCwwHGyMJEVhjMCvCW3QYPkzBMTNo5nK9nZ0sYeOufcrTi5_nBmtWaKtvfDSqJhYjeYaLVWryjpZtSaJgwk4k0ll0EbOVa0plfuBIYnTslw/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF2+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once over the berm, you find yourself walking along the right side of Leatherwood Creek. You pass a large thong tree and in only a couple hundred yards, come to the first waterfall, Falls #1. I'm using Danny's names for waterfalls since he was the first to come here and document it. He does the same thing that I do in a new area; just number the waterfalls as you come to them, and if you give one an actual name later just update the documentation for it. At the lower end of any hollow, generally, the waterfalls are fewer and smaller. Leatherwood Creek is no different, and in the upper parts of the creek, they are one after another. It is about a quarter-mile upstream from Falls #1 to Falls #2. Along the way, I saw a nice spring coming right out of the rock bluff on the left side and flowing into Leatherwood Creek. I suspect in wetter times, there is actually a small creek in the side drainage here. I called this Leatherwood Spring and put coordinates for it in the list above.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJTL-LGm5pXMF18UXsQPStxs9nYD4TCyRIAs5Jz9H0oYBlWLufck7x_-xvgcXfKKDkPW44A7P1ahqUwAHriW12-BGe-p-4B_zKnuT4CxiS6bNPEN0hORPno2NdvCGxroHrPHcIYO13UUt/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF5+Balanced+Rock+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJTL-LGm5pXMF18UXsQPStxs9nYD4TCyRIAs5Jz9H0oYBlWLufck7x_-xvgcXfKKDkPW44A7P1ahqUwAHriW12-BGe-p-4B_zKnuT4CxiS6bNPEN0hORPno2NdvCGxroHrPHcIYO13UUt/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF5+Balanced+Rock+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Balanced Rock Falls</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Less than a hundred yards upstream from Falls #2, there are the ruins of an old homestead on the right, just above where high water would come. Falls #3 is right above Leatherwood Creek in the side drainage on the left. This is the tributary creek that Balanced Rock Falls is in. Cross Leatherwood Creek upstream of this side drainage and the volunteer trail winds to the right side of the creek as it follows the tributary upstream. You'll pass Falls #4 in this tributary, then Balanced Rock Falls is only about a hundred yards upstream from that. It is only about 150 feet of elevation difference from the creek to Balanced Rock Falls, and that is about the biggest and steepest climb I had for the whole day. As I said, this is fairly easy hiking by Ozarks bushwhacking standards.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9xDt1QvOv2IbonjvNKIDnLD7cAUjapgxWvJ_ys6hG5367cOfNN5JQgjB87Bja6NnXcOpNa-tqqplwAZBROEKM-Poow7xChuOBHbP-xVFc0TB8is7vp3ZHxi2y3ARYIXrmwrZAVizqdZ6/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF4+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9xDt1QvOv2IbonjvNKIDnLD7cAUjapgxWvJ_ys6hG5367cOfNN5JQgjB87Bja6NnXcOpNa-tqqplwAZBROEKM-Poow7xChuOBHbP-xVFc0TB8is7vp3ZHxi2y3ARYIXrmwrZAVizqdZ6/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF4+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Above Balanced Rock Falls is Falls #6, a two-tiered waterfall with twin falls at the top and a longer cascading waterfall right below them. I spent a little time climbing up to the bluffs above in this little drainage, doing some exploring, then hiking back down to Leatherwood Creek. I stayed mostly on the right side of the creek as I made my way upstream. There are stretches of about a hundred yards of the serene, beautiful, creek between waterfalls, and the fall colors made this a fantastically pretty area today. When you get up to where Falls #11 is, there are a half dozen waterfalls in the two side drainages on each side of Leatherwood Creek. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsRmpeQ-m3ibxIJGOp3yCU_dvL9d5Td16tPY5fpowbVTKrov_ZtMYQIACmYpHZxiNEJ_OZ2kwp2Q8yF32-fwiLykFki_p_jnFq3xxCi4ztIO8zfHhMKb0arsUbwZm4Buj8CF_8M1cgUi4/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF17+Wading+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsRmpeQ-m3ibxIJGOp3yCU_dvL9d5Td16tPY5fpowbVTKrov_ZtMYQIACmYpHZxiNEJ_OZ2kwp2Q8yF32-fwiLykFki_p_jnFq3xxCi4ztIO8zfHhMKb0arsUbwZm4Buj8CF_8M1cgUi4/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF17+Wading+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wading Falls</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just upstream, the next one you come to on Leatherwood Creek itself is Falls #17, which Danny has named Wading Falls. I immediately saw where the name comes from. There is a large pool that covers bank-to-bank between the bluffs along each side of the creek. Wading appears to be the only option to get to the base of Wading Falls. Those of you that are avid blog readers know that I'm not much of a fan of getting in the water and wading, especially in cold water. For the record, I didn't do that. I hiked up the bluff on the right and found a bluffline break that I could climb down through right at the base of Wading Falls. The coordinates for the break are listed above. Once down at the base of Wading Falls, I chose to scramble up on the rock ledges on the right side and inch my way over to the top of Wading Falls, which puts you in a big, long slot canyon that leads up to Falls #18. In retrospect, that is probably not the smartest thing to do, and definitely not the safest. It's probably best if you climb back up through the bluffline break and hike up along the top of the slot canyon.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe8om_BMkb4vLEqcJWH3EFmpWdq7RIbvqqTXqhKgKW7LkfcHB3XqHkjJnNrzMvF02K7Sx1sH2rHrjbTtm3kdYDDD9xL6KkZVzClrCAHnE8rtTdjGa_FJxkYTkFM2h3Wz-_DfCMIzV6YNj/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF19+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe8om_BMkb4vLEqcJWH3EFmpWdq7RIbvqqTXqhKgKW7LkfcHB3XqHkjJnNrzMvF02K7Sx1sH2rHrjbTtm3kdYDDD9xL6KkZVzClrCAHnE8rtTdjGa_FJxkYTkFM2h3Wz-_DfCMIzV6YNj/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF19+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kizmet Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing upstream, Kizmet Falls (#19) is one of the most serene, beautiful waterfalls you will find this time of year. I call it Kizmet Falls, because the word Kizmet has a special meaning for my wife Bethany and me, and fills me with inner peace. Falls #20 and Falls #21 were roughly</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> spaced out 100 yards apart upstream, similar to most of the creek. Above that, the topology changes and there is a big bluff with a very wide overhang on the right side of the creek. Here, Falls #22 flows out over an extended ledge. Just upstream from that is one that I'll call Falls #23A, since it flows out of the pool below Falls #23. Danny named Falls #23 Leatherwood Creek Falls, but I didn't see a location for this little one just downstream of it. A large dead tree has now fallen onto the top of Leatherwood Creek Falls, all but obscuring the top of this waterfall. I'm sure that with the force of water during heavy rains, this tree won't last more than a couple-three years before being torn apart and carried downstream. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWSJfGXpjv5yw_DSY9sALhalSPp8VlASAfcvF_Qdrp7svaMjEQuiNBV1Ngm4UinEJLsTc1xwPHrmmEdbYHcCZehFlVFXaSsjvATFiEoZ_CfeusjkfrUyytFEWw99mLFifLmnu8cJBJQnp/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF23+Leatherwood+Creek+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWSJfGXpjv5yw_DSY9sALhalSPp8VlASAfcvF_Qdrp7svaMjEQuiNBV1Ngm4UinEJLsTc1xwPHrmmEdbYHcCZehFlVFXaSsjvATFiEoZ_CfeusjkfrUyytFEWw99mLFifLmnu8cJBJQnp/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF23+Leatherwood+Creek+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leatherwood Creek Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I climbed the bluff on the </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Dc2me60o_YZXpLa00a1nxpXyjdalW3pMjSaalSNEM5YqUPBAyan1CVWxYx0-TmrHTbJCk3NoPz5RzV3ApGEpiwfKCxTN7HGUIbtjrpH9e8P2Gs1w9AD6-pXd_tjTIJggPi8Y3JrqSVX/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF22+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5Dc2me60o_YZXpLa00a1nxpXyjdalW3pMjSaalSNEM5YqUPBAyan1CVWxYx0-TmrHTbJCk3NoPz5RzV3ApGEpiwfKCxTN7HGUIbtjrpH9e8P2Gs1w9AD6-pXd_tjTIJggPi8Y3JrqSVX/s400/2019-10-31+LC-WF22+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #22<br />You can barely see the top of Leatherwood Creek Falls<br />at the end of the bluff</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">left and continued upstream above Leatherwood Creek Falls to the boundary of the Buffalo National River. Beyond this boundary line, I could see massive bluffs, rising 200 feet or more straight up above the upper part of Leatherwood Creek. I could see the bottom part of at least one waterfall that had to fall all the way from the top of this bluff. This is private land, so I went no further today. There is no signage, so you have to be cognizant of where the boundary line is and keep an eye on your GPS. See the "Glossary and FAQ" link at the upper right for what I'm using to navigate and track my hikes. Please respect the property </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rights of others; there are vast amounts of public lands to explore here, so there is no need to trespass. For my next trip here, I'll locate and contact the property owner to see if I can get permission to do a little exploring.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WvQbyRMAdA32RYrLNazHxUuXGDOTBnbO_EEQ1eJUpiMyiGGt3hpFQyoRlB8DtJiA98LQJ3vpIO1S4KJDyQ5G2VBTj16wKzaN6PkI8FXhNcZVegP8uYoWyFgDGGQZdGV-Qbb_p86PIM2u/s1600/2019-10-31+20191031_142639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6WvQbyRMAdA32RYrLNazHxUuXGDOTBnbO_EEQ1eJUpiMyiGGt3hpFQyoRlB8DtJiA98LQJ3vpIO1S4KJDyQ5G2VBTj16wKzaN6PkI8FXhNcZVegP8uYoWyFgDGGQZdGV-Qbb_p86PIM2u/s400/2019-10-31+20191031_142639.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bluffs rising above Leatherwood Creek<br />at the Buffalo National River boundary</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turning back, I stayed above the bluff and went downstream along the opposite side that I had traveled upstream on. Ergo, I was still keeping to my right. There is not a lot of undergrowth here, and since I had seen the entire creek on the way up I saw no reason to do the kind of rock-hopping and zig-zagging that is required along the creek. Plus, despite my best efforts my boots and socks were completely saturated with water and my feet getting pretty cold. When I came to the side drainage containing Balanced Rock Falls, I descended to the creek level and crossed the creek, returning along the creek on that volunteer trail I started today's hike on. It was a short, pleasant, hike, and I soon found myself back at the low water bridge. Since the trail to the Villines homestead is right there, it is kind of required that I go check it out. That will be the next blog post! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Along Leatherwood Creek</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #21</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1_YxuLriA5qfVj5Q9hWQfLC76ZsQOhFkLepAs07GzHGvFaXI5ci0ujSQivFrELFu2tplXYdpuYcKPVVmjpvfUQ8ATvtLBpEdBmbgaOOCPDENLTFB-XkrxXCoLvFJ1a6OylNi3h6UYy-D/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF23A+downstream+of+23+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1_YxuLriA5qfVj5Q9hWQfLC76ZsQOhFkLepAs07GzHGvFaXI5ci0ujSQivFrELFu2tplXYdpuYcKPVVmjpvfUQ8ATvtLBpEdBmbgaOOCPDENLTFB-XkrxXCoLvFJ1a6OylNi3h6UYy-D/s640/2019-10-31+LC-WF23A+downstream+of+23+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #23A</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #23A</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvNCLiqRp2iUvKtmzhmAhhljuzKJpqxHmxPf_i5xDV04c61CcHeXoa4h8sSSMppQ2qL3QArdDoMBqbQQRPlsjgi8uXfqZbz-rO4ZsZqqg26HIuhK3HnXqq8EIHcVotnE8nZMsj6IM5LCR/s1600/2019-10-31+20191031_141412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvNCLiqRp2iUvKtmzhmAhhljuzKJpqxHmxPf_i5xDV04c61CcHeXoa4h8sSSMppQ2qL3QArdDoMBqbQQRPlsjgi8uXfqZbz-rO4ZsZqqg26HIuhK3HnXqq8EIHcVotnE8nZMsj6IM5LCR/s640/2019-10-31+20191031_141412.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leatherwood Creek</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvaKTjUsG7MwEcInHm9Kl83eoXziamNJmFG3tz2P6tvh1bicO_-vfi5ouGDHGFxgOpJI8crjxKfQaGBTat7fkeL0W8nwpa3JrCwAPids5YiETJiqJfhidFx5fGQhI3isP2jEx-lzse8jo/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF17+Wading+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvaKTjUsG7MwEcInHm9Kl83eoXziamNJmFG3tz2P6tvh1bicO_-vfi5ouGDHGFxgOpJI8crjxKfQaGBTat7fkeL0W8nwpa3JrCwAPids5YiETJiqJfhidFx5fGQhI3isP2jEx-lzse8jo/s640/2019-10-31+LC-WF17+Wading+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wading Falls<br />Falls #18 is visible above it, at the end of a long slot canyon.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgboZFXFGFcHftvvEhXH3xyRvfVzjQ-Ekr4N_2nPsZkmidnEnT9fXTvvBJSNQuV0ghovbzq1fNvHL-TTdfQMZxtgTZEzV8ML9DDv-LjzNAcjcao923jgrn6XU3IdzDZz8fs6_eH4j1Vgf/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF17+Wading+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzgboZFXFGFcHftvvEhXH3xyRvfVzjQ-Ekr4N_2nPsZkmidnEnT9fXTvvBJSNQuV0ghovbzq1fNvHL-TTdfQMZxtgTZEzV8ML9DDv-LjzNAcjcao923jgrn6XU3IdzDZz8fs6_eH4j1Vgf/s640/2019-10-31+LC-WF17+Wading+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Wading Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ebdHH40PUIhp113WauH4cfI_FLNNSr4KOPdH501LZPp9-8ZGywFk5i8LIFuS-YAYTBJBud47zgoYjnxYzlcblC9UlzfJZBEeOdCmHONUEDUIifq2N76iXAe5uBCqtEM3t7C5AWcOIfqW/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF18+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ebdHH40PUIhp113WauH4cfI_FLNNSr4KOPdH501LZPp9-8ZGywFk5i8LIFuS-YAYTBJBud47zgoYjnxYzlcblC9UlzfJZBEeOdCmHONUEDUIifq2N76iXAe5uBCqtEM3t7C5AWcOIfqW/s640/2019-10-31+LC-WF18+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #18</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe8om_BMkb4vLEqcJWH3EFmpWdq7RIbvqqTXqhKgKW7LkfcHB3XqHkjJnNrzMvF02K7Sx1sH2rHrjbTtm3kdYDDD9xL6KkZVzClrCAHnE8rtTdjGa_FJxkYTkFM2h3Wz-_DfCMIzV6YNj/s1600/2019-10-31+LC-WF19+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe8om_BMkb4vLEqcJWH3EFmpWdq7RIbvqqTXqhKgKW7LkfcHB3XqHkjJnNrzMvF02K7Sx1sH2rHrjbTtm3kdYDDD9xL6KkZVzClrCAHnE8rtTdjGa_FJxkYTkFM2h3Wz-_DfCMIzV6YNj/s640/2019-10-31+LC-WF19+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kizmet Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxYo0OxiwTMsPLI-smbWFlcjP8jMcoyWV6EZ-XBecusfgwGsnd1Nsu33dNkn2W8VasRtZHgOnVkFmb1np981tcBTHSvTxCAb2E5RaKJMW_nrihbNZ_5JF0KnlOji5FSz0jfIThTOfrF2a/s1600/2019-10-31+20191031_145705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxYo0OxiwTMsPLI-smbWFlcjP8jMcoyWV6EZ-XBecusfgwGsnd1Nsu33dNkn2W8VasRtZHgOnVkFmb1np981tcBTHSvTxCAb2E5RaKJMW_nrihbNZ_5JF0KnlOji5FSz0jfIThTOfrF2a/s640/2019-10-31+20191031_145705.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Old Homesite ruins</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaGmTfXKokEdN1-J4prIyGQSIpI4Gp5eAObSHBaZhxD88wCY2NAe2yEy_oO3MQWI6Z3RPP1InL4bHYjCSpZ_-wPwHAODPGqUbk84a_-CZOW8tWzfciPNileIR1uyZF9XlxegBzcyWmAII/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaGmTfXKokEdN1-J4prIyGQSIpI4Gp5eAObSHBaZhxD88wCY2NAe2yEy_oO3MQWI6Z3RPP1InL4bHYjCSpZ_-wPwHAODPGqUbk84a_-CZOW8tWzfciPNileIR1uyZF9XlxegBzcyWmAII/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS Tracks for Today's Hikes<br />Red - Leatherwood Creek Outbound<br />Blue - Return Route to the Trailhead<br />Black - Villines Homestead Loop Trail</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-21502256765621693522019-09-25T17:29:00.000-07:002019-10-17T21:16:35.932-07:00Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">9/25/2019 Fairy Falls and Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park - Fairy Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">44.515336,-110.832617, 7202 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grand Prismatic Overlook: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">44.523491,-110.840027, 7341 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Fairy Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">44.524818,-110.870113, 7310 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> No, Yellowstone is NOT a "pet-friendly" place. Dogs are technically allowed within the park, but they have many restrictions. They are allowed in some cabins throughout the park, but none of the lodges or hotels. They must be leashed at all times, stay within 100 feet of park roads, and are not allowed on any trails or boardwalks. In other words, if you take your dog, you will be severely limited on what you can do and where you can go within the park. We left Boomer at home with our fabulous dogsitter/housesitter.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Hiking Statistics:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> This is a fairly easy hike with a good trail the entire distance. The trail to Fairy Falls is 2.93 miles each way (by my GPS), so you are looking at almost 6 miles round trip. The highest-to-lowest elevation gain is only 108 feet, so it is fairly flat the entire distance. The loop that goes up to Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook is 0.3 miles long, but it is just an alternate route off the Fairy Falls trail, and the overlook is less than 200 feet to the west of the Fairy Falls trail. So if you take the loop up to the overlook, it will add very little distance to the hike but will add an elevation gain of almost 200 feet. It is moderately steep on the trail up to the overlook. I would rate this a moderate hike, just due to the total distance and the elevation gain to the overlook. We took our time and spent just over an hour hiking each way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Yellowstone%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Yellowstone and Teton waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Fairy%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Fairy Falls hike track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Grand%20Prismatic%20Spring%20Overlook.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/02/yellowstone-in-winter-yellowstone.html">Yellowstone in Winter</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJ7pxaK95-NZlAqQGGZtCt6nIKBfaN9Y_Sj9MDKIbW6cseRrgSXHmFhDfood5NKplZ_Q4T9D1bJ0KEevylPVz9w8p8ZAncMqTdewuNrAMI7J5g-GxaGZmd4YVp_mZyaHVXMO1tw7byuIi/s1600/2019-09-25+Fairy+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJ7pxaK95-NZlAqQGGZtCt6nIKBfaN9Y_Sj9MDKIbW6cseRrgSXHmFhDfood5NKplZ_Q4T9D1bJ0KEevylPVz9w8p8ZAncMqTdewuNrAMI7J5g-GxaGZmd4YVp_mZyaHVXMO1tw7byuIi/s400/2019-09-25+Fairy+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fairy Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bethany and I have been to Fairy Falls in Yellowstone National Park a couple of times, and it is one of our favorite waterfalls in the park. At 200 feet tall, it is one of the tallest in Yellowstone, and it is just a beautiful waterfall that is far enough off the Grand Loop Road that it has never been crowded on our visits. There are two ways to hike out to Fairy Falls, although we have only hiked the trail that starts out south of the Midway Geyser Basin. The other route starts at a trailhead where Fountain Flat Drive terminates for vehicle traffic, shortly after crossing the Firehole River. On this route, it is 3.0 miles just to the turn from the old roadbed to Fairy Falls, then an additional 1.7 miles to the waterfall itself. This old roadbed that you start out on is a bike trail as well. if you have mountain bikes you might choose to take this route, which goes around Goose Lake. The National Park Service (NPS) has even placed a bike rack at the turnoff to Fairy Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJblkWeHzEoJwG8aEGQHmtJicDtMo3q1tPZAzmbeQ8gOjDwS13kofdbIv_bzJSWxVpUJdw5EPIOhzX5atHMJvqPi9flgil1eK9tvUV2T3Trvg03h1sQUZhrlDYp9XHKgWJH1ljhfOnMC9/s1600/2019-09-25+Fairy+Falls+%252816%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJblkWeHzEoJwG8aEGQHmtJicDtMo3q1tPZAzmbeQ8gOjDwS13kofdbIv_bzJSWxVpUJdw5EPIOhzX5atHMJvqPi9flgil1eK9tvUV2T3Trvg03h1sQUZhrlDYp9XHKgWJH1ljhfOnMC9/s400/2019-09-25+Fairy+Falls+%252816%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fairy Falls - with Bethany and Rick</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The route most folks take starts at the Fairy Falls trailhead, about a mile south of the Midway Geyser Basin parking. There is a lot of parking here, and it tends to fill up fairly early in the morning. That may throw you off a bit, but the vast majority of those folks won't be going to Fairy Falls, so don't expect the same crowd at the waterfall. This parking area is also the closest parking to the Grand Prismatic Spring Overlook. Grand Prismatic Spring is in the Midway Geyser Basin, and after walking the boardwalk around it, many tourists find that you can't really see it that well up close. Clearly, from what you can see of it, it is huge. They want to get a birds-eye view of it, so they make the hike up to the Overlook. Most, as I mentioned, don't continue on to Fairy Falls. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the parking area, you immediately cross the Firehole River on an old single-lane bridge and start hiking on a very wide, nicely leveled trail. You would think this looks like an old road, and your thinking would be absolutely correct. This was the initial route for the road between Fountain Flats and the Old Faithful area, and the power line for the Old Faithful facilities still runs along this route. It is now closed to all but foot and bike traffic for park visitors. If you have a mountain bike, you can bike to the junction with the bike rack I mentioned above. Along the way, the trail borders the west side of the Midway Geyser Basin. There are some small hot springs right along the trail. No, you can NOT venture off the trail here. All thermal areas are fragile from an ecological standpoint, and they are dangerous from a personal safety point of view. Walking off the trail into thermal areas is a big no-no anywhere in Yellowstone and can get you ejected from the park.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DJjDHUGvTBnhPZ0l05XUtjaIKW97p9NyP3HM0JcR8vSf9pN3E88RH51PRoYhk9EwcsVPw3nXLoqzOHC8hsFHNZAmFff2iiLLQfIluxCq5GI8iVkuRCG7n6UldaPC5AoIqEwVf4tztrvj/s1600/2019-09-26+Grand+Prismatic+Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DJjDHUGvTBnhPZ0l05XUtjaIKW97p9NyP3HM0JcR8vSf9pN3E88RH51PRoYhk9EwcsVPw3nXLoqzOHC8hsFHNZAmFff2iiLLQfIluxCq5GI8iVkuRCG7n6UldaPC5AoIqEwVf4tztrvj/s400/2019-09-26+Grand+Prismatic+Spring.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grand Prismatic Spring</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About 0.8 miles down the trail, you come to the side trail on the left leading up to the Grand Prismatic Spring overlook. The trail winds up the mountain at a somewhat steep grade, so take your time. It is only a climb of fewer than 200 feet, so it isn't that bad if you don't rush it. Once at the overlook platform, you can look down at Grand Prismatic and immediately see why they built an overlook. This is huge, the largest hot spring in the world. The Midway Geyser Basin boardwalk goes all around it, but from that perspective, it just looks like a lake with a lot of steam. Viewing it from above, you can see the dazzling colors throughout, as well as get a feel for the size of the spring. The people around it on the boardwalk look tiny. When you get done viewing Grand Prismatic, you can continue on the trail in the same direction you were going instead of doubling back. It goes back down the mountain to rejoin the Fairy Falls trail about a quarter-mile from where you branched off on the side trail. You could do this little detour either hiking to or returning from Fairy Falls, but you will be fresher for that climb if you do it on the way out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back on the Fairy Falls trail, you go about an additional quarter mile from where you rejoined it off the side trail to the overlook. Take the trail branch to the left that follows the base of the bluffline the rest of the way to Fairy Falls (see the<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6S-nly2NLWg8czHObwplL3NvYd1YYtHIfbu-ey5v7b3VG2y7Wxrjl9wmpwPedfOqCQw6ePMiY9hkCgNNbcQWVy4ikwdpSq8hWBkR08SHj2UA2RUQbNHq45qM4_S9eFkEChXnfG48is1C/s1600/2019-09-25+Fairy+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6S-nly2NLWg8czHObwplL3NvYd1YYtHIfbu-ey5v7b3VG2y7Wxrjl9wmpwPedfOqCQw6ePMiY9hkCgNNbcQWVy4ikwdpSq8hWBkR08SHj2UA2RUQbNHq45qM4_S9eFkEChXnfG48is1C/s640/2019-09-25+Fairy+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fairy Falls</td></tr>
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map below). This is where that aforementioned bike rack is. From here, the trail gets narrower and rougher but is still an easy hike. It winds through the lodgepole pine forest but still stays mostly on the flat without much in the way of ups and downs. As you get close to Fairy Falls, it gets somewhat rougher but is still what I would call easy hiking. This area is now a dense forest of younger lodgepole pines. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The older growth pines were almost all destroyed in the fires of 1993, and what you see now is the regrowth that is now a quarter-century old. At this altitude, the pines grow very slowly. The old tree trunks are still laying all around; those of us from the southern climes would expect this to all have rotted and disappeared by now, but there is very little rot at this altitude as well, and no termites or other organisms to help with decomposition. None of this is on the trail, of course; the NPS has done a good job of keeping the trail clear and groomed. There is also a primitive campsite along this section of trail for backpack campers. No campfires are permitted, however.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlpCi1O00DT1yFbiGzX5DZ3GnnrusWHzsI_8wMdHkaogriXO7_5LuWtnz2zmyV5w88I5hY65XhD1aiwfihC5Re7fqhoNs3xyTXS1xIDPSM5B1izgsXC-AwHXCgh-x0DRPhg3YUkk2Jcgg/s1600/Fairy+Falls+-+new+freinds+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="758" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlpCi1O00DT1yFbiGzX5DZ3GnnrusWHzsI_8wMdHkaogriXO7_5LuWtnz2zmyV5w88I5hY65XhD1aiwfihC5Re7fqhoNs3xyTXS1xIDPSM5B1izgsXC-AwHXCgh-x0DRPhg3YUkk2Jcgg/s320/Fairy+Falls+-+new+freinds+%25282%2529.jpg" width="151" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQje30miI_3mT2xyKYbYNq1hGV2vH3M-6NNBm3_W6IQd5WDSyMkeiBSQ6BrdrsTK03yU3V8CjJi5mp3tNdeiVPwiKZcC0AqeVqMNUrVIP3AotU41fzpNvbtwK78t6oYNHuKRsXKWp091WF/s1600/Fairy+Falls+-+new+freinds+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="758" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQje30miI_3mT2xyKYbYNq1hGV2vH3M-6NNBm3_W6IQd5WDSyMkeiBSQ6BrdrsTK03yU3V8CjJi5mp3tNdeiVPwiKZcC0AqeVqMNUrVIP3AotU41fzpNvbtwK78t6oYNHuKRsXKWp091WF/s320/Fairy+Falls+-+new+freinds+%25281%2529.jpg" width="151" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We didn't pass anyone along the hike out to Fairy Falls, and when we first got</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">there we had the place all to ourselves. While we were there, a couple of hikers that were backpack camping came and left, and another couple showed up as we were about to leave. Bethany is probably the world's friendliest woman, so within a few seconds, she was BFFs with anyone we encountered during our two week trip to Yellowstone and Teton. That's quite a few folks, and all of them were the nicest people you can imagine. I think a magical place like Yellowstone has that effect on anyone. Fairy Falls itself is just spectacular and is in a spectacular setting. Check out the video at the bottom of this post. Even this late in the year, when the previous winter's snowfall was completely melted, it had a good deal of flow. One thing I love about the rivers and streams in Yellowstone is that they do dry up slightly by the end of summer/fall, but not much at all. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We took the requisite photos of our new friends, then started our hike back. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All in all, this is a great hike, highly recommended for all. I noticed on the last section of trail there were orange trail markers high on the trees along the trail. Generally, that is done for the benefit of winter visitors that can cross-country ski from the Snow Lodge at the Old Faithful area. I'm a novice cross-country skier, but I may try to get out to Fairy Falls on our next winter visit. Any time you go, dress for the weather. In summer, we have been here when people were swimming in the pool at the base of the falls. Today, it was near freezing, so that wasn't on anyone's mind. Bears are also a consideration. We have a canister of bear spray that we never use at home in Arkansas. However, in Arkansas, we have only black bears. Here in Yellowstone, there are grizzly bears (aka brown bears). We generally take our bear spray on any backcountry hike in Yellowstone. For the Fairy Falls trail, I think there is enough traffic that bears will give it a wide berth, but it is best to be prepared.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS Track for Fairy Falls Trail (red)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHMELaybwuk0om_hPVGAcUOb8ylByUiHiwvW11lvt2cwHlmd-ejPSablBT5z473rbUPoeIbafhxc5NXXf0n7GMOPjjdLaZREg1nZ6tCxY5llYZjaCL8b5z45nL1ltoYd2gx4psJBLst4X/s1600/Fairy+Falls+-+4+secs.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHMELaybwuk0om_hPVGAcUOb8ylByUiHiwvW11lvt2cwHlmd-ejPSablBT5z473rbUPoeIbafhxc5NXXf0n7GMOPjjdLaZREg1nZ6tCxY5llYZjaCL8b5z45nL1ltoYd2gx4psJBLst4X/s1600/Fairy+Falls+-+4+secs.mp4" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fairy Falls - 4 second video</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-60640566701248276122019-07-30T13:38:00.000-07:002019-08-04T23:24:59.614-07:00Wild Cave tour at Blanchard Springs Cavern Recreation Area, Ozarks near Fifty-Six, Arkansas<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7/30/2019 - Wild Cave Spelunking, Blanchard Springs Caverns</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park for Cavern tours: 35.96392, -92.17871 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park for Blanchard Springs: 35.95889, -92.17539, 439 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Blanchard Springs: 35.95860, -92.17740, 483 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mirror Lake: 35.96349, -92.17094, 416 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Gunner Pool: 35.99507 -92.21349, 461 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> No dogs allowed in the cave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> For the first time in seven years, I have no idea. There is no way to get a GPS track, so all I know is we were in the cave system for just over six hours. Our guide said the Titan Room was about 0.6 miles from where we entered the cave, but between the ups, downs, overs, cutbacks, squeeze throughs, and corkscrews, it seemed like about a good eight mile bushwhack. If I rate this as I do my other hikes, I would rate it as a difficult bushwhack based on the technical aspects. I was so enthralled by what I saw and the ongoing conversation with our guide that I was never really fatigued. I was still pretty jazzed at the end of the hike.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> GPS doesn't work in the cave, and you really don't need it for Blanchard Springs Falls or Mirror Lake; see the map below.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/02/blanchard-springs-arkansas-ozarks-near.html">Blanchard Springs Cavern Dripstone trail and area hiking</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/09/blanchard-springs-cavern-discovery.html">Blanchard Springs Cavern Discovery trail, Mirror Lake, and Gunner Pool</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/07/mirror-lake-night-photography-blanchard.html">Mirror Lake night photography</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rick and Tom in the Titan Room.<br />The columns behind us are 85 feet high.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everyone knows by now how much I love waterfalls, caves and night photography. It should come as no surprise that the Blanchard Springs Recreation Area is one of my all-time favorite places, particularly in the summertime. When other creeks and waterfalls dry up due to lack of rain, Blanchard Springs and Mirror Lake Falls are still in full splendor, fed by the seemingly endless supply of water in the large cavern systems underground here. When it is too hot and humid to explore new hollows or even hike most trails, it is 58 degrees in the most beautiful cavern I have ever seen. In the Milky Way season of April through September, the Milky Way is perfectly aligned with Mirror Lake and Mirror Lake Falls for some spectacular astrophotography in a dark sky area. So when my brother Tom and his wife Jeannette came up to spend a few days with us, what better place to go this time of year for Bethany and me to show them some of the best Arkansas has to offer?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blanchard Springs is about a 2.5-hour drive from our home north of Dover, but fortunately, we have good friends that have a nice cabin right on the White River only 8.9 miles from Blanchard Springs. For those driving to Blanchard Springs for a day trip, g</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">etting there is still easy. The turnoff to Blanchard Sp</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">rings is right off Highway 14, so this is one of those rare hiking trips in which you can stay on the pavement for the entire drive. The turnoff is well marked with a sign, 1.1 miles east of the small town of Fifty-six, Arkansas (see the map below). After you make the turn, there are signs on the paved access road to the visitor center, Mirror Lake, and Blanchard Springs. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blanchard Springs is operated by the Forest Service. There is no fee for entrance to Blanchard Springs Recreation Area, but there is a small fee for the guided tours.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYp5SB4Aja6PGiD6-sJH5YeeUL3n_GuQAQtT-sIVlBuuw8FSDSYW5kt4vJ3g1LRtEUfq8LklTddlz8_Il3J2OO1oC3Ao_Uh5yVf0rLLQcoptMV33ZTSPrapxXE3O_H_gDQovLCqZOjzvz/s1600/20190730_112746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYp5SB4Aja6PGiD6-sJH5YeeUL3n_GuQAQtT-sIVlBuuw8FSDSYW5kt4vJ3g1LRtEUfq8LklTddlz8_Il3J2OO1oC3Ao_Uh5yVf0rLLQcoptMV33ZTSPrapxXE3O_H_gDQovLCqZOjzvz/s400/20190730_112746.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This curtain is formed by air currents less than 1/8 inch thick</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Dripstone and Discovery Tours are $12 each, with a 50% discount if you have a "Parks Pass" - the interagency pass also called a Senior Pass or Golden Passport. If you don't have one and are over 62 years old, get one. It is a one-time fee of $80 for a lifetime pass that will get you into all the national parks and other areas run by the federal government agencies. The Wild Cave Tour is somewhat more expensive at $86 each but is a much longer tour with much fewer people and all equipment is provided for you. The Dripstone and Discovery tours have just a $1 cancellation fee, but there is no refund on the Wild Cave tour. If something does come up you can cancel your reservation, but they keep your money and you have one year to reschedule your tour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIUPB3kqSfqF6yk3JmIu-EVYXugZHJ6d0hoaGyNhaq5budlpU5sE-t8E4pzSxchPB0c-vIyorluov-etyzukv_iAlJrxa3w-KiF4-SKQ_VOHvXMisFuT8En1spReQYTav7e7im5OHrRb1/s1600/20190730_121303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIUPB3kqSfqF6yk3JmIu-EVYXugZHJ6d0hoaGyNhaq5budlpU5sE-t8E4pzSxchPB0c-vIyorluov-etyzukv_iAlJrxa3w-KiF4-SKQ_VOHvXMisFuT8En1spReQYTav7e7im5OHrRb1/s400/20190730_121303.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can schedule all of the tours and pay for them online, and that is advisable. I was able to get reservations for the four of us on the Dripstone and Discovery tours, but the Wild Cave Tours were sold out. They only have one tour a day on the days they actually schedule them, so there are not a lot of slots to start with. When we went on the Dripstone tour yesterday, I inquired about whether there was a cancellation list, and as luck would have it, they just had a couple of cancellations for the Wild Cave Tour the next day. Tom and I snapped up tickets for those two slots before someone could get them online. Woo-hoo! Bethany and Jeannette had decided to opt-out of the Wild Cave tour anyway, but Tom and I were now set!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Near start of Wild Cave Tour</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We arrived at the visitor center a few minutes before our 9:30am departure time and met Aaron, our guide for the day, and the other four guys that would be in our tour group. There is a separate space in the visitor center just for staging the Wild Cave tours. Aaron gave us what we would have called a pre-job brief at the nuclear facility I worked at. He covered basically where we would be going, what the conditions were, hazards involved, safety measures, and contingencies for rescue if that were needed. This tour is much more strenuous than the Dripstone and Discovery tours of the upper and lower cavern systems, and since there were no nice cement trails and handrails, there are quite a few more hazards. Aaron laid out the conditions and hazards in plain terms, then gave us a chance to back out if it seemed to be more than we bargained for. They don't discourage anyone from going, but they do want to be realistic so there are no surprises. I'll just say this; if you aren't in decent physical shape or if you have some kind of limiting medical condition, this isn't for you. To put that in perspective, I'm almost 67 and I had the time of my life, I really enjoyed it. But I also get out and hike a lot; you should know your body, you decide for yourself.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguQ3DM5_xUvTberNXKkLh59smFc1EBHsGyqivXlMA4JF4QQEetFQLWgaewMjUWHzismMiaOvE41weLTpeGnmCM94WScoTZab5zoGAQqe3vVC2KyeIop1iuKM-GHms9qktpn8l0UhopURU/s1600/20190730_104216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguQ3DM5_xUvTberNXKkLh59smFc1EBHsGyqivXlMA4JF4QQEetFQLWgaewMjUWHzismMiaOvE41weLTpeGnmCM94WScoTZab5zoGAQqe3vVC2KyeIop1iuKM-GHms9qktpn8l0UhopURU/s400/20190730_104216.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A cave salamander, the largest animal living in the cave</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After our briefing, we suited up and I leaned my first lesson on preps for this hike. The only thing you need to bring is an extra pair of shoes to wear out (I took my water shoes), water, and a snack or light lunch to eat when you stop for a break half-way through. They supply overalls, helmet, headlamp, knee pads, gloves, and a pack for the stuff you are taking in with you. I'm not sure what the overalls are made of, but I think maybe kevlar or something equally as tough. They are also a little heavy and airtight, so after trying it on, I opted to go shirtless and left my t-shirt at the staging room. After seeing how active we were, I'm glad I did. Even though it was 58 degrees, there were parts that I was active enough I still sweated. I would have overheated with a t-shirt on as well. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpCABKCXCrZ3FHTPbdOT44SfhvDk4irR9U0O0FMdkHYM8xO2zQcu_8qF4fqmWqxkzxNsZLr57YZ4rpWfUQthiDoxfI9REie_vhBfjUNlGxMu0N8W-IdTmRG7AN0-SgtNLcY7emM023PGA/s1600/20190730_105530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpCABKCXCrZ3FHTPbdOT44SfhvDk4irR9U0O0FMdkHYM8xO2zQcu_8qF4fqmWqxkzxNsZLr57YZ4rpWfUQthiDoxfI9REie_vhBfjUNlGxMu0N8W-IdTmRG7AN0-SgtNLcY7emM023PGA/s400/20190730_105530.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Speaking of stuff you take with you, DON'T take a good camera. I left my Z7 back at the cabin and took only my cell phone for taking pictures. A camera will get banged up pretty bad, there is no good place to pack it, and it will make it really tough to keep up and maneuver in some places. Leave it in the car. I put the cell phone in the only velcro pocket inside the coveralls, and put my snack food and two bottles of water in the pack Aaron provided. I only needed one bottle of water, your mileage may vary. The extra shoes you carry in for walking out of the cave after the tour can be any style. However, DO wear a good pair of hiking boots for the tour. You need good ankle support and good traction. There is damp clay throughout much of the area you will be hiking, and it can get slippery even with good soles like my Oboz Bridgers have. They were pretty gummed up with clay by the time we completed the tour.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMtDNZuxu4vNuOH5N3JMJ31poH5ETnr-dqLtV9uMl0DenPkaZOUL953CzhuJQK_ixs1Woz85pvzKbJ8DfHmY2UsYLc4VdZfmYXhYjIAt_MrzWHLEhvWtZP5h7vzzTAZpEHI4AJgrzIM6X/s1600/20190730_114023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMtDNZuxu4vNuOH5N3JMJ31poH5ETnr-dqLtV9uMl0DenPkaZOUL953CzhuJQK_ixs1Woz85pvzKbJ8DfHmY2UsYLc4VdZfmYXhYjIAt_MrzWHLEhvWtZP5h7vzzTAZpEHI4AJgrzIM6X/s400/20190730_114023.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We started the tour by getting on a bus from the staging area at the visitor center and riding around to the airlock that the Discovery tour uses to exit the cave. Aaron gave us another briefing here, we put our gloves and knee pads on and went in through the airlock. We actually used the lower cave trail, which is pretty nice, until we got through the "ghost room" (more on that later), and further down just past the huge waterfall-like flowstone where they have benches for the Discovery tour. We left our extra pair of shoes off the trail here and started the actual Wild Cave tour. It only takes a few minutes to get to this point, and from here on it is off the lighted trail and into areas of the cavern with no trail and only the headlamps on your helmet for lighting.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCJCQEcfBemB2jrCZlVwJXqxtQrJS29uguH_-VMB-MHWbvzpz7mNy3sEN1iX0PEuFy5g7cgNW65MgX1jOb28pcyVhbjT0JBiAlDXo662bxBeDdHyrjU-_2MBDZDP7lopqv_Eri4FhE8yH/s1600/20190730_121258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCJCQEcfBemB2jrCZlVwJXqxtQrJS29uguH_-VMB-MHWbvzpz7mNy3sEN1iX0PEuFy5g7cgNW65MgX1jOb28pcyVhbjT0JBiAlDXo662bxBeDdHyrjU-_2MBDZDP7lopqv_Eri4FhE8yH/s400/20190730_121258.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To be honest, we made so many turns down various passages, so many ascents, and descents, that I completely lost track of where we were in relation to the outside world. Aaron is an extremely capable and experienced spelunker and very knowledgeable about the history of cave exploration here. He kept up a continuous dialog about where we were, the geology of the cave, what kind of formations we were looking at, and historical points of interest. For much of the route we took, there was a line run to act as an antenna for the radio he carried in the event we had some sort of emergency. The cavern system here is roughly divided up into three sections; the lower cave that is where most of the Discovery tour goes, the upper cave, where the big Cathedral Room of the Dripstone tour is, and the middle cave, which you don't really get to see unless you go on this Wild Cave tour. During the tour, we transitioned from one section to another, and Aaron often pointed out places where you could see a distinct transition between the huge limestone layers that each section of the cave formed in. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the "Death Ledge"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After dropping below a huge tube that carried the ancient underground river that drained to expose the cavern spaces, we ended up at a precipice Aaron called the "death ledge". It's just a big cliff over a large pit that you don't want to fall to your death in, but for folks like me with a fear of heights, the name sounded a little ominous. Here, we all turned off our headlamps for a couple of minutes to experience complete, total, darkness. Yes, I stayed well back from the edge. Here, Aaron also pointed out the flat ceiling over the abyss, and let us know that we would be taking a passage directly above that. He mentioned that because the ceiling was so thin here, we would just be crossing it one at a time to prevent a collapse of the ceiling. I made a mental note to let my brother Tom go ahead of me to properly test the structural integrity of the ceiling.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Titan Room</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing on with the tour, we made numerous twists, turns, ups, and downs. Along the way, there were all kinds of cave formations that Aaron discussed with us, and the occasional dead bat that had been marked - some were identified over nine years ago and still weren't fully decomposed. There were also a few locations where biologists had brought horse poop to catalog the cave life that would come out to feed on it. Bat guano is the primary source of organic material for the cave crickets and cave spiders, and they are the primary source of food for the cave salamanders, the apex predator of the caverns. Of course, the primary points of interest were all the various calcite cave formation, the "dressings" and "decorations" of the cavern; stalagmites, stalactites, curtains, columns, and flowstones. There were also helictite formations, a speleothem (cave formed mineral) that appears bush-like or moss-like because it grows at all kinds of angles that seemingly defy gravity. The helictites also grow on the sides of walls, not just the floor or ceiling, which makes their growth mechanism all the more mysterious. There were a lot of helictites along our Wild Cave tour, something you rarely see on the Dripstone or Discovery tours.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QSquwIpJACDd97sANrPp_PzQnl-ETXGs0EnujsEOmXH1_dK6j42k9f-xUhYZEmrZqpAPIRH6Msh6MyjetBzteXHvDtZqLhD4CKAJGTYrPsCxePUup-GYA0CVKO-A2AhugYykQAlkQ7y9/s1600/20190730_135105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QSquwIpJACDd97sANrPp_PzQnl-ETXGs0EnujsEOmXH1_dK6j42k9f-xUhYZEmrZqpAPIRH6Msh6MyjetBzteXHvDtZqLhD4CKAJGTYrPsCxePUup-GYA0CVKO-A2AhugYykQAlkQ7y9/s400/20190730_135105.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We eventually made our way to the Titan Room, a large room with huge columns resembling Titan ballistic missiles. We paused at a ledge here to eat lunch, rest, and take in the beauty of the cave. It seemed to me that there was a whole lot of cave past the end of this room, and Aaron assured me there was. He has been down into the Titan Room and has explored some of the passages further on. New passages, huge rooms, and connections to other cave systems are still being found, but the National Forest Service has a policy of conservation and protection, not exploration, so very little exploration is done compared to Carlsbad or Mammoth caverns, which are operated by the National Park Service. Blanchard Springs is the only cavern system operated by the National Forest Service. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrMoNcmYDI58t60BKtEQUCXrn2HWsDXyFR93poOkl9IAus97vx11c2gb3-P6UFUhAVpIT3WphXzIZ1uv9Eh0-i0Vfhw_phqiy2_lGIorQTxgVYvac4XEOn0bnc-rVTD3VKoje33nMKk53/s1600/20190730_143735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrMoNcmYDI58t60BKtEQUCXrn2HWsDXyFR93poOkl9IAus97vx11c2gb3-P6UFUhAVpIT3WphXzIZ1uv9Eh0-i0Vfhw_phqiy2_lGIorQTxgVYvac4XEOn0bnc-rVTD3VKoje33nMKk53/s400/20190730_143735.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The guides on the Wild Cave tour are very experienced cavers that are trained to assess the capabilities of the people in each particular group and have bypass passages and different routes that can be used for folks that may struggle in a particular area. They have places where they can take people, and places where they cannot take people (apparently the other end of the Titan Room is a "not"). By this time, Aaron had assessed our small group as we utilized tenuous footholds, ledges, and slick areas, and had decided we were fit and competent enough to get "the works". Oh my, what a fun adventure. I'm used to climbing, hiking rough areas, and utilizing my skills as a champion "Ozark butt slider" on bushwhacks in wilderness areas, but this is different. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nzHDclBjjeVry1yJJlcKx8Zy4bIOE4r-PdBPKWRfMuIS0nOdIatht-k6Zl11IK0sBes4bJFnS14vpAfFK7Wv5KgbfkV7zLNRDENFP1PvASIEbtQwSgbHMyHJ6wvORXOAGWYH_jT6hrLL/s1600/20190730_135139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nzHDclBjjeVry1yJJlcKx8Zy4bIOE4r-PdBPKWRfMuIS0nOdIatht-k6Zl11IK0sBes4bJFnS14vpAfFK7Wv5KgbfkV7zLNRDENFP1PvASIEbtQwSgbHMyHJ6wvORXOAGWYH_jT6hrLL/s400/20190730_135139.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At one point we had to pull ourselves up and use our hands and feet to brace on walls and "spider crawl" down about 30 or 40 yards of a passage, eight or ten feet above the passage floor. If you have ever watched American Ninja Warrior on TV, this is similar to the "Jumping Spider" obstacle. I loved it. There was also a passage called "The Corkscrew" that you can probably envision, and at one point a choice of two narrow passages, one called "Ham Sandwich" and one called "The Birth Canal". I had my pack hung sling-style on my side, and I still had to take it off to get through, then have it passed forward to me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-n0qxFF0vJxubuo0BEZT2beal_MuFmhD3zvBUHR1x_cq16pYQz3VOQsJXCY6kV29BGt4sndT7cHWvXk51XupxD6bo8bxxnOBG3bHWojjk0umo4YIMoFldj9IZFubbet2b8knb2ubEfYQ/s1600/20190730_105934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-n0qxFF0vJxubuo0BEZT2beal_MuFmhD3zvBUHR1x_cq16pYQz3VOQsJXCY6kV29BGt4sndT7cHWvXk51XupxD6bo8bxxnOBG3bHWojjk0umo4YIMoFldj9IZFubbet2b8knb2ubEfYQ/s400/20190730_105934.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Small wooden placards with the names of Boy Scouts<br />on early exploration. Good stewards of the cave,<br />they left these instead of damaging the cave wall.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the way back, we passed points that we had seen earlier, but for the most part, took an entirely different route. We passed a large room that bats packed into for a couple of weeks every October to do nothing but copulate. Yeah, bats are mammals, not birds, and they "do it" kind of like people do, except hanging upside down. I'm still on the fence as to whether I want to come back in October to see that, but I think it would be interesting. We also saw some signs of the early cave explorers. After the Cathedral Room and Ghost Room were discovered in the early 1960s, the Forest Service essentially shut down all cave exploration and concentrated on developing the elevators, tunnels, and trails to open the caves up to the public. The caverns here are among the most highly decorated and best-preserved caverns in the world. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEZ4QT6DVwwsrXY854vhyphenhyphenrNPgXUjF_0iBpUdGFOzXG9kdYnv-9skVlzFAVK2oO4G3XUreQHYrwb2qZbzxieaqb89rMLw4ZVhjPSMS0VHgBx9EcFTMAchWs8wQTeQEMraEMVtsVpsFrv3T/s1600/20190730++20190730_125539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1198" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEZ4QT6DVwwsrXY854vhyphenhyphenrNPgXUjF_0iBpUdGFOzXG9kdYnv-9skVlzFAVK2oO4G3XUreQHYrwb2qZbzxieaqb89rMLw4ZVhjPSMS0VHgBx9EcFTMAchWs8wQTeQEMraEMVtsVpsFrv3T/s400/20190730++20190730_125539.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Helictites</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At the end of our off-trail adventure, we made one more descent down a slick clay surface where I basically put my boots together, squatted down, and skied to the bottom of the slope. I think my form was pretty good. To cap off our day, as we approached the area where the giant flowstone was on the Discovery tour, Aaron noticed the lights being turned on for an approaching tour group. Knowing that part of the experience for the Discovery tour was to sit on the benches there and turn off all lights for that "complete and utter darkness" experience, he had us wait at the bottom of the large room there. When the lights turned off, we screamed and yelled at the top of our lungs. The next day, on the Discovery tour with Tom, our guides were talking to us about the Wild Cave tour, and when they found out we were on it the day before, said: "so YOU were the ones...". No one cried or had a heart attack, so it was all good and added to the experience for those folks as well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1XIxuYmpjl01JrvNDLDYwmoNuZ4He3if93POY0Km6cAa_hHA6egj1yEv48zbGhBkBNJJPZT4oBban4R0fBhR4sZVA3pBHl861hFKXwLYh_VUHLYfUnwNxI3tVkjtyYO9918y8_yQ7GkB/s1600/20190730_120904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1XIxuYmpjl01JrvNDLDYwmoNuZ4He3if93POY0Km6cAa_hHA6egj1yEv48zbGhBkBNJJPZT4oBban4R0fBhR4sZVA3pBHl861hFKXwLYh_VUHLYfUnwNxI3tVkjtyYO9918y8_yQ7GkB/s400/20190730_120904.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After getting back to where we left our extra shoes, we changed into them to get up on the lighted trail and carried our boots. On the way out, Aaron gave us a really good tour and discussion of the best parts of the Discovery Tour, the giant flowstone and the Ghost room, a large room that is highly decorated like the Cathedral Room. He also pointed out a small hole at the top of a clay mound, which is a recently discovered passage into a room as large as the Ghost Room, and as highly decorated with formations. Aaron had obtained permission to take a couple of NFS employees into this room, called simply Ghost Room 2 after it had been charted and sampled by geologists and other scientists. While in Ghost Room 2, he noticed yet another small hole that had airflow out of it. Sticking his head and upper body into the opening, he found yet another large room about the same size with the same high level of fantastic formations. This Ghost Room 3 is now waiting on proper sampling and charting before anyone is actually allowed into it, so as not to contaminate it beforehand. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Ghost Room</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The point I am making with this is that there is probably much more of this cave system and many others waiting to be discovered. One of the guides at Blanchard told me there are an estimated 10,000 caves in the Ozarks. I believe it. There are over 400 known ones just in Stone County where Blanchard Springs is, and who knows how many still unknown. The Wild Cave tour is a great way to experience what it is like to get into a wild (unknown and uncharted) cave, with the benefit of going with a highly capable and competent guide to minimize the hazards. I highly recommend this hike, with the caveat that it simply isn't for those not in decent physical condition or with medical conditions that might be prohibitive. I can't believe we have lived in Arkansas for 28 years and this was the first time I took this tour. It will certainly not be the last time. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3E6-l4LTMGOtbaaulpGUmndgppr1kwGF6PntPLcV3gci3LKFjtAFqt7bviSlqe_y4NSL6HjvfwZzSCIGIjyT5-HtaG5PQMuHx1tmvyLwZGmRvamsCYonJ8vADaNjZYuJfx4UvJY8XcqA/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3E6-l4LTMGOtbaaulpGUmndgppr1kwGF6PntPLcV3gci3LKFjtAFqt7bviSlqe_y4NSL6HjvfwZzSCIGIjyT5-HtaG5PQMuHx1tmvyLwZGmRvamsCYonJ8vADaNjZYuJfx4UvJY8XcqA/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blanchard Springs Recreation Area</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-60110181282599515602019-05-19T10:55:00.000-07:002019-06-12T06:05:06.891-07:00Mitchell Branch and Sinco Gorge area waterfalls, Ouachita National Forest near Danville, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">5/19/2019 Sinco Gorge Falls, Mitchell Branch Falls, Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole, and Seed Forest Falls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Sinco Gorge Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.010638,-93.669900</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sinco Gorge Fall: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.010200,-93.670700</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sinco UNF #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.010306,-93.670508</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Mitchell Branch Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.025616,-93.641169</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mitchell Branch Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.023693,-93.641298</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mitchell Branch UNF #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.024770, -93.641079</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mitchell Branch UNF #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.024408,-93.641285</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mitchell Branch UNF #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.024249,-93.641532</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.024929, -93.629051</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.024634, -93.628846</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Seed Forest Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.026628, -93.613453</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Seed Forest Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.031800, -93.620400</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park - Kirkwood Swimming Hole and Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.051774, -93.578222, 422 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. This is a somewhat rugged area, but each waterfall has access to the bluff above on one side or the other. That access may be somewhat steep and slippery so some smaller dogs may struggle. Boomer was okay navigating the bluffline break on the east side of Mitchell Branch Falls, but not the other side. I had some difficulty on that one myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Today, Boomer and I went to five different locations for short hikes. The elevation differences were only 100 to 200 feet, and the distance ranged from 100 feet (Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole) to about 1.8 miles (Seed Forest Falls). Collectively, we got a little exercise in today, but individually none of these are all that strenuous. All are bushwhacks except for our stop at Lower Kirkwood Falls and swimming hole, which is a drive up and park kind of place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Mitchell%20Branch%20area%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Mitchell Branch area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Mitchell%20Branch%20Falls%20return%20TRAIL%200520.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Mitchell Branch Falls GPS track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Seed%20Forest%20Falls%20.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Seed Forest Falls GPS track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Sinco%20Gorge%20Falls0520.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Sinco Gorge Falls GPS track</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/kirkwood-swimming-hole-and-mill-creek.html">Kirkwood Swimming Hole and Waterfalls on Mill Creek</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6JoVHbWzjnncnmX14b3HSiTwEOpPzLNPx4vyKmUVmLhoNYze-lnvx7FDyAN8augpzpP3tblgJXj9UFdxjLltlp5SqpZPe4JFlZMNxqZCZTZrZoMFaw9DIBpFyJMz16RANn4p0NPb7NK4/s1600/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Br+UNF+%25232+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6JoVHbWzjnncnmX14b3HSiTwEOpPzLNPx4vyKmUVmLhoNYze-lnvx7FDyAN8augpzpP3tblgJXj9UFdxjLltlp5SqpZPe4JFlZMNxqZCZTZrZoMFaw9DIBpFyJMz16RANn4p0NPb7NK4/s400/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Br+UNF+%25232+%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unnamed Falls #2 at Mitchell Branch<br />- with Boomer and Rick</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Boomer (our German Shepherd) was finally released from restricted duty, and he was itching to get back out there. He had five tumors under his skin that our vet surgically removed (all benign!) and has been on a "no hiking" order ever since. I had been wanting to check out a number of waterfalls in the Ouachitas that I had coordinates from the world waterfall index, but absolutely no other information. Other than Mitchell Branch Falls, which is in Tim Ernst's <i><a href="http://www.timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">Arkansas Waterfalls</a></i> book, my diligent internet searching could turn up nothing on any of these others. These were also on smaller, more rugged creeks that were highly unlikely to ever have been floated by kayakers, so I have no idea who identified them, named them, or anything. If you know anything about these, please give me whatever backstory you can in the comments. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQmLs5CrXg30JGIE1IgRS4scWjET2ywoZj-FiwyT46sTbg_624xyYC5LCsvQMs1uyy9C4Puh235VPQ91vB8LyN64MlbT8XI2nQ0kujHcFHOQ0-u_EQKDhcETp0rO4AvKULS1-7ubja1fH/s1600/Sinco+Gorge+Falls+parking+spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQmLs5CrXg30JGIE1IgRS4scWjET2ywoZj-FiwyT46sTbg_624xyYC5LCsvQMs1uyy9C4Puh235VPQ91vB8LyN64MlbT8XI2nQ0kujHcFHOQ0-u_EQKDhcETp0rO4AvKULS1-7ubja1fH/s400/Sinco+Gorge+Falls+parking+spot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sinco Gorge Parking Location</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today, I wanted to limit Boomer to some short hikes with some varied ruggedness, just to see how he would do. Bethany heard the keywords "bushwhack" and "unknown terrain" and opted out. Smart girl. I picked some that would be not too long, not too strenuous, and all along a route that I could park, hike, and move on to the next. I'll give driving directions for going the way I went today, and completing the big loop starting and stopping in Danville. You can pick which direction you want to go, or whether you just want to go to one of these five parking locations and back out the same way. I'll start my directions in the center of Danville, where Hwy 27 intersects with Hwy 10 going east (8th street):</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Hwy 27 and 8th street in Danville, go 1.0 mile south on Hwy 27 and turn right (west) on Hwy 80</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 18.0 miles west on Hwy 80 and turn right (north) on FS-18 (aka CR-28).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 3.2 miles north on FS-18 to the parking location for Sinco Gorge Falls. There is a sharp drop off on the left, so you just have to do the best you can, pulling over to the right and park where other vehicles can get around you.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the Sinco Gorge parking spot, continue north on FS-18 0.5 miles and turn right (east) on CR-519.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.2 miles east on CR-519 and park in the turn-out on the left just after you cross over Mitchell Branch. This is the parking location for Mitchell Branch Falls.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the Mitchell Branch Falls parking spot, continue east on CR-519 for 1.1 miles and pull off on the right. This is the parking location for Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole, continue east on CR-519 for 1.3 miles, and turn into the Jeep road on the left and park. This was my parking location today for Seed Forest Falls.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the Seed Forest Falls parking spot, continue east on CR-519 for 2.7 miles and bear right onto CR-518.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go just 0.3 miles on CR-518 and turn left (north) onto a dirt road that will take you a few yards to the parking location. This last turn is just before a nice, shiny, new bridge over Mill Creek. This is the parking location for the Kirkwood swimming hole and Lower Kirkwood Falls.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Kirkwood Falls, go back west the way you came on CR-518 for 0.3 miles and turn right onto CR-519.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.3 miles northwest on CR-519 and keep straight onto Jack Creek Road (still CR-519).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.8 miles on Jack Creek Road through some guy's pasture (it is still a county road!), and turn right onto Walnut Creek Road (aka CR-27).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 4.7 miles on Walnut Creek Road (first east, then it turns north) and turn right on Hwy 10.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go east on Hwy 10 and you are back in the center of Danville where you started.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxCBN8zNkWlYe1wxvsZLgEAE_Fy8t7egsl-83EhW5dbUJwKj5Y52VfKxLLBQq5bpzZL9tpI9oGndzzfFnM-ggx90r3o2wIa7LJhcedfcuVZI5y_Q8OQHAXffkj-6nutmVQCNbxTpaARh0/s1600/2019-05-05+Sinco+Gorge+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxCBN8zNkWlYe1wxvsZLgEAE_Fy8t7egsl-83EhW5dbUJwKj5Y52VfKxLLBQq5bpzZL9tpI9oGndzzfFnM-ggx90r3o2wIa7LJhcedfcuVZI5y_Q8OQHAXffkj-6nutmVQCNbxTpaARh0/s400/2019-05-05+Sinco+Gorge+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sinco Gorge Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Whew! That's a lot of driving directions, but remember, it is for five different parking locations and for getting in and out from two different directions. Our first stop today was at Sinco Gorge. As I mentioned in the driving directions, we had to just pull over as far as we could to the right and park. There is still plenty of room for vehicles to get around, but we didn't see another soul on the road all day anyway. Having absolutely no information on this waterfall, Boomer and I just found a good place to drop off the road and hike the very steep slope down to the creek. We then hiked along the creek on the right side down to Sinco Gorge Falls and found a bluffline break on the right to get to the base of the waterfall. There is another small waterfall on the way downstream. Boomer, enjoying his newfound freedom after being cooped up for a month, had to go swimming in every pool we passed. Today there was not as much flow as I had hoped for, but I could tell it would be a nice one with just a little more flow. This is not the biggest or prettiest waterfall, but it's a quick hike just a hundred yards from where we parked, with only about 200 feet of elevation difference.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4EpnqeCWd0aFRufEqMe6484dZnTXxBacm6cPQW7aMhpiJakWzyFI7LDiejX4EcriwhENKK18KxJd6m0rvJEi7kwKMi_00DjIBDHDi98ji8_Kdwwi5saQYPRtIXGuN6IPOEeVnjk0zdOc/s1600/Mitchell+Branch+UNF+%25231+-+with+Boomer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4EpnqeCWd0aFRufEqMe6484dZnTXxBacm6cPQW7aMhpiJakWzyFI7LDiejX4EcriwhENKK18KxJd6m0rvJEi7kwKMi_00DjIBDHDi98ji8_Kdwwi5saQYPRtIXGuN6IPOEeVnjk0zdOc/s400/Mitchell+Branch+UNF+%25231+-+with+Boomer.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unnamed Falls #1 at<br />Mitchell Branch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Sinco Gorge Falls, we drove to the parking location for Mitchell Branch Falls. This is the only</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> one we visited today that we previous knowledge of. it is well documented with photos and information in Tim's book, although for some reason few folks seem to visit it. There are enough visitors to make a faint volunteer trail, however. From the turn-out for parking, you can pick up a trail on the left side as you go downstream that will take you to Mitchell Branch Falls. If you do this, however, you will miss out on three other waterfalls that are also pretty nice. If you bushwhack down the right side of the creek, the first waterfall is about a hundred yards downstream. Falls #1 is relatively small, maybe six feet tall. Continuing downstream another hundred yards, you come to the top of Falls #2. If you continue a few yards to the right, there is tributary drainage with Falls #3 spilling over the bluff very close to Falls #2. Falls #2 and Falls #3 are almost close enough to be a twin waterfall, with each being in the 16 to 18-foot range. Actually, with the flow conditions today Falls #2 was, in my opinion, the prettiest waterfall we saw today, so I'm glad we came via this route.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCvixrGLKlhdV-OHZr7c2Tf-3vwLTQH1VLYczz1egH5l5vpUq-XwVSW5i8z9wrC0ZVWalwUovIDeHYofUqmPwUAH2wBs-sX3m3TREl0K98Wo62VGQscqaYXUJpGRbGGHu0DTMw9tmMyGe/s1600/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Br+UNF+%25233+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCvixrGLKlhdV-OHZr7c2Tf-3vwLTQH1VLYczz1egH5l5vpUq-XwVSW5i8z9wrC0ZVWalwUovIDeHYofUqmPwUAH2wBs-sX3m3TREl0K98Wo62VGQscqaYXUJpGRbGGHu0DTMw9tmMyGe/s400/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Br+UNF+%25233+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unnamed Falls #3 at Mitchell Branch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> There is a bluffline break on each side of Falls #3, although both are somewhat difficult to see, especially with all the spring foliage. After going down to the base of these waterfalls, I thought I would just stay on the right side of the creek as I went the last hundred yards downstream to Mitchell Branch Falls. That turned out to be a bad decision, one I won't make in the future. It is very rough and steep, and I had a difficult time coaxing Boomer into even trying to come down on this side. If you do visit the other waterfalls along Mitchell Branch Falls instead of going there directly on the trail, it still behooves you to cross back over the creek at the top of the waterfall and descend through the bluffline break on the left side. You need to go down all the way past the pool below the very bottom of Mitchell Branch Falls. You could wrap around the bluff on the left side, but if you follow the bluff around you end up in a spot where there is a drop of a few feet to the bottom. Going downstream past the pool below Mitchell Branch Falls gets you in a position where you can see the entire waterfall. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4UWZtnplf5Aum3LaQc_HdwLwQMZUEW5mijif-aFNHgo_GzVpKbtuv0FGOWqb3J5H27fWYzhoSOjcwDEIzD1O3Rmv_lEz_8PgYiKvaLtNB9ofZ2n17ho_1os4hS69CU6J8CVgAs4b9S6B/s1600/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Branch+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4UWZtnplf5Aum3LaQc_HdwLwQMZUEW5mijif-aFNHgo_GzVpKbtuv0FGOWqb3J5H27fWYzhoSOjcwDEIzD1O3Rmv_lEz_8PgYiKvaLtNB9ofZ2n17ho_1os4hS69CU6J8CVgAs4b9S6B/s400/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Branch+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitchell Branch Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in his <i><a href="http://www.timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">Arkansas Waterfalls</a></i> book, Tim Ernst describes Mitchell Branch Falls as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Ouachitas. It certainly is beautiful, IF there is enough flow. Mitchell Branch actually has two major prongs, and the one Mitchell Branch Falls is in is decidedly the smaller of those prongs. The Mitchell Branch swimming Hole and Seed Forest Falls are in the longer prong with much more drainage area. Mitchell Branch Falls, therefore, is one you will want to visit when conditions are fairly wet. After taking some photos as best I could for today's conditions, Boomer and I hiked back to the FJ, this time being careful to ascend via the bluffline break on the right as you face upstream, and following the trail all the way back to where we parked. The hike along the volunteer trail to Mitchell Branch Falls is less than a quarter mile from the road and less than 200 feet elevation difference.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv1pfWowQtpdOjOVH2Vfd4OGuF-2xH9Ck5pwlgOe9UtiAC3CMWkXvUAcxqXyYi5W_kGolAIDJz0KyiJquZj3ALMcIHPihuMHuyrHYavmebE7_wCNuZ8U_ke29yXTBr2jkeB82Hn70FXw0/s1600/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Branch+Swimming+Hole+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv1pfWowQtpdOjOVH2Vfd4OGuF-2xH9Ck5pwlgOe9UtiAC3CMWkXvUAcxqXyYi5W_kGolAIDJz0KyiJquZj3ALMcIHPihuMHuyrHYavmebE7_wCNuZ8U_ke29yXTBr2jkeB82Hn70FXw0/s400/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Branch+Swimming+Hole+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After getting back to the FJ, we continued eastward on CR-519 to our next stop, the Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole. I feel I should note some documentation inconsistencies here. In the world waterfall database, what we know as Mitchell Branch Falls is called Mitchell <i>Creek</i> Falls, and the one I am now calling the Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole is called Mitchell Branch Falls. Perhaps they called it that because it is definitely on the larger prong of Mitchell Branch, but I'm sticking with the naming in Tim Ernst's book. Firstly, because he <i>is</i> Tim, and his book is the de facto bible of waterfall chasers in Arkansas, and secondly because Mitchell Branch Falls is by far the biggest and best waterfall on all of Mitchell Branch, and deserves that distinction. After parking, we hiked downstream on the right side of the creek. There is a faint trail here, but you really don't need it. The waterfall and swimming hole are only about a hundred feet from the road, and there is very little in the way of undergrowth here. The waterfall here is only about 4 feet high. It has such a nice pool, one that looks like a natural swimming hole, I decided I would call it </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole to prevent any confusion with Mitchell Branch Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblHIN5frVylxHaPIcNgsz5sUnCHH7V8K0F4bl7TP2G-4sneWL5bhleFXqRNn6d35OPkBsoaTgr6FYCgpCHgCCY0paNGGiQOw33L1W4ivWSifPtkQDm-lGcIdU0CdlS2kMIxZsIc4-mf8C/s1600/2019-05-05+Seed+Forest+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblHIN5frVylxHaPIcNgsz5sUnCHH7V8K0F4bl7TP2G-4sneWL5bhleFXqRNn6d35OPkBsoaTgr6FYCgpCHgCCY0paNGGiQOw33L1W4ivWSifPtkQDm-lGcIdU0CdlS2kMIxZsIc4-mf8C/s400/2019-05-05+Seed+Forest+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Seed Forest Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole, we continued on down CR-519 a short way to the parking location for Seed Forest Falls. This is another one I was visiting for the first time today, so I had no idea what to expect in the way of terrain and hiking conditions. I parked the FJ near the road after turning onto the Jeep road. Not knowing what the old road would be like, I decided to just hike down it instead of driving into unknown space. As it turns out, this is a relatively good Jeep road and I could have easily driven down it all the way to where I turned off for the bushwhack to Seed Forest Falls. We hiked down the old road a half mile until we were about at the same elevation as Seed Forest Falls, then turned left off the road and bushwhacked about 1/3 mile laterally over to the waterfall. I found a bluffline break that allowed me to get to a point about halfway down the bluff, overlooking the waterfall. This will be a nice waterfall in the 18-foot range when there is better flow. I bushwhacked downstream some on the way back before cutting over to the Jeep road but didn't find a better route. I did NOT find the old road that one of my maps indicated should be there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1X-YqaOWLDgF9djHB9NsvoxxMWYgOt24B40FgaZqIKopvPc821LzZaD6rwDlA-fcFPldFz4E6bDSlWk1UpVhCuZVCfLhlh2v3vLpYxn07bzdvzrc2pzDA1pzCezvSMtniUGV8EUKu3cP/s1600/2019-05-05+Kirkwood+Swimming+Hole+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1X-YqaOWLDgF9djHB9NsvoxxMWYgOt24B40FgaZqIKopvPc821LzZaD6rwDlA-fcFPldFz4E6bDSlWk1UpVhCuZVCfLhlh2v3vLpYxn07bzdvzrc2pzDA1pzCezvSMtniUGV8EUKu3cP/s400/2019-05-05+Kirkwood+Swimming+Hole+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kirkwood Swimming Hole and<br />Lower Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After hiking back to where we parked, both Boomer and I were starting to feel the heat of the day and it was starting to get a little late in the afternoon. We had one more stop, however. Kirkwood Falls was almost right on our driving route back, and there is no hike involved for the lower waterfall and swimming hole, so we stopped by to check it out. A family was already there, enjoying the beautiful mid-May day and cooling off in the swimming hole. After chatting a while and letting Boomer make some new friends, we loaded up and headed for home. I have previously documented all the waterfalls along Mill Creek, including this one. You can check them out in <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/kirkwood-swimming-hole-and-mill-creek.html">this blog post</a>. The driving directions I provided above take you all the way around a big loop, starting and stopping in Danville. We headed north for home instead of going back into Danville. All in all, it was a very enjoyable day in the woods. Boomer got to get out and do his favorite thing, hiking with Dad, and I got to go explore some new waterfalls and visit some old ones.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBnCMMN81SCG9Obm53-GSa59GZ-BavD8bpesOEKOnDwu40Madn3gMKF1fsZhZuRS_V75kRdzYe4tH3rf-EhhEb6SWKLQrwrMXj-vIM_jyDEJ3rU31VX49Sekn0atlWhY3EPXC2-8FCqju/s1600/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Br+UNF+%25232+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBnCMMN81SCG9Obm53-GSa59GZ-BavD8bpesOEKOnDwu40Madn3gMKF1fsZhZuRS_V75kRdzYe4tH3rf-EhhEb6SWKLQrwrMXj-vIM_jyDEJ3rU31VX49Sekn0atlWhY3EPXC2-8FCqju/s640/2019-05-05+Mitchell+Br+UNF+%25232+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unnamed Falls #2 at Mitchell Branch</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitchell Branch Falls Parking Location</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-_Fp7f4r1ZwhUBojncJi0tiIQBAjCgpKtiMMe7H3iEDWQNZks2uLDVjowMIIpbgbZ7CJXmdw1OZFfmsYDX28JMr4ox0CMEa3YQilKwmZfGp5uyD8loJ_tw-IME1-RCR7qRDPn1AlXTwy/s1600/Mitchell+Branch+Swimming+Hole+parking+spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-_Fp7f4r1ZwhUBojncJi0tiIQBAjCgpKtiMMe7H3iEDWQNZks2uLDVjowMIIpbgbZ7CJXmdw1OZFfmsYDX28JMr4ox0CMEa3YQilKwmZfGp5uyD8loJ_tw-IME1-RCR7qRDPn1AlXTwy/s640/Mitchell+Branch+Swimming+Hole+parking+spot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole Parking Location</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS Track - Mitchell Branch Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYu05gB5p3r5ZJJ0PIjYPJ8-SF_zzALacOkTfEwxDbYYa7S3zl-3cVjxcdNnlXlS-_r7M-UJ-mFcbOXJ1hdExX8ZjChzUouJBpBRrf6nIbTZOYiGMLZYiiQAe_WxKMe9V6E_dK7asLWmL/s1600/Seed+Forest+Falls+and+Mitchell+Branch+Swimming+Hole+Map1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYu05gB5p3r5ZJJ0PIjYPJ8-SF_zzALacOkTfEwxDbYYa7S3zl-3cVjxcdNnlXlS-_r7M-UJ-mFcbOXJ1hdExX8ZjChzUouJBpBRrf6nIbTZOYiGMLZYiiQAe_WxKMe9V6E_dK7asLWmL/s640/Seed+Forest+Falls+and+Mitchell+Branch+Swimming+Hole+Map1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS Tracks for Seed Forest Falls (right) and<br />Mitchell Branch Swimming Hole (lower left)</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-71417137387126994232019-04-27T08:30:00.000-07:002019-06-14T04:08:50.331-07:00Kings River Natural Area, Ozark National Forest near Red Star, Arkansas<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4/27/2019 - Kings River Falls </b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park and Trailhead - Kings River: 35.89422, -93.58457, 1731 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Kings River Falls: 35.90186, -93.57443, 1697 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: 35.90184, -93.57477, 1716 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #2: 35.90178, -93.57515, 1744 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: 35.90200, -93.57521, 1752 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #4: 35.90233, -93.57573, 1789 ft. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #5: 35.90248, -93.57601, 1802 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #6: 35.90266, -93.57613, 1809 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.90384, -93.57744, 1882 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Road 3605 Falls: 35.86593, -93.53076</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> Yes, dogs on or off leash should be fine. Be aware this is a Natural Area, and one of <a href="http://www.naturalheritage.com/Natural_Areas/visit-a-natural-area">the few simple guidelines</a> the ANHC has for public use of these areas is that "pets are discouraged, but if present should be under their owner's control". That's their super-nice way of saying "don't let your dog be a pest or harm the habitat".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> This is an easy hike, with a trail all the way to Kings River Falls. It is just under a mile (4,958 feet by my GPS track) directly from the parking location to Kings River Falls. The only elevation change is the natural slope of the river, and the trail runs right alongside the river. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Kings%20River%20Waypoints%20.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Kings River area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/04271244%20Kings%20River%20whole%20distance0613.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS Track for Kings River trail and bushwhack up tributary creek</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.naturalheritage.com/Natural_Areas/Trail_Maps/Kings%20River%20Falls_Trail_Map_6-3_19.pdf">Kings River Trail Map (courtesy of the ANHC)</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/12/comptons-double-falls-amber-falls-owl.html">Compton's Double Falls, Amber Falls, Owl Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/01/bowers-hollow-falls-upper-buffalo.html">Bowers Hollow Falls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64bErOK3Hyn-GKaiYiCFiToJ3IVNbVRB1NAZ5uEufrIMG6gzGl0spYGCIaQ9yqCjqPa7ObnHFFuPQrS2-9NKHW2b6OWSgPafZzmeLv_8O3lr8bT-WsFVkKsg99rQ4pfq7-J7ak7_Kiatb/s1600/20190427-Kings+River+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64bErOK3Hyn-GKaiYiCFiToJ3IVNbVRB1NAZ5uEufrIMG6gzGl0spYGCIaQ9yqCjqPa7ObnHFFuPQrS2-9NKHW2b6OWSgPafZzmeLv_8O3lr8bT-WsFVkKsg99rQ4pfq7-J7ak7_Kiatb/s400/20190427-Kings+River+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kings River Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today, I headed back to Kings River, one of those favorite areas that I don't get </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">back to often enough. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have written a blog post for the Kings River Natural Area before, but looking through it, it appears it could definitely use some updating. This trip out, I went high enough in the tributary running northwest of Kings River Falls to find a really nice new waterfall high in the drainage. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This area also has another attribute that I needed to check out. Ever since my night photography workshop last summer, I have become hooked on Milky Way photography and am always on the lookout for places with the correct orientation (shooting southward). When I can put my two favorite subjects, waterfalls and the Milky Way, together at the same time, it's pretty much photography heaven for me. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMvQ2pJWoAQb8OitBTROwpnYUQQfqYgkAUeMKS7s3S-qnr1FxhjzkMhZy-xr5AMLw_ZbqFATymlZM4H6h81Ceyf_ScNkK_8Gd5cBm-S-AGI5yyp8ycxULcGbVepM_V4O6YPJvVg8xWtEA/s1600/20190427-Falls+%25234+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMvQ2pJWoAQb8OitBTROwpnYUQQfqYgkAUeMKS7s3S-qnr1FxhjzkMhZy-xr5AMLw_ZbqFATymlZM4H6h81Ceyf_ScNkK_8Gd5cBm-S-AGI5yyp8ycxULcGbVepM_V4O6YPJvVg8xWtEA/s400/20190427-Falls+%25234+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kings River is one of those areas. The river flows northward, so the waterfall faces northward and from in front of it, you can take a shot of the waterfall and catch the Milky Way in the southern sky above it. Using the PhotoPills app to plan out such a shot, Kings River Falls appeared to be ideally suited for such a photo. In my very short (less than a year) time doing night photography, I have learned that one golden rule is you must go to the set during the day and scope it out. The satellite view you get on PhotoPills does not tell you the whole story, as I have found out. So today's trip was primarily to check out Kings River Falls for a Milky Way shot. The fact that this is a wonderful area to hike and that I needed a little exercise didn't hurt. Bethany already had commitments, and Boomer was still on limited duty after his surgery, so I was on my own today. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyhOocVHNLNunc7pPrdDZd5xxO1qBtgjKkWajANCaQm9F___yngBgla6isokaIdXprCJEBrtwclAqgqJQ5Za-KRdurzHYLITSmAauowjgUgsGppV2e4IvokYHa1YMOg7eYM8T1OmPfEZw/s1600/20190427-Falls+%25237+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyhOocVHNLNunc7pPrdDZd5xxO1qBtgjKkWajANCaQm9F___yngBgla6isokaIdXprCJEBrtwclAqgqJQ5Za-KRdurzHYLITSmAauowjgUgsGppV2e4IvokYHa1YMOg7eYM8T1OmPfEZw/s400/20190427-Falls+%25237+%252810%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One thing I failed to point out in my previous blog post for Kings River is that this is a Natural Area. There are many 'area' designations in Arkansas, and each comes with different sets of rules, so it is best to point out those rules to visitors. There are 74 'Natural Areas' in Arkansas that have special protections for local features, fauna, and flora. They are administered by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission to preserve and protect these natural resources. It is public land, but they have <a href="http://www.naturalheritage.com/Natural_Areas/visit-a-natural-area">simple rules for visitors</a>, primarily that it is foot traffic only and camping or building campfires are not allowed. To make matters a little more confusing, the <a href="http://www.naturalheritage.com/natural-areas/kings-river-falls-natural-area">Kings River Natural Area</a> is not to be confused with the <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/kings-river/?tab_q=tab_container-tab_element_442203320">Kings River Nature Preserve</a>, which is on 10.5 miles of the Kings River in Carroll County. 'Nature Preserves' are NOT public land, they are private land that has been donated or deeded over in some way to the Nature Conservancy, a worldwide non-profit organization for the conservation of natural resources. The 'Nature Preserves' administered by the Nature Conservancy are generally open for public use, but they are NOT public land and they have their own set of rules for public use. The Kings River Nature Preserve does not have hiking trails, and traffic is limited only to floating the river itself, so I won't be doing a blog post for that one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As with most places in the Ozarks, there is more than one way to get there and I have traveled a couple of different routes. Both ways are a little rough, but y</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ou should have no trouble taking either route in a normal vehicle, no 4WD is needed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My preference for a route to get there is to go north of Clarksville on Hwy 21 approximately 30 miles to Fallsville, and t</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">urn right (west) on Hwy 16. </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Go 10.7 miles on Hwy 16 to the little town of Red Star and turn left (north) on Madison County Road CR-3605. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Go north on CR-3605 for 1 mile and bear left onto CR-3500. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Stay on CR-3500 for another 4.2 miles and arrive at the parking location. This route is what I call a 'one lane plus' road, but in my opinion, is better maintained than the other route below. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Alternatively, from Fallsville you can turn right (west) onto Hwy16 and:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 16.3 miles down Hwy 16 to the small town of Boston. At Boston, turn right (north) on CR-3175 (Madison County Road). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.0 miles on CR-3175, then keep right onto CR-3415. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continue down CR-3415 for 2.3 miles and turn left on CR-3500. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After you turn onto CR-3500, in less than a quarter mile you will see a parking area on the right just before the bridge over Mitchell Branch. </span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOCqudXTjVbE-NsuAlkZ8zx6LL6VbC8jHYw6_jJ3DqdlOuXQ4rQiaGODd7s7MuzWVlHMjZ-UL-A_KTLOT7bYI6EEVZ_eN0zP4PSayPQzOL0pJMHnSMFzDPVlBLL-EbE2h8-K6DJ8lUHsD/s1600/20190427-Madison+3605+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOCqudXTjVbE-NsuAlkZ8zx6LL6VbC8jHYw6_jJ3DqdlOuXQ4rQiaGODd7s7MuzWVlHMjZ-UL-A_KTLOT7bYI6EEVZ_eN0zP4PSayPQzOL0pJMHnSMFzDPVlBLL-EbE2h8-K6DJ8lUHsD/s400/20190427-Madison+3605+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Madison 3605 Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pro tip: another bonus to taking the first route is that you get a bonus waterfall. After you turn off Hwy 16 onto CR-3605, you go around a curve and drive over a creek that runs across the road. If there is even a little flow in the creek, there will be a waterfall where it falls off the road on the left side. I call it Madison 3605 Falls for obvious reasons. Here's another insider tip for the drive to Kings River; there are quite a few parking spaces laid out now on the right side of the road just before you cross the bridge over Mitchell Branch. I didn't count them, but I would say at least a dozen parking slots. Most people park here because this is clearly the parking location. But you have to walk over the bridge across Mitchell Branch anyway to get to the trailhead, and at the trailhead itself is another couple of spots to park. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6k9_I4_0hM9x8VgHHcFltIX8LRwMPnxWLPzNpfKhLmklVgd06IUO2OyCQkbERZyI-Ev_kO50J-qj0joUOlkcmQnW11MtyMVx_yfrlWBc3Twy1Bbu7MKSWB7Zw7_iQ_sOK6G3hhqw6TRE/s1600/Kings+River+-+parking+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6k9_I4_0hM9x8VgHHcFltIX8LRwMPnxWLPzNpfKhLmklVgd06IUO2OyCQkbERZyI-Ev_kO50J-qj0joUOlkcmQnW11MtyMVx_yfrlWBc3Twy1Bbu7MKSWB7Zw7_iQ_sOK6G3hhqw6TRE/s400/Kings+River+-+parking+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trailhead and prime parking location<br />the other parking spots on CR-3500 can be seen<br />in the background across Mitchell Branch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the sign at the trailhead, get on the trail. It starts out </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">right along Mitchell Branch. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No, not that Mitchell Branch, it is not to be confused with the one in the Ouachitas that has Mitchell Branch Falls on it. This Mitchell Branch is a nice running creek that is a major tributary of Kings River. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> If you keep Mitchell Branch to your right, it soon flows into Kings River and the trail continues along the west side of Kings River. From the parking area, it is less than a mile to Kings River Falls. That is, it's less than a mile if you don't get distracted. There is a nice tributary creek that you cross with some smaller waterfalls when it is flowing well. The dogwoods were blooming today and I saw something I had never seen in the wild before, a pink dogwood. There are also some cascades along Kings River and some other side drainages that generally don't have much flow. This is a relatively short hike, and while the trail is somewhat rocky and has areas that always seem to be under a couple of inches of water, it is flat and easy hiking. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxugoHceduz6jPBwGYbb_xeyUFE5kJc781RjzoiByWEuFE5s0Qo72lAckV_8hlJu5Nd47Y5mN6kqF8LEj2i-jhq9JWwM3kf-ZQNh60zEU3vlrDqzsrr8i2nx31UlninTli3tpw4_RnrKGe/s1600/20190427-Rapids+on+Kings+River+along+trail+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxugoHceduz6jPBwGYbb_xeyUFE5kJc781RjzoiByWEuFE5s0Qo72lAckV_8hlJu5Nd47Y5mN6kqF8LEj2i-jhq9JWwM3kf-ZQNh60zEU3vlrDqzsrr8i2nx31UlninTli3tpw4_RnrKGe/s400/20190427-Rapids+on+Kings+River+along+trail+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cascade along the trail on Kings River</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The river itself had plenty of flow today, due to the recent rains and a fairly wet late winter and early spring. Kings River Falls was beautiful today. My primary objective today was to scope out the waterfall for a good Milky Way shot. Kings River is not only oriented right for this, but the river at this point is wide and the river runs fairly straight for a good distance upstream of the waterfall. This means there isn't a good deal of foliage over the river to block the view of the night sky, and the valley is open to the south for a great view of the lower part of the Milky Way, where the galactic core will shine in the summer months. I did some night augmented reality views using the PhotoPills app, taking screenshots of the Milky Way overlaying my current view of Kings River Falls. As it turns out, the best views of the Milky Way were also spots where I had taken photos before, from the rock bluff just below the waterfall on the same side as the trail, and a gravel bar just out in the river from the same (west) side. After doing my night shot research, I hiked up the tributary drainage.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just before you get to the top of Kings River Falls, look to your left, up the small creek that flows into the river. Today, it had good flow, so I hiked up it to check out the waterfalls. I like the big, tall, waterfalls with lots of flow just like everyone else. But I'm a sucker for the small waterfalls I find along creeks in the Ozarks. I had hiked up this drainage on previous visits, but I had yet to follow it to the top. The hike along Kings River is a pretty easy one, with little elevation change and no big obstacles. Today I felt the need for a little more exercise, so I ventured up this little gem of a creek further than I had before. I had found six waterfalls here before and assumed there was not much else to be seen. I was wrong. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #7 - with Rick for scale</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About a third of a mile up this tributary drainage, I found the best waterfall of the bunch. Falls #7 flows off a large bluff with a large shelter cave behind it. I took a photo for scaling, with me (6 foot, 3inches) next to the waterfall so I can measure myself and the waterfall for a semi-accurate estimate of the waterfall's height. I place myself next to the waterfall stream so we are both the same approximate distance from the camera, to eliminate parallax errors. Falls #7 is just a hair over 31 feet tall, about twice as tall as Falls #5, the next largest waterfall in this creek. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Above Falls #7, I hiked further upstream to the point on the knob where the creek leveled out for a distance. On BackCountry Navigator it appeared I was within a hundred feet of the ridge with very little remaining slope, so I turned around and made my way back to the river. From Falls #7 back to Kings River is only 0.3 miles, so this is a nice creek with plenty to see in a short distance. There is little undergrowth and bushwhacking conditions are pretty good, even in 'leaves on' seasons.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #2, with Falls #3 in the background</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This was a very pleasant Sunday, and I had been pleasantly surprised at the lack of people. I am often the only person here on weekdays, but it is a popular hiking destination and on weekends there are often a few other folks here. I had seen no one when I started my hike up the tributary creek, but by the time I got back to Kings River Falls, there were a couple of groups, maybe a dozen people enjoying the scenery at the waterfall. On my way back to the parking area, I passed another three couples hiking down the trail. This is a great hike to just get away and enjoy some Natural State beauty. Kings River is a popular area since it is easily accessible by most vehicles and is an easy enough hike to take children along. It is highly recommended anytime, but if you like a little more solitude you might want to try it between weekends.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS Track for today's hike</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-69340652497960540822019-04-25T08:36:00.000-07:002019-05-03T20:59:42.641-07:00Teapot Hollow Polyfoss Area, Ozark National Forest near Fort Douglas, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">4/25/2019 Teapot Hollow Waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650609,-93.227392, 516 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650994,-93.228957, 643 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650936,-93.229155, 694 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650936,-93.229155, 700 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651036,-93.229333, 734 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #5: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650951,-93.229745, 801 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Teapot Hollow Water Slide: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651158,-93.230291, 893 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #6: 35.651176,-93.230782, 818 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651289,-93.231207, 865 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Hourglass Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651276,-93.231596, 936 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Salem Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651442,-93.232547, 1131 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #10: 35.65160, -93.23307, 1192 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #11: 35.65192, -93.23403, 1305 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluffline Break: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651853,-93.228863, 731 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. This is a fairly rugged area, but each waterfall has access to the bluff above on one side or the other. That access may be somewhat steep and slippery so some smaller dogs may struggle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> On today's hike, I logged 1.34 miles total round trip. Distance-wise, it is certainly a short hike. Teapot Hollow is 1273 feet from top to bottom, on the side of a mountain along Big Piney Creek, which it flows into. Over that short distance up the creek, however, there is a 714-foot minimum-to-maximum elevation gain. My total track time on this hike was 3:36 (hh:mm), but most of that was time taking photos and milling about various water features, which is not seen as "time moving". My actual hiking time (moving time) was only 22 minutes for this hike. Despite the short distance, due to the ruggedness of the terrain and steep climb in, I would rate it as a moderate to difficult bushwhack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Teapot%20Hollow%20waypoints%2004-25-19.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Teapot Hollow waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/04251417%20Teapot%20Hollow%200503.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Teapot GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/11/pams-grotto-hwy-123-car-wash-and-haw.html">Pam's Grotto Falls</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/04/highway-123-falls-haw-creek-falls.html">Haw Creek Falls and Highway 123 Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/03/bear-creek-waterfalls-ozarks-south-of.html">Bear Creek waterfalls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I made a trek through Teapot Hollow the first time just three months ago with my friend Dan Frew, and wrote a <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/teapot-hollow-waterfalls-concentrated.html">blog post about this nice polyfoss area then</a>. Today, I went higher in the hollow and discovered a couple more waterfalls, plus I had an opportunity to experience hiking it in "leaves on" season. In light of that, and the fact that I have a bunch of photos with spring greenery, I decided to go ahead and publish another blog post with some updated information and pictures. Today, I was solo hiking. Boomer (our German Shepherd) had surgery recently to remove some tumors (all benign!), so he is on limited duty for a while until he is all healed up. After that first hike here, Teapot Hollow went on my list of "go back and hike when there is some spring color" places, and we had that today. Teapot Hollow; it's a short and stout little hollow, and steep! See what I did there? Therefore, you really need to go after a good rain, and the rain was just easing up as I was loading up in the FJ and leaving home. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking location - next to road along Big Piney Creek</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everything is simple and easy for this one, including the driving directions. Just pop the GPS coordinates for the parking location in your navigation system and go. There is only one road to it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (1) If you can't do that, from Hagerville, go north on Highway 123 for 15.3 miles and turn right on FR-1002 (aka CR-5861). Go 2.5 miles down FR-1002 and park off the road at the end of the clearing here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (2) If you are coming from the other direction, from Pelsor (Sand Gap), go south-west on Highway 123 for 11.3 miles, then turn left (south) on FR-1002. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.5 miles down FR-1002 and park off the road at the end of the clearing here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Today, as I parked, I looked down the road and saw that Big Piney was high, but not even close to the road. I considered driving on down a little more and checking out the hollow next to Teapot Hollow to the south. Common sense got the better of me, and I decided to wait until I finished hiking to see what the creek level was like. By the time I finished my short hike up Teapot Hollow and back, Big Piney Creek had risen up over the road and was rising fast. Be careful out there, and don't allow yourself to get trapped by rising water. One note about this parking location; everything on this hike is on public land. That being said, the patches of flat, cleared, grassy land along Big Piney Creek is usually leased by the Forest Service to folks in the area for grazing or cutting hay. You could drive across the field to be a little closer to the mouth of the hollow, but please just park there along the road. A few extra yards on flat land won't kill you.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #3</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As simple as the driving directions are, the hiking directions are just as simple. With the spring foliage, you can't see the first (lowest) waterfall as we could back in January. But you could sure hear it from the parking spot. I could tell before I got out of the FJ that it would be flowing pretty well. I hiked directly for the first waterfall, spent some time there taking photos, and climbed up around the grotto on the left, and there was Falls #2. The base of Falls #2 is literally just a few feet from the top of Falls #1. Likewise, the base of Falls #3 is only a few feet from the top of Falls #2. I only gave numbers to the waterfalls that were large enough and/or otherwise 'photo-worthy'. Those other water features in this little hollow were not all as close together as the first three. In between the larger water features is a continuous parade of smaller waterfalls, water slides, and cascades, all very nice and all photogenic in their own way. Back in January, the highest waterfall we visited is the beautiful Salem Falls, named for my niece Kate's son. Salem Moorehead. On that hike, Dan and I looked at the topo map and didn't think there would be much of anything upstream. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYR5b1f0h66t2Z5WfugQLPfg4FFIBfeVECaHfHMoXV9HEhhyJ9hl60Sjp-CbGzfQkqP8qZ8OtfPASRfZ8jTqwbWn6oHBo9L67HijziAsEAIXJ6ovaURWIn34K_qzN7g2W_Tch0Gyb9b0T/s1600/20190425-Salem+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYR5b1f0h66t2Z5WfugQLPfg4FFIBfeVECaHfHMoXV9HEhhyJ9hl60Sjp-CbGzfQkqP8qZ8OtfPASRfZ8jTqwbWn6oHBo9L67HijziAsEAIXJ6ovaURWIn34K_qzN7g2W_Tch0Gyb9b0T/s400/20190425-Salem+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salem Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The entire way up the hollow, you can see the next water feature from the previous one, so planning a good route from one to the next is fairly simple. From the parking location to the highest waterfall is only a little over a half mile hiking distance, including the random lateral movements in and out of the creek area. The more passable route on the way up to Falls #6 seemed to be along the left side. The right side of the creek had the occasional sheer bluff that required crossing the creek or climbing higher on the bluff. From Falls #6 on up, the right (north) side of the creek seemed to be the easier hiking conditions with better access to the base of the upstream waterfalls. At Salem Falls, I was looking at the huge rocks and bluff on the right side and decided I should climb a little higher to see what might be there. I climbed up on the left side as the right side appeared to have a sheer bluff higher up. That was doable, but once above Salem Falls, I discovered that the route on the right side would have been much easier. On future hikes, I'll just stick to the right after I get to Falls #6. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzTM1kGk1yq-3bK7SfA1xl3mWXnstf5RVx1fr0wzEyU79_y1qvhJaJXWj5VYA6b3_TSURr7iM6qRUBXAa3DssmalTOGZlRqxdvImJP3GF3B55VDYA-59WYQD0dysF7n39J9hi_Z2LJ30k/s1600/20190425-Falls+%252310+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzTM1kGk1yq-3bK7SfA1xl3mWXnstf5RVx1fr0wzEyU79_y1qvhJaJXWj5VYA6b3_TSURr7iM6qRUBXAa3DssmalTOGZlRqxdvImJP3GF3B55VDYA-59WYQD0dysF7n39J9hi_Z2LJ30k/s400/20190425-Falls+%252310+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Above Salem Falls, I found a steep cascade climbing up the hollow and another nice sized waterfall, Falls #10, pouring over the bluffline upstream. The left side had been easy enough to climb to the next bench, but above the top of Salem Falls, it was very steep and slippery on that side. Once I scrambled up to the base of Falls #10, I found the slope along the base of the bluff on the right side to be much more manageable. Having found Falls #10 where I didn't expect to find any more, I decided to climb a little higher and found yet another bluffline with a waterfall where the creek flowed over it. Falls #11 is not as imposing as the other major water features in this hollow since it just has a couple of smaller drops and much less flow. I looked around upstream from it, and the hollow does seem to flatten out at that point. The flow in the creek was also substantially reduced this high in the hollow, so I decided to call it quits for the day and head back down to the parking location. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F9ZETpZUmWf87uHA0-XVQ__BUXo65_eGqWFwwKoYU62-VBjxDZtCWz-SWAVFjsElzh_pGzdze1AMXw5jCN8Y4A4nMbk4yCK8kKMe8PhFzSDcwY0E2_NZm_lfFVyaEAF4ljuOyNCzLzLG/s1600/Sound+of+Running+water+inside+solid+rock+bluff+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F9ZETpZUmWf87uHA0-XVQ__BUXo65_eGqWFwwKoYU62-VBjxDZtCWz-SWAVFjsElzh_pGzdze1AMXw5jCN8Y4A4nMbk4yCK8kKMe8PhFzSDcwY0E2_NZm_lfFVyaEAF4ljuOyNCzLzLG/s400/Sound+of+Running+water+inside+solid+rock+bluff+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That small triangular hole in the center is where<br />the underground stream is running. My trekking<br />pole is to the left for scale</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I was hiking along the base of the bluff to the right of Falls #10 on my way out, I heard the sound of rushing water. I paused, trying to locate it, and finally saw that it was coming from a small triangular shaped hole smaller than my hand right in the side of the bluff. I could hear the sounds of rushing and gurgling water deep inside the rock, but could not see far enough back into the hole to see any water. Karst formations make water do weird things in the Ozarks, and this was yet another of those weird things. I looked around above the bluff for an inlet, and below the bluff looking for an outlet, but I found nothing. There is no telling where the underground stream comes from, nor where it goes to, but I suspect it comes out below the bluff at the top of Salem Falls and enters the creek at that point. There is a cave back in there somewhere. How big and extensive a cave depends on how much of the rock is sandstone, which is harder than granite, and how much is (or was) softer material such as limestone and shale. The softer rock erodes over time and leaves a cave or water channel. That's how karst formations work over the eons. I'll put this in my mental bag of weird thing you see in the Ozarks.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKpMg_zWLt8ik3TgF7-NCqwfevcg4Y_jn6FgVl6GL9E2WKrNH-2B_LiWUUMXsEWCBrg2-uDLkpKfazth1QBELmxewjUeR2JLqrGpwEeoqwVljLgdLjrkezKnw10k_fn5zbmR_IpMsrwUY/s1600/20190425-Hourglass+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKpMg_zWLt8ik3TgF7-NCqwfevcg4Y_jn6FgVl6GL9E2WKrNH-2B_LiWUUMXsEWCBrg2-uDLkpKfazth1QBELmxewjUeR2JLqrGpwEeoqwVljLgdLjrkezKnw10k_fn5zbmR_IpMsrwUY/s400/20190425-Hourglass+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hourglass Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Somehow, after I finished shooting some photos at Hourglass Falls, the round ball-type mount for my Manfrotto compact-action tripod unscrewed from the bottom of my camera. Fortunately, I had a spare in the pack, so I could keep shooting. On the hike back down, I retraced my GPS track as well as I could, but with the leaf cover on the forest floor, the spring growth, and generally rocky terrain, I didn't have a prayer of finding it. From Hourglass Falls, I went back up to the ridge on the north side and hiked down. In spring, this was a little more difficult due to the new foliage than it was back in January. Then, you could clearly see the slope down the mountain and pick your route as you went down. It still wasn't all that difficult, as bushwhacking conditions go. I ran into the occasional brier patch, but for the most part, I just picked the most open path in front of me and headed downhill. I had marked a GPS waypoint for the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">bluffline break at the bottom of the mountain previously, and that helped me locate the right point to head toward. At the bottom of the bluff, I saw a large flat rock, about three feet high, leaning against a tree that looked for all the world like Darth Vader. Yet another entry for that mental bag of weird stuff you see in the Ozarks. Maybe I should write a book, or a blog, or something about this stuff.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5P6yUQf7I1eNRGcIEYCVqgR0CrB7yGn4B8uoMap-3iVxbu1vd0ECIGMp5BHFdS1RG2GgiFSFPXY5wrmgDSuKr_ewu0Tiro0_tWCc-v1BvKH3m7vogJTmmpCUdC-l-_ssZU3LUPzKAUkY/s1600/20190425-20190425_175103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5P6yUQf7I1eNRGcIEYCVqgR0CrB7yGn4B8uoMap-3iVxbu1vd0ECIGMp5BHFdS1RG2GgiFSFPXY5wrmgDSuKr_ewu0Tiro0_tWCc-v1BvKH3m7vogJTmmpCUdC-l-_ssZU3LUPzKAUkY/s400/20190425-20190425_175103.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Darth Vader Rock</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Make no mistake about it, this is a wet weather polyfoss. We had a couple of weeks beforehand with relatively dry weather, but I think the area probably got a couple of inches of rain in the last 48 hours. There could have been more rain locally, but based on the relatively good road conditions and the level in Big Piney, I doubt it was as much as we had prior to the January hike here. It looks like it doesn't take a whole lot to make it look good. Today, it had just the right amount of flow to make it look it's best. At any rate, you need to know that it will need some wet weather. Since the drainage area for this hollow is not very large, it will go away pretty quickly even after a good rain. It's easy enough to get to and check out so I would recommend doing that after a good rain. If it doesn't look all that good on the lowest waterfall, you can go elsewhere and not waste any time. This little hollow has a whole lot of beautiful scenery, a very large payload for very little effort. I was glad to see the bushwhacking conditions were still not that bad, even with the spring foliage. If you can catch it on a wet day and don't mind a steep bushwhack, I would highly recommend this one. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYY-VMc5NIlAMWHBwG0sfJLFDiF_HuTmDnOK4HoI2tzQUyZ0LA4V5tqdKV-V4kcdJBdiBUYKaHOxYm231qAXsaAFFD6JO3iAaJe16BbiKhSxrGRC1lLlEeJUQSll7vZMeFRZdeINqj1yG/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25231+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifYY-VMc5NIlAMWHBwG0sfJLFDiF_HuTmDnOK4HoI2tzQUyZ0LA4V5tqdKV-V4kcdJBdiBUYKaHOxYm231qAXsaAFFD6JO3iAaJe16BbiKhSxrGRC1lLlEeJUQSll7vZMeFRZdeINqj1yG/s640/20190425-Falls+%25231+%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV6VIVaP7tR74iNwBukRp1oQstKUeLge_19f8p708gORoRtx2RR-hTlHOh3FhrR9CR7_KgAAwPUlfRDEPokVHCMJrM7dRnRR1zYGE9t_ZbGhtifHBFqae9-RchI9VU_VnBWE0U4JVMWpL/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25232+foreground%252C+Falls+%25233+background+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV6VIVaP7tR74iNwBukRp1oQstKUeLge_19f8p708gORoRtx2RR-hTlHOh3FhrR9CR7_KgAAwPUlfRDEPokVHCMJrM7dRnRR1zYGE9t_ZbGhtifHBFqae9-RchI9VU_VnBWE0U4JVMWpL/s640/20190425-Falls+%25232+foreground%252C+Falls+%25233+background+%25283%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #2 (foreground) and Falls #3 (background)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcZ8syzFpBYT53wxjl5TWg4S7Z6roqtrMAZi6z9VBI085xcnU6GWz12vEFlEphZIOIkZK7_o5sknkbcz881WiemJO9dQkd342tkvM3aS0vcagsH4XJQ7j5NYDsA7JegTvpwjXZKbNOyKP/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcZ8syzFpBYT53wxjl5TWg4S7Z6roqtrMAZi6z9VBI085xcnU6GWz12vEFlEphZIOIkZK7_o5sknkbcz881WiemJO9dQkd342tkvM3aS0vcagsH4XJQ7j5NYDsA7JegTvpwjXZKbNOyKP/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(photo taken in January)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKi_JERFUyKdEIBQgkBqCq7129fSnYfVHJTQ-xwmKypifcZ3NolftGoUEn_GMbIqNVi2i-4cQS3khuZtZ2MM2DJxy4WEiM2U1zKAzJEJZvu_RT_R4Gb5FYPohoNDOcQ89PC9bYVw3Ny_P/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25234+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNKi_JERFUyKdEIBQgkBqCq7129fSnYfVHJTQ-xwmKypifcZ3NolftGoUEn_GMbIqNVi2i-4cQS3khuZtZ2MM2DJxy4WEiM2U1zKAzJEJZvu_RT_R4Gb5FYPohoNDOcQ89PC9bYVw3Ny_P/s640/20190425-Falls+%25234+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdfyO6WH4wgYlEIu_PS0mLfdeFil-59-cwlkO2SCtN6t7Qn48fqRFnYm7hQOX_3s1HZ5ZCfA7-D2ORR7GA-yzcL0lBi8o8CU2eopcNIhkdagf4ZxwKMj9eYeUzLzD-8g7c8P0p3lqiRDs/s640/20190425-Falls+%25235+%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdfyO6WH4wgYlEIu_PS0mLfdeFil-59-cwlkO2SCtN6t7Qn48fqRFnYm7hQOX_3s1HZ5ZCfA7-D2ORR7GA-yzcL0lBi8o8CU2eopcNIhkdagf4ZxwKMj9eYeUzLzD-8g7c8P0p3lqiRDs/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25235+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORKAponCvIcN6kbVz9vtoR6gwDE9jEt6SgIeY74BjMm7GPJj41XflrfkFQ4H4gdf-y5QEqSeeeicOUILYE6IydfkzSZyHZAca_SMe57O1uHJ4_0s3h3JoU8i66NB40yefmTlmxgFpVq5H/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25235+-+water+slide+upstream+and+at+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORKAponCvIcN6kbVz9vtoR6gwDE9jEt6SgIeY74BjMm7GPJj41XflrfkFQ4H4gdf-y5QEqSeeeicOUILYE6IydfkzSZyHZAca_SMe57O1uHJ4_0s3h3JoU8i66NB40yefmTlmxgFpVq5H/s640/20190425-Falls+%25235+-+water+slide+upstream+and+at+top.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Water Slide above Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm95aZS_S7U6O666ayJ38XObAvUplZlj9qeKsvBZkxa2MwwQjPXNiw7TfuVlY0oOrkhpqP4FWW_KezLAxOZBOjz3Uet7obj_cbaC5NUoNIJbxtaxVbsvbmrnprbekSyLuDprQmv6g4cqJB/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25236+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm95aZS_S7U6O666ayJ38XObAvUplZlj9qeKsvBZkxa2MwwQjPXNiw7TfuVlY0oOrkhpqP4FWW_KezLAxOZBOjz3Uet7obj_cbaC5NUoNIJbxtaxVbsvbmrnprbekSyLuDprQmv6g4cqJB/s640/20190425-Falls+%25236+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jytgAF3Rjsrtr-J5Mj8L7wolNDQCSMhi9wcCm5jYvieRWy3OeD94bQ2XRZzR7LiloE4I8ojGs2cL2cJx3dwLo9zPPyLbwGk8lIhmnahUoZRyRUOBltqm2vSrKsuRElZ86gK9YvB4VNC-/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25236+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jytgAF3Rjsrtr-J5Mj8L7wolNDQCSMhi9wcCm5jYvieRWy3OeD94bQ2XRZzR7LiloE4I8ojGs2cL2cJx3dwLo9zPPyLbwGk8lIhmnahUoZRyRUOBltqm2vSrKsuRElZ86gK9YvB4VNC-/s640/20190425-Falls+%25236+%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXlgf8aQQfcV9T1ktesOynYgM_iOUaUSjuRgQ-9UqBtrSDobBQwbC0YwKAiL2RtgfVgmEpAt1pMK36Ts5fVRGsPenel_1-wKvEnJMI77DxIyH3aKVTbpox2Tl0csWyjlrT_aiq_1ZV0il/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25236+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXlgf8aQQfcV9T1ktesOynYgM_iOUaUSjuRgQ-9UqBtrSDobBQwbC0YwKAiL2RtgfVgmEpAt1pMK36Ts5fVRGsPenel_1-wKvEnJMI77DxIyH3aKVTbpox2Tl0csWyjlrT_aiq_1ZV0il/s640/20190425-Falls+%25236+%252811%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGCkM1hmgK7G84CqC_70tPOdN6bDcsPcKjx084T1lAu8_xxhGNkSa-IBiHUd6YtwLuoSfQ6yCG3KcedzD5OqHs9ZUyE35OtEi_zgc7gkHdMhsfX3j_tuX-7AOtkvubAEolJHu8sX1hl58/s1600/20190425-Falls+%25237+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGCkM1hmgK7G84CqC_70tPOdN6bDcsPcKjx084T1lAu8_xxhGNkSa-IBiHUd6YtwLuoSfQ6yCG3KcedzD5OqHs9ZUyE35OtEi_zgc7gkHdMhsfX3j_tuX-7AOtkvubAEolJHu8sX1hl58/s640/20190425-Falls+%25237+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pXuAj2eR1rol8920-CRZUyVFMKgGYKblkmNgYdVh7awor6ingDRu8WI3Sf_W6zSQmtzDzfyGV8G38-BT1jf-M6T2ngeLiYJT03sgGEoQTnLMhgr76SflCvVcNhDNs8Oh4gpdYtQJawKq/s1600/20190425-Salem+Falls+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pXuAj2eR1rol8920-CRZUyVFMKgGYKblkmNgYdVh7awor6ingDRu8WI3Sf_W6zSQmtzDzfyGV8G38-BT1jf-M6T2ngeLiYJT03sgGEoQTnLMhgr76SflCvVcNhDNs8Oh4gpdYtQJawKq/s640/20190425-Salem+Falls+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salem Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-LaKvk6pqT3GBScyDraDdnOujJMiUSZnLl3No_85WPPwoRnByI7Hmudk5XsxwFOFcl4GJxUlY9f2RGA8bZ8Mbb4fPTTvX-eNvP7ipuSxuyiz6UUmAc1SNLPA0lIWGg2wvDye1-fMNGQ_/s1600/20190425-Falls+%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-LaKvk6pqT3GBScyDraDdnOujJMiUSZnLl3No_85WPPwoRnByI7Hmudk5XsxwFOFcl4GJxUlY9f2RGA8bZ8Mbb4fPTTvX-eNvP7ipuSxuyiz6UUmAc1SNLPA0lIWGg2wvDye1-fMNGQ_/s640/20190425-Falls+%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-pT3OoqartWrhjsFFm7SDE2l_KlFzgDzf6ukFNFatp091hd8Izdx9i7z1Fe2BWLY9mpqBoV7uiu7uYgm3R5eNHTBJ5U120CXBvqkxTFccLgijCvqNoat5iuI4kjJyyYBlDEC9dyY8ZdW/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+-+from+top%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-pT3OoqartWrhjsFFm7SDE2l_KlFzgDzf6ukFNFatp091hd8Izdx9i7z1Fe2BWLY9mpqBoV7uiu7uYgm3R5eNHTBJ5U120CXBvqkxTFccLgijCvqNoat5iuI4kjJyyYBlDEC9dyY8ZdW/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+-+from+top%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the top of Falls #2<br />The top of Falls #1 is at the edge of the visible water<br />The parking location is at the right side of the clearing in the background<br />Big Piney Creek is immediately behind the clearing</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(photo taken in January)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRIw3JEykBCvG0LRvM097CMnS94X3zNYRThf4aOZpl7EqDXqsPtrYpi-00IiC8WPXNHo3pyorDWSfZcXc8YPNyc8OAZXUHl0WPbymYMXmk1ERkBSbt6ULdvH8JSG0YjuHhUSRsHHd7J1E/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRIw3JEykBCvG0LRvM097CMnS94X3zNYRThf4aOZpl7EqDXqsPtrYpi-00IiC8WPXNHo3pyorDWSfZcXc8YPNyc8OAZXUHl0WPbymYMXmk1ERkBSbt6ULdvH8JSG0YjuHhUSRsHHd7J1E/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Teapot Hollow<br />Blue - today's hiking track</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-79533934272295298742019-04-12T11:05:00.001-07:002021-02-09T10:46:27.705-08:00Optimal Upper-1205 Route to Devon, Hamilton, Twin, and Richland Falls, plus Devon's Hollow, Richland Wilderness area, Ozarks near Lurton, Arkansas<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>4/12/2019 - Twin Falls, Devon Falls, Richland Falls, Hamilton Falls</b></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> (Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Parking (Upper-1205 route): 35.82546, -92.94733, 1936 feet</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Twin Falls: 35.80594, -92.96412, 1184 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Richland</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Falls: 35.80075, -92.96010, 1155 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Jim Bob (Long Devil's) Falls: 35.80804, -92.96831, 1316 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Devon Falls: 35.81724, -92.96145, 1435 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Don </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hamilton Falls: 35.81199, -92.96375, 1320 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Big Devil's Bluff Falls: 35.81098, -92.96294, 1322 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Mystic Falls: 35.80479, -92.96518, 1275 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Mystic Cascades: 35.80519, -92.96510, 1219 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Get onto trace road from FR-1205: 35.80864, -92.94396, 1531 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Leave trace road to Hamilton Falls: 35.81261, -92.96180, 1462 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Leave trace road to Twin Falls: 35.80931, -92.95933, 1536 ft.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> Trail branch to the top of Long Devil's Falls: </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">35.80555, -92.96223, 1185 ft.</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Pet Friendly:</b> Free roaming pets off leash should be okay if they can do some climbing and scrambling. I would not take dogs that need to stay on a leash or dogs that aren't up to some rigorous bushwhacking.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> From top to bottom, The Richland Wilderness Area is over 1200 feet of elevation change. Today I hiked 9.4 miles with a "highest to lowest" elevation change of 810 feet. Some of those miles and some of the elevation change was due to the additional exploration I did today. The one trip here in which I hiked from the Upper-1205 parking location to Hamilton Falls and then to Twin Falls, it was 2.11 miles one-way. I would rate this hike as a difficult bushwhack, due to the length of the hike and the ruggedness of the terrain. As anyone that has been here will tell you, it's worth it. </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) - </b>Map with these routes is at bottom of this post<b>:</b></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Upper%20Richland%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Richland Wilderness Area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Falling%20Water%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Falling Water Creek Area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin%20Falls-%20Richland%20Falls%20low%20route.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track for Twin Falls to Richland Falls along the creeks</a></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin-Richland%20high%20route.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track for Twin Falls to Richland Falls over the mountain</a></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin%20Falls%20to%20Jim%20Bob%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track from Twin Falls to Long Devil's Falls</a></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Lower%20FR-1205%20to%20Twin%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track file for Lower FR-1205 route to Twin Falls</a> </span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/FR1205-Hamilton-Twin.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">GPS track file for Upper FR-1205 to Hamilton Falls to Twin Falls</a></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin%20Falls%20to%20FR-1205.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1" target="_blank">GPS track file for Twin Falls to Upper FR-1205</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpclE_-gXes8UBFL-G8bugKVbpUu3B-MgeAFYmpizY7dWnTc1ymER3HaOrYBSm7sg8chbpwOqWGTNDiopgXyjlToX-qwqGYOdd7K9lSUDOuEiBuyqN1e7CJdLNDI-tyYSBC2Qgr8Ifz4t/s1600/20190412-Hamilton+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpclE_-gXes8UBFL-G8bugKVbpUu3B-MgeAFYmpizY7dWnTc1ymER3HaOrYBSm7sg8chbpwOqWGTNDiopgXyjlToX-qwqGYOdd7K9lSUDOuEiBuyqN1e7CJdLNDI-tyYSBC2Qgr8Ifz4t/s400/20190412-Hamilton+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hamilton Falls - with Rick</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">A surprisingly large number of folks have asked me "What's the BEST route into and out of the Richland Wilderness area?" I have done a few blog posts over the years for the Richland Wilderness, definitely one of my favorite hiking areas. I have not posted a new blog post for it in a while because on <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/12/devon-falls-hamilton-falls-twin-falls.html">my last post</a>, I included links to all of the blog posts with different routes. I have also included all those links below, but what is the best of those routes? That depends on creek levels, your hiking ability, what time of year it is, and what you want to see. Assuming you want to see Twin Falls, my personal favorite, and assuming you want to see all the waterfalls here with decent flow, I'll try to answer that question as well as I can in this blog post. Today, I set out to do a little exploring, with a goal of hiking the entire drainage has Devon Falls in it just before it drains into Big Devil's Fork, and also another side drainage that has Big Devil's Bluff Falls where it spills into the Big Devils Fork canyon.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1yfxgwIKNER8D2a-qjQtunfxOK_0KU_K3SfPSz73giIuKyZN6ymBFO7pmVLrF3LBzoF4l038drA_asRSeFMDKIb1Ad80cY61DYHTyFfja2sSOQdysf7RseKu2Tgvpa3vfPWYSVlz4SmY/s1600/20190412-Twin+Falls+%252817%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1yfxgwIKNER8D2a-qjQtunfxOK_0KU_K3SfPSz73giIuKyZN6ymBFO7pmVLrF3LBzoF4l038drA_asRSeFMDKIb1Ad80cY61DYHTyFfja2sSOQdysf7RseKu2Tgvpa3vfPWYSVlz4SmY/s400/20190412-Twin+Falls+%252817%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Twin Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">When looking at the route for the "Upper-1205 route" that I planned on using today, I noticed it could use a little updating. I had written <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/02/hamilton-twin-and-richland-falls-new.html">that blog post</a> over five years ago, and it is somewhat crude by today's standards. The parking location for that route is only a half mile down the road from where I intended to hike into the top of Devon's Hollow, and it is a good "dry land" location to hike back to on my way out. It would also be just right for hiking the Big Devil's Bluff side drainage either on my way to Twin Falls or on the way out. I have seen some nice little waterfalls on that creek as I have crossed it on my way to Twin Falls from Hamilton Falls, but I never actually hiked the whole creek. Today, I set out to do all those things and have some fun in one of my favorite playgrounds. I did have a lot of fun today, but hiking up that steep mountain coming out of Twin Falls over that awful rock jumble was not much fun, and got me to thinking about this fabled "optimal route". So here goes!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnHN4qvs67c4_g_ZVra2iaFyo5cUsPZvuJUCXUOip3JzHEQlA8A9hJo6etFmLyZqLx39xWoXfMYYG1iNShoym1j6rnvMsScVj5Nc_RcAfDwvw_S5IjidANvAVHvOvuNF-_5l3AY4qjYNw/s1600/20190412-Devon+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnHN4qvs67c4_g_ZVra2iaFyo5cUsPZvuJUCXUOip3JzHEQlA8A9hJo6etFmLyZqLx39xWoXfMYYG1iNShoym1j6rnvMsScVj5Nc_RcAfDwvw_S5IjidANvAVHvOvuNF-_5l3AY4qjYNw/s400/20190412-Devon+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Devon Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The</span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richland_Creek_Wilderness" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Richland Creek Wilderness</a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">was created by an act of Congress in 1984, giving us almost 12,000 acres of beautiful Arkansas Ozarks that the wilderness act protections keep pristine and beautiful. I have made no secret that I consider this area and the Upper Buffalo Wilderness my favorite areas to hike. The <a href="https://www.wilderness.net/nwps/legisact">Wilderness Act of 1964</a> gives these lands the ultimate in protection, preventing any mechanical equipment of any kind being brought into it, and basically letting the land me only as nature will have it. No logging, no mining, no roads, trails, ATV's, 4WD's, no building, no development, nothing but foot and horse traffic. Trail making and/or maintenance is forbidden, as is trail marking. "Leave no trace" is actually the law in these places. That protection and the plethora of fantastic sights nature has provided in these areas is what makes them my favorites. I like my nature wild. Note that you can't blaze trails, but in many of these areas, enough people hike along what were old trace roads back in the day that "volunteer" trails are visible from the foot and/or horse traffic on them. I'll be using some of those volunteer trails for the optimal route.</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I have documented five routes to Twin Falls on previous posts. Today, I will finally lay out what I think would be an "optimal route". </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If you are curious about the other five routes to this great hiking area, here's a quick review and links to the blog posts where I have detailed directions:</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> 1) <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/01/twin-falls-of-richland-hike.html">Hike down from Hill Cemetery</a></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> 2) <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/06/richland-creek-trail-to-twin-falls-and.html">Richland Creek Trail from Richland Campground</a></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> 3) Direct hike from FR-1205 (the "<a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/02/hamilton-twin-and-richland-falls-new.html">Upper FR-1205 Route</a>")</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> 4) Hike down the spur from <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/01/sandstone-castle-richland-wilderness.html">Sandstone Castle</a></span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> 5) Direct hike from FR-1205 (the "<a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/02/twin-jim-bob-and-richland-falls-new.html">Lower FR-1205 Route</a>")</span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Why so many? Well, some are well known; a couple of routes are detailed in Tim Ernst's excellent hiking guide Arkansas Waterfalls. Those will certainly get you there, but there are some caveats:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In order for the waterfalls to look their best, you need to go when there is a fair amount of flow in the creeks. </span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">When there is a fair amount of flow in the creeks, the route along Richland Creek, which requires you to cross both Richland Creek and Falling Water Creek, is unsafe. If there is a good flow in Richland Creek, it is deep and fast.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The route from Hill Cemetery does not require crossing those creeks, but you have to drive to Hill Cemetery on a road that rarely, if ever, gets maintained. When it is wet, it gets very sloppy and folks have got mired in the mud there.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">You can park at Iceledo Gap, but that adds almost two miles to an already long and strenuous hike. </span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hiking down from Sandstone Castle is rough and long. The hike back up from Twin Falls is even rougher and a very steep climb out, then you still have to hike back to the road, an additional 2.5 miles.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hiking either up or down from Sandstone Castles to Long Devils Falls (aks Jim Bob Falls) or Hamilton Falls is just flat awful. Don't do that.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">All that is why I recommend one of two other land routes (i.e. routes with no need to cross Richland Creek). I have hiked two routes directly from parking spots on FR-1205, which is the road between Iceledo Gap and the Richland Creek Campground on Falling Water Road. I call those two the "Upper 1205" and "Lower 1205 routes. For a few trips, I preferred the Lower-1205 route because it was a straighter shot to Twin Falls and had a lot more hiking on the level. That is still a good route, but I have found it is getting overgrown somewhat and is hard to follow during the "leaves on" seasons. At one time, horse riders kept this trail fairly clear, but they seem to have forgotten about it in recent years. A lot of folks have been telling me they have been following my track for the Upper-1205 route, so I decided to use that one today. </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">The Upper-1205 route is also less than a mile down the road from Dickey Junction, where the top of Devon's Hollow is, and that was one of my goals for today.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>To get there: </b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Take Highway 7 north and turn onto Highway 123 north at Lurton. </span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">From the 'T' where you can turn left to Hwy 7 or right to Hwy 123, turn right and go 1.5 miles. </span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Turn right on NC5070 (aka FR-1200, aka CR-36, aka Herbie Hampton Rd, aka Assembly of God Church Road). </span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Take NC5070 for 6.8 miles, then turn right on NC5080 (aka FR-1205). </span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Go 4.4 miles on NC5080 (FR-1205) and turn right into the parking location and trailhead. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHB05rZG6TacWmlI1QadvscQUQMHvUGrlQe-wTTi_1yRJ4nE2QNuP6Evl8RkcyVLviUxBOKkn7yWveZI1j7bLMog0VgK35dSnuqw4GoSb-9QPu1MUl1iw3q2HI2DOJRooY-uYUDQEqzTF-/s1600/20190412_100153+parking+-+Upper+FR-1205+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHB05rZG6TacWmlI1QadvscQUQMHvUGrlQe-wTTi_1yRJ4nE2QNuP6Evl8RkcyVLviUxBOKkn7yWveZI1j7bLMog0VgK35dSnuqw4GoSb-9QPu1MUl1iw3q2HI2DOJRooY-uYUDQEqzTF-/s400/20190412_100153+parking+-+Upper+FR-1205+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Parking location for Upper-1205 route</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If you know where Dickey Junction is, this trailhead is one mile south of Dickey Junction on FR-1205 or 2.8 miles past Iceledo Gap. FR-1205 continues on to the Richland Campground and Falling Water Road, but my experience is that the road from Lurton is usually in much better shape than coming in from the south. The pull-off on the west side of FR-1205 where the parking location is used to be an old road back in the day. Of course, now that it is a wilderness area, no roads can be maintained in the area. Where that old trace road runs along the spur of the mountain between Devon's Hollow and Richland Creek's valley makes a really handy hiking route, and that is the way this route will go. I'll document my explorations today later, but for those just looking for what I think is the </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">"optimal route" to get you to all the waterfalls and features in the Richland area, I'll lay that out first. I hiked the various segments of this today, just not all in sequence and with a lot of extra exploration. </span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">This "optimal route" isn't the shortest round trip, but it is close. I have included a map of it below. What it does for you is:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Avoids the big Richland Creek and Falling Water Creek crossings</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Avoids the boggy road to Hill Cemetery</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Avoids the 'rock jumble' on the steep climb directly up the mountain from Twin Falls</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Overall, I think this makes the least strenuous route to visit all the major waterfalls in the upper Richland Wilderness</span></li>
</ul>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Optimal route from the Upper-1205 parking location:</b></span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>(</b></span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">35.82546, -92.94733)</span><br />
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<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Start at the Upper-1205 parking location and hike down the spur of the mountain to where it intersects the old trace road that comes from Hill Cemetery and wraps around to the bench high above Richland Creek. Enough people have followed my track that there is a visible trail. That would be <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Richand%20trace%20roadl%20to%20upper%201205%20parking.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">this track segment</a>.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Once you hit the old trace road, turn right (north) on it and follow it to Devon Falls, then backtrack and go back down the trace road until you break away from it to go to Hamilton Falls. That would be <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Richland%20trace%20road%20to%20Devon%2C%20Hamilton%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">this track segment</a>.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Go on what I think is the best track from Hamilton Falls to Twin Falls, up on </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">the bluff above Big Devil's Fork. Hiking along Big Devil's Fork itself is a really rough hike if the water is even moderately high. When you cross the drainage with Big Devil's Bluff Falls, you can go down to where it spills over the bluff and see it, or do that on the hike out. That best track between Hamilton Falls and Twin Falls is part of <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Hamilton%20to%20Twin%20Falls%2C%20Devils%20Bluff%20drainage%20to%20Richland%20trace%20road.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">this track segment</a>.</span></span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">From Twin Falls, go behind the two waterfalls to cross Devil's Fork, hike down Devil's Fork and upstream on Richland Creek to Richland Falls. There is a decent volunteer trail there, easy to follow. I prefer <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin%20Falls-%20Richland%20Falls%20low%20route.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">this route segment</a> along the creek, but there is also a horse trail route that goes up over the mountain by <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin-Richland%20high%20route.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">this track segment</a>. It is more direct, but is more climbing and not as scenic.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Go back to Twin Falls. From there, IF you are a glutton for punishment, you can hike up Long Devil's Fork to Long Devil Falls (aka Jim Bob Falls). Mystic Falls and Mystic Cascade is in a side drainage along the way. This is a rough, brushy hike with a few crossings over Long Devil's Fork. If you're getting tired, just skip this extra hike. <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Twin%20Falls%20to%20Jim%20Bob%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">This track segment</a> will take you there.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Go back to Twin Falls, cross behind the waterfalls, and go back along that "best track" toward Hamilton Falls until you get back to the drainage that flows over Big Devil's Bluff Falls. Follow that drainage upstream until you get back to the old trace road. That track is part of the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Hamilton%20to%20Twin%20Falls%2C%20Devils%20Bluff%20drainage%20to%20Richland%20trace%20road.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">"best route" track segment</a> between Hamilton and Twin Falls.</span></li>
<li><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Once back on the trace road, go right (south) on it to where the upper-1205 route comes down the mountain, turn left on that route and hike up the spur and back to the Upper-1205 parking location. Easy-peasy, right?</span></li>
</ol>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">That's my take on an optimal route. <b> See the map below for this route</b>. Someday I'll forego any additional side exploration and hike just this route to get a good track and good statistics on it. If any of you do that, please send me the data. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKGuBoAFYtlI2l-5917Ucj8pGRTpOkFEhRP_EPInVzwo6UgT8QpQPNCsqaljdF0RrpL1J0Jglefu7iDmwsN3Mis2RWA_pdm-miKNiuv3Qxub6XsK0mgQJQQdBxPgozEhMBrmg2F2l50LE/s1600/20190412_101802+old+house+ruins+-+private+property+the+wilderness+area+goes+around+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKGuBoAFYtlI2l-5917Ucj8pGRTpOkFEhRP_EPInVzwo6UgT8QpQPNCsqaljdF0RrpL1J0Jglefu7iDmwsN3Mis2RWA_pdm-miKNiuv3Qxub6XsK0mgQJQQdBxPgozEhMBrmg2F2l50LE/s400/20190412_101802+old+house+ruins+-+private+property+the+wilderness+area+goes+around+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Ruins of old house<br />The Wilderness Area boundary skirts around this </span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Now, for today's adventure in the Richland Wilderness! Today, I hiked back up the road from the Upper-1205 parking location so that I could start at the top of Devon's Hollow. About halfway back up FR-1205 from the parking spot to Dickey Junction, there is a trace road leading back into the wilderness area. What makes this a little different is that there is a tiny area of private land, less than an acre, about a tenth of a mile off FR-1205 down into Devon's Hollow. The wilderness area boundary actually breaks away from the FR-1205 roadside and goes around this trace road and the plot of private land. Except for this and Hill Cemetery, and the road to Hill Cemetery, the thousands of acres west of FR-1205 in the Devil's Fork drainage area is in the designated wilderness area. The boundary actually goes along both sides of the road to Hill Cemetery so it is not included in the Richland Wilderness Area. What I found on the little piece of private land was an old house, now completely collapsed. Someone lived here for a while after the wilderness area was formed, but it's all going back to nature now. The trace road continues past it and crosses the top of Devon's Hollow. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEgcplp2ub6Hhjr4EJfIJbC3tt9HIsc3v6SRP8AC4kRGW9TeQMtnrFOX6k7mUCB0bWeW-xxuUr_r1Oyf4-jZWso-sXplcKP0N3jqSRXlPqXg6AlHUJ9P-RvwsLUM-_mG60i1x2Mdd3Z8U/s1600/20190412-Devon+Hollow+UNF+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBEgcplp2ub6Hhjr4EJfIJbC3tt9HIsc3v6SRP8AC4kRGW9TeQMtnrFOX6k7mUCB0bWeW-xxuUr_r1Oyf4-jZWso-sXplcKP0N3jqSRXlPqXg6AlHUJ9P-RvwsLUM-_mG60i1x2Mdd3Z8U/s400/20190412-Devon+Hollow+UNF+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Devon's Hollow Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hiking down Devon's Hollow along the creek, I soon came to the first waterfall. Falls #1 (35.83045, -92.95497) is a small double-tier waterfall in a feeder creek to the main creek in this drainage. Falls #1 is severely outclassed by the other great waterfalls in the area but is kind of cool in that the water for it comes from a spring at the base of a bluff at the top of the waterfall. Continuing downstream, I found the hiking conditions not all that bad for a bushwhack in a wild area. It has been only 35 years since this became a wilderness area. As time goes on, trees will grow larger, choking out more of the undergrowth, and returning it to the condition it was in as virgin forest. Today, all the trees were just starting to fully leaf out, and redbuds and dogwoods were still in bloom. I found an old trace road on the left side of the hollow and followed that down the drainage as much as I could, keeping the creek in sight. The next waterfall, Falls #2 (35.82144, -92.95445) in this hollow, was also somewhat small, right on the main creek about 3/4 mile downstream of the first one. That was the last one I found before coming to Devon Falls. As far as water features, exploring this hollow was a bust. That being said, it was about 1.5 miles of trekking through some beautiful woods that very few people have laid eyes on. Certainly, it was time well spent.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XHK9ufDDk3OgxxgISWJ6lwDVGwO3gFrz6PsxKqomXBT-xHA4KLKtC7E4YJbA6s9dlI9wGburoRMHIBE5EFCJpsZp0jgdY9blFAhD_VkwXJA4kal1cQQ8A1K7JDxpl3qyrKe94Bxxw_PN/s400/20190412-Big+Devil+UNF+%25231+%25286%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Big Devil's Bluff drainage Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XHK9ufDDk3OgxxgISWJ6lwDVGwO3gFrz6PsxKqomXBT-xHA4KLKtC7E4YJbA6s9dlI9wGburoRMHIBE5EFCJpsZp0jgdY9blFAhD_VkwXJA4kal1cQQ8A1K7JDxpl3qyrKe94Bxxw_PN/s1600/20190412-Big+Devil+UNF+%25231+%25286%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"></span></a><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">From Devon Falls, I hiked down the Hill Cemetery Trail to the next drainage that I wanted to explore, the one feeding Big Devil's Bluff Falls. When you go along the bench on the bluff between Hamilton Falls and Richland Falls, you will cross this small creek. More often than not, I have crossed just below a really pretty little waterfall, which I have previously photographed and marked coordinates for. Every time I did that, I asked myself "are there any other waterfalls upstream?" As it turns out, yes, there is. About halfway between the old trace road (Hill Cemetery Trail) and Big Devil's Bluff Falls, I found a nice waterfall, about 14 feet tall. I called it Unnamed Falls #1 (35.81121, -92.96195) in Big Devil's Bluff drainage for now. The smaller one only 150 feet further downstream I simply labeled as Falls #2 (35.81115, -92.96237) in this drainage for now. Both are beautiful waterfalls and are a nice bonus to making this the 'hike back' drainage for my optimal route. I kind of wish I had thought of putting all these segments into an optimal route before I left for today's hike, instead of figuring it all out afterward. Next time! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByvZ3zRPZ93AvKJEQ3CCUx_QvO0h-7gBW5V17atLQUoNVMOhXuGPKg_V_2QrQXvoYn5RewLQEBuzFT3uW5__pppv40M23uz942tlL7fPj5nVUF49m4TmnZ3P2MktEmfixYvmuFe81Mhbo/s1600/20190412-Hamilton+Falls+%252811%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByvZ3zRPZ93AvKJEQ3CCUx_QvO0h-7gBW5V17atLQUoNVMOhXuGPKg_V_2QrQXvoYn5RewLQEBuzFT3uW5__pppv40M23uz942tlL7fPj5nVUF49m4TmnZ3P2MktEmfixYvmuFe81Mhbo/s400/20190412-Hamilton+Falls+%252811%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Hamilton Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I continued all the way downstream on the 'hike back' drainage and peered over the edge of the bluff at Big Devil's Bluff Falls, which was flowing well today. My new exploration for today now being complete, I hiked upstream along the bluff to Hamilton Falls. Hamilton Falls is one of those waterfalls that, it seems, is always beautiful, no matter how dry or wet it is. It has a wide, very flat top that makes the best use of whatever flow Big Devil's Fork has. Today, we weren't hurting for water. In fact, although it had been quite a few days since we got any rain, everything was flowing very well. Big Devil's Fork and Long Devil's Fork have very large drainage areas, so they generally have good flow well into the dryer summer months. Since the creek was flowing pretty well today, I went up on the bluff and hiked what I have as the best route between Hamilton Falls to Twin Falls. Twin Falls never disappoints, and today it was gorgeous. I had stepped in some deep water and soaked both socks, so I took my boots and socks off and let them dry out while I wandered around barefoot taking photos and just enjoying the tranquility and beauty of this place.</span><br />
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KPTuJMauVRrjyAJ3dixn4V4cmMdJdW8E_wxtGOBo4Dh8zP5qdO6n2UrXfEPupET4FCmN_lKTaxHO7LkFiZLflz3up1ylbnydtPA053I0wMaFGS9k6KnptqugjaB8EDxuQDNraoBOV3dA/s1600/20190412-Twin+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5KPTuJMauVRrjyAJ3dixn4V4cmMdJdW8E_wxtGOBo4Dh8zP5qdO6n2UrXfEPupET4FCmN_lKTaxHO7LkFiZLflz3up1ylbnydtPA053I0wMaFGS9k6KnptqugjaB8EDxuQDNraoBOV3dA/s400/20190412-Twin+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Twin Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">I had already spent a good deal of time exploring Devon's Hollow and the Big Devil's Bluff drainage, so I opted out of heading upstream on Long Devil's Fork to see the waterfalls there. I have made a few trips upstream here, and it is definitely worth the effort, but I was already running a little short on time and energy today. It is a somewhat rough hike up the creek, with some thick undergrowth in spots and a few creek crossings occasionally to get to the best hiking condition. Mystic Cascade is in a side drainage on the left, close to where it flows into Long Devil's Fork, and Mystic Falls is a short distance upstream in a small box canyon. Further upstream is Long Devil's Falls, also known as Jim Bob Falls to some. Some people call the left waterfall of Twin Falls "Long Devil's Falls" and the right twin "Big Devil's Falls". Whatever you call it, this is a really nice waterfall across Long Devil's fork that generally always has good flow and looks great. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZN4ijK3TCuENRaBedQ9jsoehmdfvLRNvp4Y_3waNlAidRJb159D-I-LngTnVLGqbdQtje4eXFFhZGoSXLCyUotvhSveiz33ICWrYE1fVo8PZAa-ghnZgSkY53a2pftBzAkccc3sBrSHq-/s1600/20190412-Richland+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZN4ijK3TCuENRaBedQ9jsoehmdfvLRNvp4Y_3waNlAidRJb159D-I-LngTnVLGqbdQtje4eXFFhZGoSXLCyUotvhSveiz33ICWrYE1fVo8PZAa-ghnZgSkY53a2pftBzAkccc3sBrSHq-/s400/20190412-Richland+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Richland Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">As I mentioned, I opted out of this extra little side trip to Jim Bob Falls, but I did hike along Devil's Fork and Richland Creek to Richland Falls. You can go behind the two waterfalls at Twin Falls and cross Devil's Fork while keeping relatively dry. Once on the other side, of course, you have to take some photos from that perspective. Along that west side of Devil's Fork, there is a good volunteer trail that will take you down to the junction with Richland Creek, then upstream to Richland Falls. At one point along Richland Creek, it appears the trail wants you to leave the creek side and go up on top of the bluff. It does, and you need to follow it up on top of the bluff or you will run out of room next to the creek. You pass a camping location there, then the trail takes you back down next to the creek and Richland Falls. This is a waterfall that spans a very wide section of Richland Creek and spills over the entire width in an eight-foot waterfall. After enjoying the scenery here, I headed back to Twin Falls the way I had hiked out.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5EnzzCsehgyGBgHTzySdPj1vrEFelpkp3I48MUd1tkyzNqwUklMiiOHSYo82rCpCiN_qqm5yeVyPaHbr-fkwj8pVt51ath9UsDxASlX0HJ9ACgdpcep9zpblvUdp7zbGuuqhchMBPr4l/s1600/20190412-Richland+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5EnzzCsehgyGBgHTzySdPj1vrEFelpkp3I48MUd1tkyzNqwUklMiiOHSYo82rCpCiN_qqm5yeVyPaHbr-fkwj8pVt51ath9UsDxASlX0HJ9ACgdpcep9zpblvUdp7zbGuuqhchMBPr4l/s400/20190412-Richland+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Richland Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">From Twin Falls, I made my way back to where I parked, going directly from Twin Falls up the mountain on the Upper 1205 route. Climbing the mountain to get from Twin Falls back up to the old trace road is the most unpleasant part of that route. It is a steep climb to start with, and the rock jumble in this area makes it all the more difficult. This was the point I started thinking about bypassing this mess by going back along the better route between Twin Falls and Hamilton Falls, hiking up the creek upstream from Big Devil's Bluff Falls, and then taking the old trace road back to where it intersects the Upper-1205 route. It will add a little distance, but there are some nice falls to see in the hike-back drainage, and overall it should be a much more pleasant hike. All in all, this was still another great day to be out in the wilderness, in one of my favorite 'happy places'. I'm generally a little tired when I finish this hike, but always happy. I have been here a bazillion times, but I'll be back again. This is one of those places like the Upper Buffalo Wilderness that you just can't get enough of. </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">If you hike the "optimal route" I have laid out above, please give me some feedback. As I said, this is one of my favorite areas and I'm always open to making it better, safer, or more enjoyable. I plan on hiking this area well into my 90's.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSSTBLQ-hGz6SlNL-RHAibooCBwFB9CUkqH6zYs3xZKwC4S9RxTUlGrf_ceUDmUpose-QaObrYZ62mPgzyyS8pI3xJfdS-OwofMD7tyktATMTjyDO7MVl5ItHjO9NqvQFzBgA6jjnyQwT/s1600/Optimal+Route1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSSTBLQ-hGz6SlNL-RHAibooCBwFB9CUkqH6zYs3xZKwC4S9RxTUlGrf_ceUDmUpose-QaObrYZ62mPgzyyS8pI3xJfdS-OwofMD7tyktATMTjyDO7MVl5ItHjO9NqvQFzBgA6jjnyQwT/s640/Optimal+Route1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>"Optimal" Route for the Richland Wilderness</b><br />Blue - Upper 1205 parking to old trace road<br />Red - Trace Road to Devon Falls and Hamilton Falls<br />Yellow - Best route from Hamilton Falls to Twin Falls<br />Green - High route to Richland Falls<br />Black - Low route to Richland Falls<br />Purple - Route to Long Devil's Falls and Mystic Falls<br />Yellow - route from Twin Falls up Big Devil's Bluff side drainage</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2phhO2x9l2yvXmSJRxeHWNcVjG4KrGfGwWe3u6D7UJJ2wyJo5JvMMmzfYjQhwWVgXQCNLJV-7KuZoDpr2uwoGCwDcZCk1WgIG1q34_rP-feiclWUKAeGY8oBKbMZGRFNaxj4UNUMSaoA/s1600/GPS+Tracks+to+Twin+Falls+-+Land+Routes.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2phhO2x9l2yvXmSJRxeHWNcVjG4KrGfGwWe3u6D7UJJ2wyJo5JvMMmzfYjQhwWVgXQCNLJV-7KuZoDpr2uwoGCwDcZCk1WgIG1q34_rP-feiclWUKAeGY8oBKbMZGRFNaxj4UNUMSaoA/s640/GPS+Tracks+to+Twin+Falls+-+Land+Routes.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">GPS Tracks for land routes to Twin Falls<br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Red - Hill Cemetery to Twin Falls</span><br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yellow - Upper FR-1205 route to Hamilton and Twin Falls</span><br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Blue - Upper FR-1205 route to Twin Falls</span><br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Black - Lower FR-1205 to Twin Falls</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoSgBebWPTTYLnVTwmo0qQ1V79aphbnalLQmLQLCrb5E-FgJgLPQGZ2J44dLLJtY7FMzTQpFfyWM95Ik8rro_8lgC5CXLfyU0bytSmnssh-1GlF2-McGAoa9zA6s-4rx7iq4GvPyA6NM/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoSgBebWPTTYLnVTwmo0qQ1V79aphbnalLQmLQLCrb5E-FgJgLPQGZ2J44dLLJtY7FMzTQpFfyWM95Ik8rro_8lgC5CXLfyU0bytSmnssh-1GlF2-McGAoa9zA6s-4rx7iq4GvPyA6NM/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">GPS Tracks for my routes into the Richland Creek Wilderness</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZcwqPtXQEUEFDsXDQFddEf75txB7IypFIuvHV56hEi77sZ3S4M5IMZGdJMOZPajEFXE9-zRZ4F9qqpniS_AWif7VHHu1-i3xKltVNcykhboSizBjF0Ihv4bIN1oiheIdmedB69Sp6BrK/s1600/Today%2527s+hike+GPS+track1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZcwqPtXQEUEFDsXDQFddEf75txB7IypFIuvHV56hEi77sZ3S4M5IMZGdJMOZPajEFXE9-zRZ4F9qqpniS_AWif7VHHu1-i3xKltVNcykhboSizBjF0Ihv4bIN1oiheIdmedB69Sp6BrK/s640/Today%2527s+hike+GPS+track1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">GPS Track for Today's Hike</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-29369579036069087012019-03-14T08:51:00.000-07:002019-03-19T15:25:54.887-07:00Grimmet Springs Area Waterfalls, Ozarks north of Dover, Arkansas<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3/14/2019 - Grimmet Springs Hollow Waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking location: </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.504632,-93.153892, 977 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.506783,-93.154270, 810 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.508060,-93.154787</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.509578,-93.149930</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.509625,-93.149729</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #5: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.510211,-93.148603, 649 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Old Trace Road: 35.510119,-93.148599, 661 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #6: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.510446,-93.145270, 720 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.511081,-93.144949</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #8: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.511479,-93.144659, 833 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #9: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.510214,-93.143952</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #10: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.510267,-93.142212</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #11: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.510221,-93.141963</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #12: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.510413,-93.141759</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #13: 35.508384,-93.139575</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #14: 3</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5.508703,-93.139417</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #15: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.507397,-93.137720, 825 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #16: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.507580,-93.137463</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #17: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.507795,-93.135991, 862 ft.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet Friendly:</b> Dogs off leash should be okay. If your dog needs to be on a leash, it will be inadvisable to take it because of the steepness and ruggedness of the terrain. Boomer had a little difficulty in a couple of places scrambling up and around big boulders, but he managed to find a way. Your dog's mileage may vary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Boomer and I hiked 4.6 miles today, mostly along the creeks in each prong of the hollow. The minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was 435 feet, with a fair amount of going up on bluffs and into side drainages, then back down to the creek. The return around the top of the hollow to the parking location in on an old logging road, making up about 1/3 of the hike. The rest was all a bushwhack, usually in rough terrain and rock-hopping along the creek. I would rate this a moderate bushwhack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Grimmet%20Springs%20Hollow%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Grimmet Springs Hollow waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Grimmet%20Springs%20Hollow%200314.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Grimmet Springs Hollow GPS track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Links to blog posts for nearby areas:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/05/rough-hollow-waterfalls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Rough Hollow Waterfalls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/02/longpool-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Longpool Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/twister-falls-near-longpool-recreation.html">Twister Falls and Upper Longpool Creek</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbfDHuZXNHyoYt2C4TJOUNh6Dbf8H1qN1t1bNTqxsvkDalBY7IcdPJyQrL9a_7DyWHYfKmXhyphenhyphenxS0x1-HvqqzvsCVcq0F-xZMSn5U3TyEWwo_52HXkhOY0QhIOZxgTj3OGoxRnp4rZPc75/s1600/20190314-Falls+%25231+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbfDHuZXNHyoYt2C4TJOUNh6Dbf8H1qN1t1bNTqxsvkDalBY7IcdPJyQrL9a_7DyWHYfKmXhyphenhyphenxS0x1-HvqqzvsCVcq0F-xZMSn5U3TyEWwo_52HXkhOY0QhIOZxgTj3OGoxRnp4rZPc75/s400/20190314-Falls+%25231+%25285%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been trying to get out more to some of the areas in the western Ozarks since I have kind of ignored that great trekking area the last couple of years. But it seems like they have been getting somewhat less rain recently than we have around our home north of Dover. When I went to Christmas Falls a few days ago, the amount of flow in the waterfalls was somewhat disappointing. Today, I opted to stay a little closer to home. Really close, in fact; this is less than 10 miles from our house. While we were driving back from a hike a couple of weeks ago, my friend Dan Frew pointed out a little unnamed hollow off Big Piney Creek. He had recently hiked through the hollow and found a few waterfalls, so I thought I would go take a look today. To be clear, this is an unnamed hollow. That doesn't seem to work well for my blog readers since there are quite a few unnamed hollows, so I'm referring to it as Grimmet Springs Hollow since Grimmet Springs is near the mouth of this hollow on Old Highway 7, where the hollow drains into Big Piney. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Boomer (our German Shepherd) and I loaded up in the FJ Cruiser and drove north. As I mentioned, it is a very short ride. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The driving directions are really simple as well. To get there, we'll start at Dover: </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the junction of Highways 7 and 27 (aka the Dover town square, where the PDQ and Dover fire station is), go north on Highway 7 for 6.4 miles.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn left on New Three Knob Mountain Road. This is a paved road to start, then becomes a pretty good gravel road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.7 miles on New Three Knob Mountain Road and park off the road where a 4WD road intersects on the right. This is the parking location.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is only 0.9 miles further on New Three Knob Mountain Road to Old Highway 7 (aka Longpool Road) if you want even less dirt road.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0oaziQxnT3UdYl3BCVaVhQEPvdonYzvYbqOQDNXtwkERtYsMvLHrCQOew5aPdplxfvyXWXZfEt_a9ZoGxgOh3dIuN4R15giIIK-Aiff_uNVJcJO9OUImBAMbhKHjYuDMfqtxoeANFENB/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252315+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0oaziQxnT3UdYl3BCVaVhQEPvdonYzvYbqOQDNXtwkERtYsMvLHrCQOew5aPdplxfvyXWXZfEt_a9ZoGxgOh3dIuN4R15giIIK-Aiff_uNVJcJO9OUImBAMbhKHjYuDMfqtxoeANFENB/s400/20190314-Falls+%252315+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #15</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grimmet Springs Hollow has two major prongs (see the map below), one on the west side and the main prong on the north side. I wanted to check out both prongs, and explore some of the side drainages on the larger north prong. My plan today was just to make a big loop, down one prong and back up the other. The 4WD road where I parked looks like an old logging road, and loops around the top of the prongs and forks in the hollow. Boomer and I started by taking this trail around to the top of the west prong and starting our hike downstream. having done that, the creek in this prong is pretty but other than a couple of small waterfalls there isn't much to see until you get down to Falls #1, which we found about a quarter mile downstream from where the old road crossed the top of the west prong. I think you are better off just hiking down into the hollow from the parking location. The bank on the west side seems to be more open with a better slope and is easier hiking than right alongside the creek. My advice would be just to angle downslope toward Falls #1 from the git-go.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB4weZL1pgtqFY3x86yScqvQLmvncWigIltocEPOZd3igqfWh8WGKbtWbWG_ftEfT_YAbdmqtYuAUtBXg1HBHI17pmuhEPUAXDa6_QLrk_MpNWL03nISzzMhNj1yNh_we1166OeMmSZ3n/s1600/20190314-Falls+%25231+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyB4weZL1pgtqFY3x86yScqvQLmvncWigIltocEPOZd3igqfWh8WGKbtWbWG_ftEfT_YAbdmqtYuAUtBXg1HBHI17pmuhEPUAXDa6_QLrk_MpNWL03nISzzMhNj1yNh_we1166OeMmSZ3n/s400/20190314-Falls+%25231+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The bluffline break we came down through to get to the base of Falls #1 is also on the left (west) side as you go downstream, so hiking straight to it works for that as well. Falls #1 is a beautiful waterfall tumbling over a fairly high bluffline, one of the most picturesque waterfalls we saw today. Even if you don't want to make the whole big loop as I did today, this one is well worth the trip down and back to the New Three Knob Mountain Road. There are a couple of small waterfalls just downstream of it that adds to the beauty of the area. Other than this one, there was only one other waterfall in the west prong, Falls #2, that I thought was photo-worthy today. Falls #2 was about 150 yards downstream from Falls #1. Boomer and I continued hiking downstream on the west prong, cutting around the spur between the prongs as we approached the junction of the two prongs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Kim0ezPLmU0Q7wU8DLCicLyA_Bn_IY8qmdoileTIrgI_kUB2L15xm6S_cF4NkdGDdyCvo0zvjjzgbDkE-lnic1fX36sPUb7XH0wlUuaXTr48jwOSDIlBSdRr-hz7VN8xW8UKKizKc2VZ/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252311+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Kim0ezPLmU0Q7wU8DLCicLyA_Bn_IY8qmdoileTIrgI_kUB2L15xm6S_cF4NkdGDdyCvo0zvjjzgbDkE-lnic1fX36sPUb7XH0wlUuaXTr48jwOSDIlBSdRr-hz7VN8xW8UKKizKc2VZ/s400/20190314-Falls+%252311+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #11</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As we rounded the spur between prongs, I couldn't help but notice the tall, sheer, bluffs rising up at the top of the ridge. In the north prong, those big bluffs are prominent on both sides, but particularly so on the north side. I hiked up to it while exploring one side drainage today, but it was apparent that there was more to see here than what I had time for today. Someday in the drier seasons, this will be a good place to come to for a hike, just exploring the big bluffs on the north wall of this hollow. We followed the old trace road for a short distance until I small waterfalls on the creek below, then descended down to hike along the creek. Falls #3 and Falls #4 were long, tall, cascades where side drainages fell steeply down to the main creek. Falls #5 is on the main creek and is more of a huge rock with water flowing off all sides than it is a waterfall. It is about a half mile upstream from the junction of the two prongs in this hollow.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjXMq7YnBoZgJmW1AAFZzdWMyH0TCCgsKiYuhsvdbUiWebRu79wz2mGaniJTqOLrayiGYYPqpmDxrNOPo1Om70XLd_qnvNHyB4OtSd4sM02HDUFhGWB6sTiuXX4MZuysxVqZP3RPAh4ZM/s1600/20190314-Falls+%25235+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjXMq7YnBoZgJmW1AAFZzdWMyH0TCCgsKiYuhsvdbUiWebRu79wz2mGaniJTqOLrayiGYYPqpmDxrNOPo1Om70XLd_qnvNHyB4OtSd4sM02HDUFhGWB6sTiuXX4MZuysxVqZP3RPAh4ZM/s400/20190314-Falls+%25235+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Looking across the creek from Falls #5, I could see the distinctive flat cutback of an old road just a dozen feet above the creek bed. Climbing up to it, we utilized that to hike further upstream. This old trace road probably came all the way up from the mouth of the hollow near Big Piney Creek at one time, an old logging and wagon road to access the upper parts of this hollow. It has been many years since it was used for anything, however. There are fairly good sized trees growing out of the middle of where it was carved into the bank, and in one place the roadbed has slid off into the creek, leaving only about a foot or two of the old trace to hike along. Old trace roads like this aren't usable for any kind of mechanized vehicle anymore, but they generally make much better hiking surfaces for people and horses. Just having a relatively flat, low-slope surface without jumbles of loose rock and boulders makes hiking much easier. We followed this just above the creek, sometimes dipping down to creek level, another quarter mile upstream to Falls #6, in a side drainage on the right.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGaHq_bqWIuhlqdm4YDfH6lG0JG-W9wAQpEy5Hk4nik5njibFncCwDQkYUQ3A_xdom1cAAXb2HfQfmflx0FHlgnII9lX1e1kYWFwe4ENolVnARrhKCgA5jcz-RMif5xhrTIfd_ODhNZEU/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252316+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGaHq_bqWIuhlqdm4YDfH6lG0JG-W9wAQpEy5Hk4nik5njibFncCwDQkYUQ3A_xdom1cAAXb2HfQfmflx0FHlgnII9lX1e1kYWFwe4ENolVnARrhKCgA5jcz-RMif5xhrTIfd_ODhNZEU/s400/20190314-Falls+%252316+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #16</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6 could have used more water today, but I noticed all the water flowing over it disappeared immediately into the ground. Looking back across the creek on the left, there was a more sizable tributary drainage, but it was also completely dry. Looking higher up, I could see the glint of white water in the upper part of the side creek, so Boomer and I ventured up to check it out. We found Falls #7 and Fall #8 up in this side drainage and marveled again at some of the large bluffs high on the ridge here. Continuing upstream, over the next quarter mile we found Falls #9, Falls #10, Falls #11 and Falls #12. Another Quarter mile above that, Falls #13 and Falls #14 were in a side drainage on the left. If you look at a topo map, these tributaries on the left side actually have a fairly large drainage area above them. Some of the waterfalls in them were a little lacking for water today, but the creeks are starting to dry up now. With some spring rains, these waterfalls in the side drainages might look really good. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-F6omPR-p3J1vtEQRtptJDMjy6miayD5qxQKduG0qyU7qIWTlr4TUtfnWTjKoHq2jLha_tJbSdLVektZSfl-uI6AgPDn-3G9JgH5fQV6Teqej5cLs7CGqlKNPYqoio18IQsL_W_pBuVI/s1600/20190314-Stacked+rock+berm+along+creek+near+Falls+%252316+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-F6omPR-p3J1vtEQRtptJDMjy6miayD5qxQKduG0qyU7qIWTlr4TUtfnWTjKoHq2jLha_tJbSdLVektZSfl-uI6AgPDn-3G9JgH5fQV6Teqej5cLs7CGqlKNPYqoio18IQsL_W_pBuVI/s400/20190314-Stacked+rock+berm+along+creek+near+Falls+%252316+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stacked rock berm near Falls #15 and Falls #16</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just upstream from Falls #13, the north prong splits into two major forks, with each having a nice waterfall at that point. Falls #15 is in the smaller fork on the right, with a huge sentinel bluff standing above it where the creeks fork. Just upstream on the main fork is a shelter cave, with Falls #16 at the upstream end of the overhang. There are some signs of human habitation here as well. Across the creek from the shelter cave, there is a stacked-rock berm along the creek. Above this old berm wall, there is only a distance of about four or five feet to the bluff behind it, so I'm not sure what the purpose might have been. Flood waters and erosion can change the face of the land in these hollows in just a few decades, so there is no telling what this area looked like when that berm wall was stacked. Under the overhang of the shelter, it looks like there had been some activity at one time. If I had to guess, I would say this was the site of a still. It seems like we find a place where a still had been operated in almost every hollow.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxNo97sV1H2qCIhaV2qyLUA6zgnbEkjj8Rp06BOUa13HzZbIV55JWs-Gw9wsfK_m2IJrLK1EuOVgb3mwKRW-Ma0NQt2Ibgv5qT3Zl-QsT0Z91z4hr5yfd6lklJE-wA-j1eLNiG7zCkcEu/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252317+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxNo97sV1H2qCIhaV2qyLUA6zgnbEkjj8Rp06BOUa13HzZbIV55JWs-Gw9wsfK_m2IJrLK1EuOVgb3mwKRW-Ma0NQt2Ibgv5qT3Zl-QsT0Z91z4hr5yfd6lklJE-wA-j1eLNiG7zCkcEu/s400/20190314-Falls+%252317+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #17</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #16 is a bank-to-bank kind of waterfall, so Boomer and I climbed above the berm wall and then above the bluff to continue our hike upstream. Approximately 150 yards upstream, we found Fall #17, a small two-tiered waterfall. What makes this one unique is that it had a long section of pipeline pipe laying across the entire thing. I'm used to finding all kinds of stuff in the Ozarks. Nature has a lot of weird things in itself, and everywhere mankind goes they tend to leave their trash and anything else that happens to get away from them. This was a section of heavy gauge pipe, 3/16" wall thickness about a foot in diameter and about 25 feet long. Looking it up in the tables, that chunk of pipe has to weigh well over 1,000 pounds, so I can only imagine the forces necessary to move it downstream to where it is now. There is a pipeline laid under the creek about 50 yards upstream, and no doubt it got away from the construction crew somehow and ended up here. From the amount of rust on the welding bevel at the end of the pipe, it must have been here quite a few years. It sucks that some crew left it to clutter up our wilderness, but I'm not sure how it could be retrieved at this point.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjaeE6xwitx40ga4neNdZx1pAMKqu74s5mugIuZOz15_7dktia4mE5kG6p3-ZIzU74vbBNM_bypW25wchIA_6Kmo_Lm5Lwt_cihNvZexVR7iwd5_2Jnlp94xdXpv48SXGtNk2Ueniz-5N/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252316+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjaeE6xwitx40ga4neNdZx1pAMKqu74s5mugIuZOz15_7dktia4mE5kG6p3-ZIzU74vbBNM_bypW25wchIA_6Kmo_Lm5Lwt_cihNvZexVR7iwd5_2Jnlp94xdXpv48SXGtNk2Ueniz-5N/s400/20190314-Falls+%252316+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #16</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Moving upstream from Falls #17, Boomer and I soon crossed the pipeline right-of-way. We continued on upstream to where the old logging road wrapped around the tops of the forks, the one we parked on earlier and turned right onto it to hike back to the FJ. Crossing back over the pipeline right-of-way, I looked down and the creek was less than 200 feet away. Another lesson learned I can pass on is that there is no need to bushwhack upstream until you find the old 4WD road. After Falls #17 (Pipeline Falls?), there isn't really anything else to see, and it's easy to just go up the pipeline access which will be kept clear. The hike back to the parking location on the logging road is almost two miles, but it is mostly on the level and easy hiking. This was a pretty cool little area, unexpectedly nice, rugged and isolated in an area so close to the River Valley. I'll need to return to the larger waterfalls when it greens up some, as well as to do some further exploration in the side drainages. Exploring the big bluffs on the north rim will be a fun hike for one of those days when the creeks are all dry and we need to get out somewhere.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKf7l_JvGKuQHKWec4A8uqdDdqNi1DHf9LFrS13jBB7cGCPLIa7O85wWMkTRuvMExel7EALgPvRYhtYtjBiDfmMpy8JcI19-Qxk2g5CRGxCALmaOaSaI7nnUk7ynkJmnnGWdCfkYM4GWcl/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKf7l_JvGKuQHKWec4A8uqdDdqNi1DHf9LFrS13jBB7cGCPLIa7O85wWMkTRuvMExel7EALgPvRYhtYtjBiDfmMpy8JcI19-Qxk2g5CRGxCALmaOaSaI7nnUk7ynkJmnnGWdCfkYM4GWcl/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grimmet Springs Hollow<br />GPS Track</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QE_oZ3RV_bQ6XwSkA5clTp5JmZK-CfVUrZFSEjt7BNsjCYe3WJxrDnoobcIXrQQpCFyE_XPlKXltUUpYGsacpa18sl6DC_roiqT79T3lNQqppMDzX4K-4faMAsDf7VC30Pgd9eKb_eKy/s1600/20190314_115425+old+trace+road+-+only+a+couple+feet+not+washed+away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QE_oZ3RV_bQ6XwSkA5clTp5JmZK-CfVUrZFSEjt7BNsjCYe3WJxrDnoobcIXrQQpCFyE_XPlKXltUUpYGsacpa18sl6DC_roiqT79T3lNQqppMDzX4K-4faMAsDf7VC30Pgd9eKb_eKy/s640/20190314_115425+old+trace+road+-+only+a+couple+feet+not+washed+away.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Old trace road along the creek in the north prong - with Boomer.<br />Note that at this point, most of the roadbed has eroded away.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3WaSkySq-OXd0crRlLc0rMRH0wIUMyNZr7dYvkRd9aja0Va92fTgIv5ntJ3ATDzKRaAhqWoC0DFh5jetlnVYEZTWahbY_b7RsldMdnM0NvMrhe6ypSxkZWsDVdpNprnMdxx9fFn98cwn/s1600/20190314-Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI3WaSkySq-OXd0crRlLc0rMRH0wIUMyNZr7dYvkRd9aja0Va92fTgIv5ntJ3ATDzKRaAhqWoC0DFh5jetlnVYEZTWahbY_b7RsldMdnM0NvMrhe6ypSxkZWsDVdpNprnMdxx9fFn98cwn/s640/20190314-Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgJAwtsmtSZdfC9pVfTwvI8He8-10697qpaGi_W4QJOB3qIOiuSCMa_pV3b2bKtVZvN4OiYJt90v49UUbaFUiqsM_9812Nmw43tznIT-gW_pGdCvt8_HzkMIR3eyz3iRhJqU4mpr031ZB/s1600/20190314-Creek+between+Falls+%25235+and+Falls+%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgJAwtsmtSZdfC9pVfTwvI8He8-10697qpaGi_W4QJOB3qIOiuSCMa_pV3b2bKtVZvN4OiYJt90v49UUbaFUiqsM_9812Nmw43tznIT-gW_pGdCvt8_HzkMIR3eyz3iRhJqU4mpr031ZB/s640/20190314-Creek+between+Falls+%25235+and+Falls+%252310+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Boomer! Along creek in the north prong of Grimmet Springs Hollow</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvVyVXA2uzOUEAQbi3OSx1cGoEZAsiRkAXPU2lnAgF8MfxNftaHAg2yMhD68MWJ6ahnDe3_RZybILOuMC9tIexaZwCgkfkuIEF2tTk5BfFb1kQO0Mlsn_2u0ZAVIQGmN7W_N84Z2ltxjv/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252310+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDvVyVXA2uzOUEAQbi3OSx1cGoEZAsiRkAXPU2lnAgF8MfxNftaHAg2yMhD68MWJ6ahnDe3_RZybILOuMC9tIexaZwCgkfkuIEF2tTk5BfFb1kQO0Mlsn_2u0ZAVIQGmN7W_N84Z2ltxjv/s640/20190314-Falls+%252310+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsrzJos8SSNbhDP-ecCwLFJJqv8KQo8miTwFP6uJHnX2e3JkMW0RARYzGkgDtQWu-t_Wueh8Lyb9ZA6w3WqKMkinwkOjUGEDlRVI2XfeM9tf2bYJZYRrRHEIIz3LLC7qJXCGMuyrpml6v/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252311+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsrzJos8SSNbhDP-ecCwLFJJqv8KQo8miTwFP6uJHnX2e3JkMW0RARYzGkgDtQWu-t_Wueh8Lyb9ZA6w3WqKMkinwkOjUGEDlRVI2XfeM9tf2bYJZYRrRHEIIz3LLC7qJXCGMuyrpml6v/s640/20190314-Falls+%252311+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #11</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogKk1HfyFolKfI4VdmOzpfT5KVCHE7aSEs8QIOJ5-BsslOYo_TOzIHDdMeVWgLut-FT5TikRA4Com0A3aiuAMBXk04LDhqT4Y0RRoJ2Mm63LYCj7Tuv9_U386diLXkuggnudM8X8Hbn_S/s1600/20190314-Falls+%252312+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjogKk1HfyFolKfI4VdmOzpfT5KVCHE7aSEs8QIOJ5-BsslOYo_TOzIHDdMeVWgLut-FT5TikRA4Com0A3aiuAMBXk04LDhqT4Y0RRoJ2Mm63LYCj7Tuv9_U386diLXkuggnudM8X8Hbn_S/s640/20190314-Falls+%252312+%25282%2529.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #12</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvphAFdPvVv3oVW-4wR5z-TPt1h0LbAgoY34CCPE5Jix7mqHehrmESl0wZDfivgpZyWxwFthWMkMuVaWrmT51IIepY8OE4Gu7-D9W4WGkN67xLu-FzhzyTkFm7MISaJOUyRJwslRXqG24r/s1600/20190314_131805+bluffs+on+east+side+of+east+prong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvphAFdPvVv3oVW-4wR5z-TPt1h0LbAgoY34CCPE5Jix7mqHehrmESl0wZDfivgpZyWxwFthWMkMuVaWrmT51IIepY8OE4Gu7-D9W4WGkN67xLu-FzhzyTkFm7MISaJOUyRJwslRXqG24r/s640/20190314_131805+bluffs+on+east+side+of+east+prong.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bluffs on the north rim of Grimmet Springs Hollow</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisu7-hQ6G-f7Tf_d9Db-Nn_fUsliXGffokALbntnEkT1lOXSi88xemH4lmYSqirzXUyaxr7OA9M2i2sQ1ck6p0FJNRZasZnimUzRDg62AlzEbCMRqfDzZtVTR8jJnem8ihawotk_xtqQ5A/s1600/20190314_134011+bluffs+along+east+prong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisu7-hQ6G-f7Tf_d9Db-Nn_fUsliXGffokALbntnEkT1lOXSi88xemH4lmYSqirzXUyaxr7OA9M2i2sQ1ck6p0FJNRZasZnimUzRDg62AlzEbCMRqfDzZtVTR8jJnem8ihawotk_xtqQ5A/s640/20190314_134011+bluffs+along+east+prong.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bluffs on the north rim of Grimmet Springs Hollow</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwQFd7Ow94n7rEHIHG8JsymrwkQnPZRpQExGvXJuyFOkoa1oBMTviazSnAB4OJUKn6bEVmksM7Tq_xwG9T4hT_iJaTlDQgXfwDcLQ1PPxQjtN2vDwFQ_yr2VGx8Llw6oMhC_nIYki-ZkV/s1600/20190314_140458+sentinel+rock+bluff+above+Falls+%252315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwQFd7Ow94n7rEHIHG8JsymrwkQnPZRpQExGvXJuyFOkoa1oBMTviazSnAB4OJUKn6bEVmksM7Tq_xwG9T4hT_iJaTlDQgXfwDcLQ1PPxQjtN2vDwFQ_yr2VGx8Llw6oMhC_nIYki-ZkV/s640/20190314_140458+sentinel+rock+bluff+above+Falls+%252315.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sentinel Bluff above Falls #15</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-17815205138791558652019-03-10T15:50:00.000-07:002019-03-16T15:53:35.660-07:00Christmas Falls, Western Ozarks north of Cass, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">3/10/2019 - Christmas Falls</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking location: </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.741410,-93.778139, 1957 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.740741,-93.777116</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Turn left onto old trace road: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.738698,-93.777420, 1777 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.740337,-93.774391, 1698 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.739633,-93.774734, 1631 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluffline break: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.738705,-93.774513</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.738947,-93.774612, 1546 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #5: 35.737621,-93.773884</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #6: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.736188,-93.774015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.735492,-93.773850, 1349 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs will okay off leash. A good deal of this is bushwhacking, even if it is following an old road, so putting your dog on a leash will be overly cumbersome. It is very steep and sometimes slippery in places, so use your own judgment on your dog's abilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Today's hike to Christmas Falls was 3.5 miles round trip, completed in 3:47 hours. Christmas Hollow is 1063 feet of elevation change from top to bottom, and t</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he minimum-to-maximum elevation difference today was 731 feet. That being said, I did a lot of exploring today. The 'best route' I mapped out below is 0.81 miles each way, with an elevation difference of about 400 feet. To just go to Christmas Falls is less than half the hike I did today. I would rate this a difficult bushwhack due to the ruggedness of the terrain. In the 'leaves-on season', undergrowth will be a factor as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Christmas%20Falls%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Christmas Falls waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Christmas%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Christmas Falls GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/sixty-foot-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Sixty-Foot Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/bootlegger-falls-near-kilgore-gap.html">Bootlegger Falls</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYQsqWOElQow7G1hbYFwDCqeL4WWU5ziYqom_1KnN1dWgr8cHxtyDRU4VbLUqFW72SjQAYaUM6QsZMXdJnESGhPEduim0_RwoqPNosxd1EL7qZsIWMxmAP6D_s5iZ2IwCrK6HONtNoZdm/s1600/20190310-Christmas+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYQsqWOElQow7G1hbYFwDCqeL4WWU5ziYqom_1KnN1dWgr8cHxtyDRU4VbLUqFW72SjQAYaUM6QsZMXdJnESGhPEduim0_RwoqPNosxd1EL7qZsIWMxmAP6D_s5iZ2IwCrK6HONtNoZdm/s400/20190310-Christmas+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas Falls (47 ft.)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I like getting out and exploring new places. Sometimes I'll be cruising around the National Forest lands, look down into a big hollow, and think "I wonder what's down there?" Sometimes, I'll search through the topo maps and find places that I think the topography would be great for waterfalls, and just plan a hike there. There is something about finding a waterfall for the first time that gives me an unparalleled buzz, like a super dose of endorphins. That's right - I get high off of nature, that's how boring and square I am. That being said, I certainly enjoy getting out and finding waterfalls others have located before as well. In addition to guidebooks like Tim Ernst's' <i><a href="http://timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">Arkansas Waterfalls</a></i>, there are a lot of folks that have done a fair amount of exploring already and can point you to some of the better places that no one else knows about. My friend Dan Frew has made it a life goal to visit every nook and cranny of the Ozarks. He frequently takes me into new places or points me to them. Dan grew up in the area and spends much of his time out hiking new areas, but he still has many hollows, valleys, and bluffs to explore, and I'm always happy to tag along. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A few folks have documented their finds pretty well with photos and information, like Danny Hale, Brent Robinson, Brian Emfinger, and Patrick Caple, among others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then there is John Moore, who was out photographing and exploring the Ozarks long before most of us came along, like Tim Ernst. John left a trail of beautiful photographs in the old Panoramio system that I have found very useful when I utilize Google Earth in my planning. When looking into a new area, I often find that John has been there before and had found some photo-worthy stuff. John also started keeping a chronicle of his explorations after his sons came along and documenting their adventures in his <a href="http://www.mooremonkeys.com/adventures/">MooreMonkeys online journal</a>. It was there that I found an <a href="http://www.mooremonkeys.com/dec_26_03_christmas_falls/index.htm">entry back on Boxing Day in 2003 for Christmas Falls</a>. He had some good reasons for naming this 47-foot waterfall Christmas Falls. Intrigued by such a big, beautiful waterfall that I had never heard of, I did some research on it. I found nothing, nada. Weird, right? So I had no choice but to go check it out. Not knowing what kind of terrain I might find, I left Boomer (the magnificent mountain dog) at home with Bethany and set out for the western Ozarks. Christmas Falls is on one of the tributaries of Mountain Creek, in the valley just east of Sixty-Foot Falls, so I expected it to be somewhat steep and rugged.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39ZFuhtSfO7cMB2sjNSEpPSIECjSruUmmhpzTBvue4mzHmvJvc0u_Q0F1wMwFJOXhMuBs8wG5EJjWWYSPqTICquZ3dy4Nc0TMOUlsZacCRJUhyj9QptVJqV-4oJZAp41RvEdkLc7poRuU/s1600/20190310_094835+turn+off+Hwy+23+onto+Fly+Gap+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39ZFuhtSfO7cMB2sjNSEpPSIECjSruUmmhpzTBvue4mzHmvJvc0u_Q0F1wMwFJOXhMuBs8wG5EJjWWYSPqTICquZ3dy4Nc0TMOUlsZacCRJUhyj9QptVJqV-4oJZAp41RvEdkLc7poRuU/s400/20190310_094835+turn+off+Hwy+23+onto+Fly+Gap+Road.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn off Highway 23 onto Fly Gap Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to the parking location for Christmas Falls was really straightforward and easy, although a bit of a long drive from our house north of Dover. John had even included a map of the area on his journal, so I had a lot more than I normally did when scoping out a new area. To get there, I'll start at exit 35 on I-40, as I often do for areas in the western Ozarks:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leave I-40 at exit 35 and turn north on highway 23 (aka "The Pig Trail").</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go north on Highway 23 for 19.8 miles and turn right (east) on Fly Gap Road (aka CR-81).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.8 miles on Fly Gap Road. Where Fly Gap Road bends sharply to the left here, pull off on the right where there is a gated NFS road. This is the parking location.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCwkSQnV87rvjYEmJ_Tn8PACc3K2EL8SN5jUbNx1TFgbtoFipSydTsLKVgZ8zbtk6ClDwN0jTzzct_MlI2Cq6BdV_d8KQ4IoHjcLrdwcUBr1w9rapDx89zacr2guNoKRTjndQqA1Hj4kP/s1600/20190310-Falls+%25237+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCwkSQnV87rvjYEmJ_Tn8PACc3K2EL8SN5jUbNx1TFgbtoFipSydTsLKVgZ8zbtk6ClDwN0jTzzct_MlI2Cq6BdV_d8KQ4IoHjcLrdwcUBr1w9rapDx89zacr2guNoKRTjndQqA1Hj4kP/s400/20190310-Falls+%25237+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the parking location, if you go down Fly Gap Road a couple hundred more feet you will find a 4WD road on the right going down into the hollow. I suppose you could park down this road, but it doesn't go very far before becoming basically just an ATV trail. The parking location at the bend in Fly Gap Road was the best place I saw to park. I hiked down the ATV trail, following it around a bend to the right. At the first drainage the trail crosses, I heard the sound of falling water and found Falls #1 just below the trail. Approximately 300 yards down the trail is where you need to turn left onto an old trace road. This is where I started having a little problem with John Moore's map. In the 15 years since he sketched the map, things have changed some. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The ATV trail I started on from Fly Gap Road was still in pretty good shape but has some big trees down across it that will prevent ATV use. The old trace road that cuts back across the top of the hollow has become so overgrown that I couldn't see where it turned off the ATV trail. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_jRMVyghtn4g-y3fpr50q59Zie6vK6FBPpTTo7B-oFowvyh3tbKjnucfe6a06GSP28QtghPaoWw3Wrmd7Xh9Vc5Eu7zCBXHvwoHwMztwxR3v2Oq3cy5Mtz2RedSwDjp-ZEdTe_tR5oNw/s1600/20190310-Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_jRMVyghtn4g-y3fpr50q59Zie6vK6FBPpTTo7B-oFowvyh3tbKjnucfe6a06GSP28QtghPaoWw3Wrmd7Xh9Vc5Eu7zCBXHvwoHwMztwxR3v2Oq3cy5Mtz2RedSwDjp-ZEdTe_tR5oNw/s400/20190310-Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was looking intently for the old road that John had drawn on his map and still missed it. I went way past where I should have turned, realized that I must have missed it, and doubled back on the trail to just start bushwhacking across the top of the hollow. I finally found the old trace road and followed it as well as I could. It is overgrown enough that even after you find it, it is easy to lose it, and even when you know where it is, it is sometimes overgrown such that you can't hike down it. On my return hike back out of the hollow, I made an effort to stick to the old trace road and got a good track all the way from the top of the drainage containing Christmas Falls to where it intersects the ATV trail. I have marked coordinates for that intersection in the list of GPS coordinates above. The blue 'best route' track I have drawn on the maps below will follow that route. When I come back to this waterfall during "leaves-on" season, it will be harder to find, but at least now I have a good GPS track to follow. If you aren't using a handheld GPS or a phone app like BackCountry Navigator (what I use) or GAIA (what many others use), this would be a good time to start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Coming around the top of the drainage containing Christmas Falls, I dropped down to the creek and started following the creek downstream. At the top of the drainage, the old trace road has been eroded away and all traces of it have disappeared in a mini-landslide. This drainage is very steep, and I ended up sliding on my butt down the bank downstream of Falls #2, which I found near the top of the drainage. There is another nice waterfall, Falls #3, in a side drainage on the right a little further downstream. Falls #3 is about 18 feet tall, and with a little more water will look really nice. That being said, I'm not sure it's worth the effort to get to it without better flow than it had today. It will be a lot easier to stay on the bluff above the creek and hike down on the left to get to the top of Christmas Falls. More flow will make Falls #3 look really nice, but it will also make it that much more difficult to hike down this narrow, steep, drainage. My next visit when it is wetter and greener, I'm sure I'll go visit Falls #3 just because I'll want to see how much different it looks. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From where the old trace road crossed the top of the drainage, it is only about 200 yards to the top of Christmas Falls. It's kind of rough, rugged, and steep going down along and in the creek, but at least it is just a short distance. From the top of Christmas Falls, there is a high, unbroken bluff extending for as far as you can see on the right. On the left, however, there is a nice bluffline break that is easily navigable just a few yards from the top of Christmas Falls. Descending down to the base of the waterfall, I got that euphoric rush I talked about earlier. It needs more flow in the creek to look its best, but it was still quite impressive. John Moore measured this with some fishing line at 47 feet tall, although it hits a ledge halfway down. It has a wide, flat top like Hamilton Falls so it won't take much more flow to make it look spectacular. I spent a good deal of time here snapping a few photos and just enjoying the scenery. I was hoping there would be more flow here today. It has been a couple of weeks since the area got any rain, but yesterday the Weather Underground station at Mountainburg indicated over a half inch of rain, so I was hopeful. Here, though, the leaves were dry and crunchy and I had kicked up some dust as I drove down Fly Gap Road. I'll make sure it is wetter next time I come here.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Heading downstream from Christmas Falls, I soon came to a side drainage on the left and followed it upstream less than a hundred yards to Falls #5. This is a nice two-tiered waterfall about 25 feet high overall. Going back to the main creek, I followed it downstream another hundred yards to Falls #6 and then Falls #7 a hundred yards past that. The main creek in this hollow is the left fork of Right Prong Mountain Creek. I followed it most of the way down to where it flows into the other fork to form Right Prong Mountain Creek. It drops very steeply, and despite having a very large drainage area above it, the main creek was completely dry about a half mile from where it flows into Right Prong Mountain Creek. Downstream of Falls #7, the water in the creek just disappears. With the amount of flow upstream, combined with the flow from side drainages, there is a lot of water going underground here. That happens a lot with karst formations in the Ozarks and indicates a lot of potential for large caves in the area. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Downstream of Falls #7, the creek is completely dry</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From my vantage point downstream of Falls #7, I could see where some nice</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">waterfalls </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">would</i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> be if there were water in the main creek, but today they were bone dry. It will be interesting to see how much flow remains in the creek when I come back for a visit in wetter times. Today, however, I could see a good deal of the way to Right Prong Mountain Creek and saw nothing but dry creek with a few pools of water. Deciding to head back, I started climbing the bluff on the right (east) side of the hollow. Instead of trying to bushwhack up along the creek with the loose rock jumbles and briers, it is usually much better to gain a little altitude and get into better bushwhacking territory. I reasoned that the old trace road that cut back across the top of the hollow would extend out along the same bench it was on. Sure enough, after climbing several benches and almost 500 feet of elevation, I found the old trace road and followed it back. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On this side of the hollow, the old trace road was actually in better condition, although very faint in spots and easy to lose. Once on it, I made pretty good time until I got to the top of the main drainage above Christmas Falls. From there back across the hollow to the ATV trail I had first headed down, there was quite a bit more undergrowth, but easily manageable. As I mentioned above, I was careful to stick to the old road as much as possible to get a good track on it for future use. It is a little thick going along this portion of the old trace road, but still far better than trying to bushwhack up the mountain directly to Fly Gap Road. I scoped that out both on the hike down and the climb back out, and it looks like it would be a mess to hike through. Once I hit the ATV trail, it was easy hiking as it climbed up to Fly Gap Road. There are a few nice waterfalls here, with Christmas Falls being the one worth a return trip. I'll be back; I can't wait to see what it looks like with more flow. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Blue - 'Best Route' to Christmas Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Red - GPS track for today's hike<br />Blue - 'Best Route' to Christmas Falls</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-30069834273691798112019-02-28T14:43:00.000-08:002019-03-03T09:16:04.534-08:00North Prong Cow Creek Polyfoss area, Ozarks near Limestone, Arkansas<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2/28/2019 - North prong of Cow Creek waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span><br />
<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">North prong of Cow Creek</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park - North Prong Cow Creek #3(today's): </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.744255,-93.289655, 1459 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Trace road intersects ATV trail: 35.745896,-93.293187, 1189 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #15: 35.746097,-93.293924, 1179 ft. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Hi Cow Falls: 35.745691,-93.294798,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Cow Tipping Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.745624,-93.295279, 1167 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Achelous Falls: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.745553,-93.295694 </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Yvonne Falls: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.745311,-93.296907</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Nandini Falls: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.745958,-93.297011, 1022 ft.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #21: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.746397,-93.297133</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #22: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.748052,-93.296934</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Mooley Wooly Falls: 35.74909 -93.29723, 1310 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Maudine Falls: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.749350,-93.296445</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Pauline Falls: 35.74788 -93.29817, 1465 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Cow Creek UNF #12: 35.74907 -93.29737, 1324 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bessie Falls: 35.75230 -93.29744, 1460 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluffline Break: 35.74954 -93.29808, 1392 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Cow Creek UNF #10: 35.75257 -93.29733, 1454 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Cow Creek UNF #9: 35.75292 -93.29613, 1521 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #24: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.749528,-93.295171</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #25: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.749414,-93.295048, 1206 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Old Car Remains: 35.745049,-93.290528</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet Friendly:</b> Dogs off leash should be OK. If your dog needs to be on a leash, it will be highly inadvisable because of the steepness and ruggedness of the terrain. Boomer will have no problem with the bluffline breaks along this route, but other dogs may.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> The north prong of the Cow Creek basin is fairly large drainage in area, and is 918 feet from top to bottom. On my first hike here, I hiked a total of 5.56 miles, with a highest-to-lowest elevation change of 796 feet. Today's route, which visits all the major features of the north prong worthy of seeing, is only 3.86 miles long with a </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">highest-to-lowest elevation change of 574 feet. Also, I hiked all the way down to the confluence with Cow Creek today. If you only hike to the lowest waterfalls in the north prong, you can cut a half mile and a hundred feet of elevation change off the hike. About a third of the hike is along an old road, but the rest is a complete bushwhack in some rough and rugged terrain. The stuff that bothers me most on bushwhacks, the undergrowth, was not all that bad but will be worse in the "leaves on" season. I would rate this as a moderately difficult bushwhack.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Cow%20Creek%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Cow Creek Basin Waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/North%20Prong%20Cow%20Creek%200301.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">North Prong Cow Creek GPS track (today's hike)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20-%20Cow%20%20Creek%20North%20Prong0301.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road Track - Highway 123 to parking location #3</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Links to blog posts for other sections of Cow Creek:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/04/piney-bowl-falls-5-arkansas-ozarks.html">Piney Bowl Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/12/bull-falls-mrs-olearys-falls-sprinkler.html">Bull Falls, Mrs. O'Leary's Falls, Sprinkler Falls, and other Cow Creek waterfalls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/05/little-cow-creek-polyfoss-ozarks.html">Cincinnati Freedom Falls and the Little Cow Creek Polyfoss</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/05/middle-cow-creek-east-and-se-prongs.html">East and Southeast Prongs of Middle Cow Creek 5/5/2017</a><span id="goog_2044774136"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_2044774137"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/04/middle-cow-creek-southwest-prongs.html">Southwest Prongs of Middle Cow Creek 4/1/2017</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/03/middle-cow-creek-valley-waterfalls.html">Middle Cow Creek valley waterfalls 3/9/2017</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67bzPPJtCZ2B1OP8zvTxEAULccs_G0YczAUsiomUvlxhdzC9TpE7DkjSsFG758CQxmEuaY-SWt7t9I8J_Ktd4JojQW4OCMWhaTPKLx-zsYv_Sr9KNWDoogGTu6YW9CwtShqeNZR4_4P2X/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252320+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67bzPPJtCZ2B1OP8zvTxEAULccs_G0YczAUsiomUvlxhdzC9TpE7DkjSsFG758CQxmEuaY-SWt7t9I8J_Ktd4JojQW4OCMWhaTPKLx-zsYv_Sr9KNWDoogGTu6YW9CwtShqeNZR4_4P2X/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252320+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nindini Falls - with Rick</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I had been to the north prong of Cow Creek a little over a year ago, in February of 2018. On that trip, I explored all of the upper reaches of this major prong to Cow Creek, which in itself is a major tributary of Big Piney Creek. On that trip, I covered a lot of territories and found relatively easy ways to get around, but the major water features were all on the main creek, and all were in about a half-mile span of the midsection of the north prong. About three months later, my friend Dan Frew made a trip to the north prong and found a number of other nice waterfalls in the big side drainage on the west side. I had explored the side drainages on the east side and found a few small waterfalls, but these were fairly large waterfalls that were really spectacular that day after a good rain. I put Dan's route on my "go explore" list and was finally getting around to doing just that. I remembered from my previous trip here that Boomer (our German Shepherd) had struggled a little with some of the steep bluffline breaks, so I decided to leave him at home with Bethany today while I scoped out this route</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTKOu8BXF-nqGumbdUyIH65HLkKgjGmNW_AZWZ-GRI5SiwpVOK9QnxV7VGzGJE9zbcYGXAU6PV0fA8UMPr6C7qULArzvY093gsCvOZajSuqpIbr5G7nJs4tyZFdnA2lKCXK6I7AVSLZ-S/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252319+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTKOu8BXF-nqGumbdUyIH65HLkKgjGmNW_AZWZ-GRI5SiwpVOK9QnxV7VGzGJE9zbcYGXAU6PV0fA8UMPr6C7qULArzvY093gsCvOZajSuqpIbr5G7nJs4tyZFdnA2lKCXK6I7AVSLZ-S/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252319+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yvonne Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dan and I had actually set out to hike the north prong of Cow Creek three weeks ago when we had received a good deal of rain and figured the waterfalls would be really showing off. We were probably correct about that, but as sometimes happen, those plans changed. When we got out on Preston Ridge Road, there was a large oak tree across the road, and of course, I didn't bring a chain saw. Instead of hiking the north prong, we went to nearby Little Cow Creek and hiked through it. Today, I came back by myself, but I was well armed with a chain saw this time. Of course, now that I had it, I didn't need it. Someone else, maybe the Forest Service, had already cut the tree on both sides of the road and dragged the log off to the side. I continued on to the parking spot, parking location #3 for this area, and found the Jeep road still fairly wet, even though we had not had much rain in the last three weeks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to this parking location means going up and around the entire Cow </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Creek basin since there are no roads that actually across it. Our road route will be from Highway 123 between Pelsor and Hagerville, up to the old Rosetta community area, and around the west and north sides of Cow Creek to where we park, which is actually between Big Piney Creek and Cow Creek. To get there; </span></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the community of Pelsor (Sand Gap), go 16.2 miles south on </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Highway 123, then turn right onto FR-1003 (aka Johnson County CR-5741). This is 3.3 miles past the Haw Creek Campground. If you are coming from the other direction on Highway 123, this junction is 10.5 miles north of Hagerville</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go north on CR-5741 for 5.7 miles, then turn left on Pine Ridge Road (aka CR-5680).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.1 miles on Pine Ridge Road, and turn right on CR-5661 (aka Rosetta Road).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 5.7 miles on CR-5661 (note that after 1.6 miles you enter Newton County and the road name becomes NC-7460), then turn right onto NC-7490 (aka Preston Ridge Road).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>IF</b> you have a good 4WD vehicle, Go 2.3 miles on NC-7490 and park at the small clearing. This is parking location #3, the one I used today and the best location to hike the North Prong from. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">NOTE - <b>IF</b> YOU DO <b>NOT</b> HAVE A GOOD 4WD vehicle with good clearance, Go 1.8 miles after you turn onto NC-7490 and park where you see a gate on the left. This is the parking location for Piney Bowl Falls. It is also as far as I would advise going if you don't have a good 4WD vehicle. After this point, it becomes a local Jeep road and a non-4WD vehicle will probably not do well. There is one large mudhole, in particular, to be aware of and be careful going through it. My FJ Cruiser did not have any problems getting through, but the mud in this hole came up over the top of the tires on the side down in the hole. The rest of this road downhill from the big mudhole is slippery, but with smaller mudholes. Know the limitations of your vehicle and use your best judgment. If you have doubts, just park at the Piney Bowl Falls parking location and hike the extra 0.5 miles along the Jeep road.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZjD2IztI5rgWlQ8Ry5RmMyirr-wVQHGa_aGols4HFY9rdRtaqQke4lp5NmgqCMde5fdNEc09fd7M5o72k9tarjwrek527FW14Eymi1bkTnrpPCN9IhyB4wVnLQ1CJ7lPxOzebCO8SjxY/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252319+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZjD2IztI5rgWlQ8Ry5RmMyirr-wVQHGa_aGols4HFY9rdRtaqQke4lp5NmgqCMde5fdNEc09fd7M5o72k9tarjwrek527FW14Eymi1bkTnrpPCN9IhyB4wVnLQ1CJ7lPxOzebCO8SjxY/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252319+%25289%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yvonne Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the parking location, there is a faint trace road leading toward and down into the hollow. This trace road is overgrown in a couple of spots with young beech trees, but for the most part, is easily discernable and can be followed down to the top of the major side drainage on the east side. Since we hike down this drainage to get to the main creek in the north prong, I'll just refer to it as "the hike-down drainage". Just before the top of the hike-down drainage, the old trace road intersects an ATV trail. This ATV trail is in fairly good shape. On my first visit here, I found an ATV trail that cut around the bowl at the top of the north prong, at the very top of the forks. There was also an ATV trail cutting across those forks a little lower down, just above where the forks flowed together to form the main creek in the north prong. The main creek in the north prong doesn't have a name, but I'll just refer to it as "North Prong Creek" or "the main creek". I determined the ATV trail we had just hiked to was, in fact, that lower ATV trail I had found on my first visit. That will make the hike out much easier and simpler.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Nx3GyU2A0KshMxeRyH7KvGQ02IcYb4xhO_gseWGmbpsdh_6zHaNCK6X7ZGbXieznvgrl_qKnDHsSAV7bYpnZEHyD3934sggHlavl6LH7_yYl40wOZ70L3S2ThCgHJDEH5ztKmwctFKUZ/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252315+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Nx3GyU2A0KshMxeRyH7KvGQ02IcYb4xhO_gseWGmbpsdh_6zHaNCK6X7ZGbXieznvgrl_qKnDHsSAV7bYpnZEHyD3934sggHlavl6LH7_yYl40wOZ70L3S2ThCgHJDEH5ztKmwctFKUZ/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252315+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #15</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turning right onto the ATV trail, it is a short distance to the top of the hike-down drainage. turning off the ATV trail at the drainage and following it downstream, I came to Falls #15 in less than a hundred yards from the ATV trail. I wish this waterfall had more flow today, but you can tell it will be a really nice one when it does. The water spills down about 18 feet into a gap, then flows sideways down the bluff to the south before continuing on down the mountain. By the way, I didn't name any of the waterfalls in the north prong, but on their trip here last April, Dan and Shelly named some of the larger ones. I'll be using their names and the rest will just be "Falls #xx for now. I had found 14 unnamed waterfalls in the Cow Creek area previously, so this was just the next one I came to. With literally hundreds of "photo-worthy" waterfalls I have visited in various Ozark hollows, this scheme helps me keep track of them all. When and if they do finally get a name, I can just come back to my documentation and substitute a name for the number. If you see numbers missing, it just means they have graduated to being named waterfalls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qjd2T-kgDiZbBo1Nj8LbmoaplkBwSTM9KRadwoJiuCBeJ_VEVGJitMw_q5mayG_xlcM4Gl4ELDx483lT3dt9ZatP_aAPcFGzDP8DXskim1AOEkHQivbfhyOEBzPDlZmKgKCcn_XwLXj9/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252320+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qjd2T-kgDiZbBo1Nj8LbmoaplkBwSTM9KRadwoJiuCBeJ_VEVGJitMw_q5mayG_xlcM4Gl4ELDx483lT3dt9ZatP_aAPcFGzDP8DXskim1AOEkHQivbfhyOEBzPDlZmKgKCcn_XwLXj9/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252320+%25289%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nandini Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Downstream from Falls #15, there were four more nice sized waterfalls, spaced out less than a hundred yards from each other all the way down to the main creek. The first was Hi Cow Falls, a tall, classic, Ozark waterfall that I would estimate to be in the 32-36 foot range, spilling over a tall bluffline. Below that, about 30 yards was a set of two waterfalls. Cow Tipping Falls has an initial drop of about four feet, then goes into a wide, steep, cascade. Dan's photo of this from last spring was spectacular. The sloped part of this waterfall barely ends when it spills over another bluffline to form Achelous Falls. You can get a good view of Cow Tipping Falls from the bluff on the right side (as you go downstream), but I believe the best view will be from below it, between it and Achelous Falls. Getting into this hidden grotto is a little tricky, but you can go on the left side at the top and there is a break there to climb down and around the small bluff to get into the area between the two waterfalls. The only way back out is to climb back up the way you climbed into the hidden grotto.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9M2XA9Ef2xxOujVRjc2KnmY5q-RSHoiQXA1rjXcwJ-Etkh5UX1xmVFTNzp7_5QBPFyLJVjP9Od0K8urMA8w6hnwoqNYFO4bobLYxTSpWQLnAydAim1bw5a4I83hQaWz7jnufCEt_yg-DE/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252320+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9M2XA9Ef2xxOujVRjc2KnmY5q-RSHoiQXA1rjXcwJ-Etkh5UX1xmVFTNzp7_5QBPFyLJVjP9Od0K8urMA8w6hnwoqNYFO4bobLYxTSpWQLnAydAim1bw5a4I83hQaWz7jnufCEt_yg-DE/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252320+%252810%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nandini Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing downstream, I went back over the top of Cow Tipping Falls and down the right side, finding a way down a few yards around the bluff on the right. There are bluffline breaks on both sides of the grotto for Achelous Falls, but if you go down the left side, make sure you go around the large boulder at the top of the bluff. The slope is very steep on the inside and falls off a long way down into the creek bed below. This time of year, you can get a decent view of both Cow Tipping Falls and Achelous Falls from below, but much of Cow Tipping Falls will be obscured by foliage in the "leaves on" season. I still think the best view of Cow Tipping Falls will be at its base, just above the top of Achelous Falls. Following the hike-down drainage a little over a hundred yards further downstream, I came to Yvonne Falls. It falls over the last bluffline above the main creek, and I walked a lot of this bluffline looking for a way down before I finally decided to go upstream on North Prong Creek to Nandini Falls, which was clearly visible on the way down the lower end of the hike-down drainage to Yvonne Falls. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7zJp5bqAfvCGcxTPUBMHIk1Wa8ik8fn2EmUu8Ja41V-uwWS34Kq9JyfU4xAvgkOsLp8s1Zj-3Dcs69jwG5v4H3ukE_8Ks4mAl1DaXuko5tieuGfXyk-d6AJe9QUjsJlSQLuZgS4o-3vy/s1600/20190228-20190228_130533+peninsula+bluff+-+creek+on+left+and+front%252C+Falls+%252319+on+the+right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7zJp5bqAfvCGcxTPUBMHIk1Wa8ik8fn2EmUu8Ja41V-uwWS34Kq9JyfU4xAvgkOsLp8s1Zj-3Dcs69jwG5v4H3ukE_8Ks4mAl1DaXuko5tieuGfXyk-d6AJe9QUjsJlSQLuZgS4o-3vy/s400/20190228-20190228_130533+peninsula+bluff+-+creek+on+left+and+front%252C+Falls+%252319+on+the+right.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Huge bluff with North Prong Creek on the left<br />and Yvonne Falls on the right</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a break just downstream of Nandini Falls allowing access to the base of the waterfall. This is on the main creek, as I mentioned, and is a really nice one, about 20+ feet tall. Even with today's less than optimal water conditions, it looked great. Hiking down the creek, it is not very far to Yvonne Falls, but there are some side-to-side pools in the creek here and I preferred to at least try to keep my feet dry inside my boots. I hiked up the bluff on the other (west) side to go downstream, and I found a bluffline break exactly opposite of Yvonne Falls. I think Boomer could have managed this access point, but I did find another one a short distance downstream as well that is more easily managed. From the vantage point of the bluffline break I used, the bluff on the other side is very impressive. North Prong Creek winds around it from the left, then around the front, then on down toward Cow Creek, and on the right side is Yvonne Falls. This will be a fantastic photo composition in the spring or fall with more water.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxi05Zdkdi4XesNhp1FByrd2-oaz0l3Ipnt3SBArbhrJAH-ZwFXL2QvwpSfMFm0gSdYbWmwTt88HPWYPR-n-6190MScB5vHLwQ2L4eDhEXseZFc0mBDbwJXmC688omuPbtBxZ2KSMfoMx/s1600/20190228-20190228_140712+along+North+Prong+Creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxi05Zdkdi4XesNhp1FByrd2-oaz0l3Ipnt3SBArbhrJAH-ZwFXL2QvwpSfMFm0gSdYbWmwTt88HPWYPR-n-6190MScB5vHLwQ2L4eDhEXseZFc0mBDbwJXmC688omuPbtBxZ2KSMfoMx/s400/20190228-20190228_140712+along+North+Prong+Creek.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hiking conditions along North Prong Creek<br />"leaves off" season</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are a couple of other waterfalls on North Prong Creek here, one just upstream of where Yvonne Falls flows into the creek, the other just downstream. I followed North Prong Creek downstream all the way to its confluence with Cow Creek. While I didn't find any other water features or side drainages of any size, the creek itself is a nice hike, with little undergrowth, and there are some huge bluffs on the west side of the creek. I saw some small caves in the bluffs but didn't spend any time exploring further as I wanted to make sure I had time to finish my loop of the larger waterfalls in the north prong. Heading back upstream, I soon covered the quarter mile hike back upstream to Nandini Falls. I continued upstream on the left side above Nandini Falls. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I was here last year, I hiked down along the main creek, then climbed the bluff to the west to hike out.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKkBBHpYqL1H0oTbUezEoV_Y-ziwuWXwNz_mM-iQapoaU0j4APnd6tzeaaO4PdH-bC05gjDHrUq3m7hVExZSULHlrO00DOVHykaYYvb33d14dfYtjgHIg4c2LvFOkTLy2waxEJvnl-pBj/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252322+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKkBBHpYqL1H0oTbUezEoV_Y-ziwuWXwNz_mM-iQapoaU0j4APnd6tzeaaO4PdH-bC05gjDHrUq3m7hVExZSULHlrO00DOVHykaYYvb33d14dfYtjgHIg4c2LvFOkTLy2waxEJvnl-pBj/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252322+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #22</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This trip, I decided to hike alongside North Prong Creek again, sliding and stumbling down the steep bluff above Nandini Falls to get to the creek level. That is doable, but it is pretty rough hiking. I managed to slip into a pool amongst the many creek crossing this route required and got soaked almost waist high. With temperatures in the mid-30s, it was a little chilly until I got dried out a little. In retrospect, it would be much easier just staying up on the bench above the creek and walking the top of the bluff about a quarter mile upstream to Mooley Wooly Falls, a beautiful, long cascade on the main creek. There are a couple of small waterfalls on the main creek, Falls #21 and Falls #22, that are picturesque now but maybe less so with the full flow on North Prong Creek. There must be a lot of karst formation in the area because much of the flow seems to go underground in the quarter mile between Mooley Wooly Falls and Nandini Falls. The photos I took of Falls #21 and Falls #22 are on the main creek but show only a small fraction of the flow in either Mooley Wooly Falls or Nandini Falls. Next trip, I'll just hike up along the bluff above the creek. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgjY5dTuwbbn8AiumJZpOyzfthMLrGxr-B76vXGYuhOSE2pmOMmXaolXFaUj0tMvbkiGOnyYyeqnpMoGxFdO5jOH-aPPRVYNo9ibHkqbNV3BbvdXbyqO6q99ne5KI-70Ax67u_GW0S8ml/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252313+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgjY5dTuwbbn8AiumJZpOyzfthMLrGxr-B76vXGYuhOSE2pmOMmXaolXFaUj0tMvbkiGOnyYyeqnpMoGxFdO5jOH-aPPRVYNo9ibHkqbNV3BbvdXbyqO6q99ne5KI-70Ax67u_GW0S8ml/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252313+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mooley Wooly Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can descend back to creek level on either side of North Prong Creek, but you probably want to end up on the right side (as you head upstream). Just to the right of Mooley Wooly Falls is another side drainage with Pauline Falls spilling over the bluff just a few feet from the main creek. Above Pauline Falls on this side drainage is Maudine Falls, less than a hundred yards up the side drainage at the next bluffline. Coming around the bluffline from Maudine Falls, there is a small but cool cave at the base of the bluff. Across North Prong Creek, slightly upstream of Mooley Wooly Falls, is another side drainage coming in from that side. Where that one flows over the creekside bluff you will find Falls #12. This is a slightly larger drainage, so with any kind of good water, it should look pretty good. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitUKtuMsHGIa8bRkmMdkULbS7hZOFyFGAABDswPREc3Cn02ajhba-znelYnsnYdqLTHFztm17RIQ0izZSuFkFhp_v2mzwMuZI2fXLo-Ecoi9x6tbMvnEvBomY0q1Oj-r4U8oAmebYAjD2/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252311+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitUKtuMsHGIa8bRkmMdkULbS7hZOFyFGAABDswPREc3Cn02ajhba-znelYnsnYdqLTHFztm17RIQ0izZSuFkFhp_v2mzwMuZI2fXLo-Ecoi9x6tbMvnEvBomY0q1Oj-r4U8oAmebYAjD2/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252311+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bessie Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing upstream from Mooley Wooly Falls, it is approximately another quarter mile upstream to Bessie Falls. North Prong Creek flows through a canyon of sorts here, with sheer bluffs above the banks on each side. Again, there are no other waterfalls in between and no bluffline breaks on either side of that quarter mile of the canyon. You could hike along the creek or up on top of the bluff. If you choose to stay below the bluff, by far the easiest hiking will be along the base of the bluff. Just a few yards downstream of Bessie Falls, you will find the only bluffline break on the right (as you face upstream). If you are above the bluffline, you can hike down through the break here, and hook around to go under the large overhang and get to the base of Bessie Falls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJboqjJkHY8SgThrS7f4d2JF4jgn04Ez_yS5M02P0IxZ4jradAMJ2J6W93FIKF5PKG7LOP-wsjfnjb5O62VuDVhac27JQDxcOsnsmsQv6frCalRCUY2aU1WhMs-lB6Gej3YzGNS-mdsPet/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252310+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJboqjJkHY8SgThrS7f4d2JF4jgn04Ez_yS5M02P0IxZ4jradAMJ2J6W93FIKF5PKG7LOP-wsjfnjb5O62VuDVhac27JQDxcOsnsmsQv6frCalRCUY2aU1WhMs-lB6Gej3YzGNS-mdsPet/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252310+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #10</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ascending through the bluffline break, above Bessie Falls there is another relatively short but beautiful waterfall, Falls #10, a few yards upstream. Speaking of the wonders that karst formations bring to the geology of the Ozarks, when I was here a year ago, the flow in the creek was so low that there was no water coming over the top of Falls #10, and North Prong Creek was dry upstream of it. There was a stream of water springing out of the middle of the face of Falls #10, constituting the entire headwaters of North Prong Creek. Upstream on the right is a fork of the main creek with Falls #9 about a hundred yards upstream on that fork. Last year, there was some flow going over Falls #9, but all of that water disappeared underground, only to come out downstream in that spring in the middle of Falls #10. Today, at least we had enough water upstream to provide some flow over Falls #10.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpQzEFQTUJIQNaXMxq1jFmTSCgn49NrQfrjmor_umzRP8FriKM5Jqe1PQu9brwfm6I9fACqvDN5uq1IsSmotqQGPJFuMFVftvu8TqsRmOGL_WyZmqO8VGJUq7V3BdJu12YOssAj8KlB1T/s1600/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252325+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDpQzEFQTUJIQNaXMxq1jFmTSCgn49NrQfrjmor_umzRP8FriKM5Jqe1PQu9brwfm6I9fACqvDN5uq1IsSmotqQGPJFuMFVftvu8TqsRmOGL_WyZmqO8VGJUq7V3BdJu12YOssAj8KlB1T/s400/20190228-Cow+Creek+Falls+%252325+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #25</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That ATV trail I hit just above the hike-down drainage crosses the fork just above the top of Falls #9. I found the ATV trail and turned right on it to head back to the parking spot. I could find no recent tracks on this old ATV trail, so I have no idea how long it has been since it has been used. It is in pretty good condition and is easy hiking back around the east side of the north prong. Along the way, it crosses over another small drainage, the one that feeds Maudine Falls and Pauline Falls. There are a couple of small waterfalls, Falls #24 and Falls #25, just below the ATV trail, and you should be able to hear them if there is much flow at all. Today, Falls #24 wasn't much to look at but Falls #25 is in a really pretty setting. Even with the sub-par flow in the creek today, it was still worth swinging off the trail a little to check it out. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRu8Pt1rLf9YLpW9OtNX47StQ-RWphOAbYVpwhA3p6SmBFhQ0oi14wgD8HxB6eSrr_wp7ueChrZNl89q4wI1F64LDGBwWfSJCUO4WSnDg75Dmlptpgr0MlZmumWnAf7TjyqmgEYltL-bE/s1600/20190228-20190228_155455+near+the+parking+spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRu8Pt1rLf9YLpW9OtNX47StQ-RWphOAbYVpwhA3p6SmBFhQ0oi14wgD8HxB6eSrr_wp7ueChrZNl89q4wI1F64LDGBwWfSJCUO4WSnDg75Dmlptpgr0MlZmumWnAf7TjyqmgEYltL-bE/s320/20190228-20190228_155455+near+the+parking+spot.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Relic of the Past</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Further down the trail, after you cross over the top of the hike-down drainage, you need to be on the lookout for that old trace road you hiked down from the parking location. The ATV trail is so well defined that if you tend to daydream as you hike, as I often do, it's easy to miss the turnoff and continue on down the ATV trail. The old trace road climbs gradually back up the slope to the parking location. Off to the left (north) of the trace road as you hike back is a silent reminder that at one time folks lived out in areas like this. A couple hundred yards from the parking spot are the front end and one door of an old car. All of the area of the north prong and almost all of the entire Cow Creek basin are now public land. There is still a little privately owned land at the lower end of Cow Creek where it flows into Big Piney, but many decades ago, people lived all over this area. I'm just grateful now to have this big, wonderful playground to get out and enjoy. This hike isn't for everyone, but if you are capable of a bushwhack in some rugged country for a couple of miles, I would highly recommend this hike, preferably in wetter times. </span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFUiBShkClfvEJ2NExUY7z-Rzu65SC1Uf6hQ66WU2v4O1EZWuG0DeIkFAj3Eih5vAKbk9YO8GmpCM1AY5_wW7uCgWOZempmMc6PWSo4vMO1bxVkF-5JVbfztYToi9B9CDbhpAuzeF28r4/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFUiBShkClfvEJ2NExUY7z-Rzu65SC1Uf6hQ66WU2v4O1EZWuG0DeIkFAj3Eih5vAKbk9YO8GmpCM1AY5_wW7uCgWOZempmMc6PWSo4vMO1bxVkF-5JVbfztYToi9B9CDbhpAuzeF28r4/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Red - Today's GPS track<br />Blue - GPS track from previous exploration</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zESMr24ibu_5phTYjHlGXlb44N6-xMbi8bgPh01XzcNh08WBr63W4accX5A3y4e8meX5I_73HXWDGGM3a8c8tyFsVLXmcAhVjuQ5Venq8qebxz1ZE8qYVXDmxqRRcVfqA4GH-xDOjSyw/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Cow+Creek+Basin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zESMr24ibu_5phTYjHlGXlb44N6-xMbi8bgPh01XzcNh08WBr63W4accX5A3y4e8meX5I_73HXWDGGM3a8c8tyFsVLXmcAhVjuQ5Venq8qebxz1ZE8qYVXDmxqRRcVfqA4GH-xDOjSyw/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Cow+Creek+Basin1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Cow Creek Basin<br />Red/Blue/Yellow - Hiking GPS tracks<br />Orange - Road Routes<br />Green - Off road 4WD tracks</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-23778848645116840272019-02-25T19:04:00.000-08:002019-02-25T19:04:19.151-08:00Train Trestle Falls, Ozarks near Cass, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/24/2019 - Train Trestle Falls</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Spirits Creek and Train Trestle: </span>35.684246,-93.897851, 1614 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Train Trestle Falls: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.677577,-93.885941, 1438 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.676903,-93.892667,TT UNF #1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.676877,-93.885218,TT UNF #2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.676972,-93.885333,TT UNF #3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.677222,-93.885429,TT UNF #4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Falls #5: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.677466,-93.885621,TT UNF #5</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Access A: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.677049,-93.885461,1454 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Access B: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.677660,-93.885340</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Access C: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.678106,-93.885228</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Access D1: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.678342,-93.885715</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Access D2 (bluffline break): </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.678415,-93.885781, 1408 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Bee Rocks: 35.67133, -93.86594</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs will be fine either on or off a leash. Most of the hiking is on the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) so you may encounter other hikers. If your dog doesn't play nice with others, leave it home or put it on a leash. If you go to the base of Train Trestle Falls, it is very steep and sometimes slippery, so use your own judgment on your dog's abilities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Today's hike to Train Trestle Falls was 3.51 miles round trip. T</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was 405 feet, most of that being the last part of the hike, where the OHT drops down to Train Trestle Falls. The bushwhack from the OHT to the top of the waterfall is not too bad, but the bushwhack through the bluffline break to the base of the waterfall is steep and rugged. We took 2:14 (hh: mm) to do the round-trip hike. I would rate this a moderate hike to the trestle area. I would rate the bushwhack to the base of Train Trestle Falls as difficult.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Spirits%20Creek%20and%20Train%20Trestle%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Spirits Creek and Train Trestle waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Train%20Trestle%20Falls%200225.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Train Trestle Falls GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/spirits-creek-falls-upper-and-lower.html">Spirits Creek Falls, Upper and Lower Robinson Falls</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/jack-white-falls-and-phipps-branch.html">Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/white-rock-creek-waterfalls-ozarks-near_18.html">White Rock Creek Waterfalls and Bluffs</a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Train Trestle Falls (31 ft)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Boomer and I had finished our morning hike down the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) to Spirits Creek (see the <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/spirits-creek-falls-upper-and-lower.html">previous post</a>), and we took a little breather at the FJ Cruiser before continuing on the second half of our doubleheader hike today. I drank what was left of my coffee from this morning, still plenty warm in the tumbler. Boomer just acted normally, that is, like a goofball. If you go out the back of the parking spot and down to the OHT, you'll miss the little info sign where the trail intersects Rag Town Road. You'll also miss a nicely constructed trail info and guest registration box built and donated by the WalMart sign shop. We had a little fun looking through that and filling out a registration card (see photo). For the blog readers, it might be interesting to check and see if it is still there.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQV99uI0zaPJhYDTK3GNLADPsz5uJTlRclrqnMochO8nfXx6e5r3ix1Q8R4pZOgYeMBAdGzMeLFddkCXqO958L5lrrK94LiLR7VfaCqU0Kb1GJutloTxV4XnBcWop_gRECSFnTrdM2H2z/s1600/20190224_122522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQV99uI0zaPJhYDTK3GNLADPsz5uJTlRclrqnMochO8nfXx6e5r3ix1Q8R4pZOgYeMBAdGzMeLFddkCXqO958L5lrrK94LiLR7VfaCqU0Kb1GJutloTxV4XnBcWop_gRECSFnTrdM2H2z/s400/20190224_122522.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New Hiker Information Box</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cool thing about this doubleheader hike is we only had to park in one location. Spirits Creek is down the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) to the west of where you park, and Train Trestle Falls is down the OHT to the east. To get there, your navigation unit or phone should have the roads involved, so just entering the coordinates above will be easiest. If you can't do that, I'll start directions from I-40;</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leave I-40 at exit 35 and go north on Highway 23 for 12.6 miles.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn left on White Rock Mountain Road (aka CR-1003). This is less than a mile after you cross the Mulberry River, but before you get to Cass.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 4.2 miles and bear right to stay on White Rock Mountain Road. It becomes CR-76 at that point.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go an additional 1.4 miles on White Rock Mountain Road and bear right onto Rag Town Road (aka CR-76). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.8 miles on Rag Town Road and park in the clearing on the right just past where the OHT crosses the road.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSN925GmKz-HA_l-kLwqUGwO25pXtxz4yId4EgnaiSKTpMaL5TuNyP-64Qqc6ZkJbkKCzyq8MyVpZrvFMxIPdzLkaEM1K6PlfH_5HsPjmoGgDCyfQ8zzNe9sjysmsipaQj6P4Ihoc_6h4q/s1600/20190224_092546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSN925GmKz-HA_l-kLwqUGwO25pXtxz4yId4EgnaiSKTpMaL5TuNyP-64Qqc6ZkJbkKCzyq8MyVpZrvFMxIPdzLkaEM1K6PlfH_5HsPjmoGgDCyfQ8zzNe9sjysmsipaQj6P4Ihoc_6h4q/s400/20190224_092546.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bee Rocks</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They have been working on White Rock Mountain Road, especially on the part where it climbs up the mountain. Where they have finished working on it, it is in pretty good shape. The other parts of it are still fairly rough, but any vehicle should be able to make it down the road okay. Where you turn right onto Ragtown road is just past the Grays Spring picnic area. I wrote a little spiel on that in the <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/spirits-creek-falls-upper-and-lower.html">Spirits Creek blog post</a>. Another feature along this road is something called the 'Bee Rocks'. that Tim Ernst talks about in his excellent guidebook <i><a href="http://timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">Arkansas Waterfalls</a></i>. I had wondered where these might be, and a friend pointed me at the right ones. I know where they are now, but I need to go back in the spring and check them out. Supposedly, the Bee Rocks are honeycombed (pun intended) and porous with passages throughout them, and bees nest inside them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9Lny21xTPw_IFqx69BR17TeCIO_SNsEKpx8OkxoRWX0JxZI8wlXuhwdIsxllEkB3zYntMRXUsjrAf947RuK7eWUJ6RzBRNquMYBqq38ghlUXEgBg1GZYpcVqSUAOlWlTaYRDaYymwHOy/s1600/20190224-Train+Trestle+UNF+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9Lny21xTPw_IFqx69BR17TeCIO_SNsEKpx8OkxoRWX0JxZI8wlXuhwdIsxllEkB3zYntMRXUsjrAf947RuK7eWUJ6RzBRNquMYBqq38ghlUXEgBg1GZYpcVqSUAOlWlTaYRDaYymwHOy/s400/20190224-Train+Trestle+UNF+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #4 - with Boomer<br />(the Magnificent Mountain Dog)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the clearing where you park, go back down the road a few feet to the trailhead, turn left onto it and hike east on the OHT. By my maps, the OHT at one time ran along an old bench road one bench below where it does now. I scoped out some of that area and for whatever reason, if it did run along that path, it no longer does. The old bench road and any trail along it have been washed out in a couple of places. Just stay on the OHT, and it will take you right by the Train Trestle Falls area. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Keep your eyes on the OHT trail markers; the white markers are vertical when the trail goes straight ahead, and if they are crooked one way or the other, it is telling you the trail bends in the direction it is slanted. It is an excellent trail system and volunteers do continual maintenance to keep it in good condition. After an initial short drop, it is mostly on the level, with a few ups-and-downs, until it is in the hollow high above where Train Trestle Falls is located. It then zig-zags down the mountain, dropping a couple hundred feet in elevation, until it crosses the creek feeding Train Trestle Falls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfjJprNWUs0zjyIo5haC-ZLOS-NOOHaC3TjD7BK7HAHceYUg-c2_H9HzEkN92FIe8PP7D9Ohobhf7kkv80WSkAPvrfEdQo-ppfRrR3LjP8xmfFCPkXgtq-YHUTnEcmtPTQkHFUZi1deYL/s1600/20190224_135305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfjJprNWUs0zjyIo5haC-ZLOS-NOOHaC3TjD7BK7HAHceYUg-c2_H9HzEkN92FIe8PP7D9Ohobhf7kkv80WSkAPvrfEdQo-ppfRrR3LjP8xmfFCPkXgtq-YHUTnEcmtPTQkHFUZi1deYL/s400/20190224_135305.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Old concrete pillars and truss bolts<br />at the top of Train Trestle Falls.<br />Boomer is about two feet from the top edge of the falls.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Along the way, the OHT runs around the top of a hollow that has a waterfall just below the sharp curve in the trail. You can hear it and see it as you go around it on the trail. When the trail crosses the creek with Train Trestle Falls (Access Point A), there are a couple of small waterfalls above the trail, and a couple more downstream of the trail before the creek spills over the top of Train Trestle Falls. You can bushwhack the short distance downstream to the top of Train Trestle Falls, where you will find the old concrete pillars that the trestle was built on to span across the top of this gorge. A lot of the big iron bolts that were used to tie trusses together to form the trestle are now piled on top of the pillars. You can also continue on around the OHT to the opposite side of the drainage, and there is an easy route down to the top of the waterfall and the area where the old concrete pilings are. There is also a route on the opposite side of the drainage down to the base of the waterfall. See the maps below.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSZNXFMmuWuwIBlk5k5xStLPD8XR1LPQObOpM2da_4fm1YA5luiJcAEbAFtvBnTwfosuov-apXL3lsSzgNEQu2PTJgRVQTwIX5uaZuZJ2bATepDPruMfpMSPgM3zAgQ6TDZnm8pORPgWJ/s1600/20190224_135405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSZNXFMmuWuwIBlk5k5xStLPD8XR1LPQObOpM2da_4fm1YA5luiJcAEbAFtvBnTwfosuov-apXL3lsSzgNEQu2PTJgRVQTwIX5uaZuZJ2bATepDPruMfpMSPgM3zAgQ6TDZnm8pORPgWJ/s400/20190224_135405.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Old concrete pilings and truss bolts</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When he heard that I was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> hiking out to Train Trestle Falls today, my friend Danny Hale sent me a small local area map. With his permission, I'll include that below, along with the map of the GPS track and waypoints. Danny was a professional surveyor for several decades before retiring, and that gives him the perfect background for map work. He is extremely good at it. He has led the local <a href="http://www.takahik.com/index.html">Takahik hiking group</a> for years and has also published a guidebook, <i><a href="http://takahik.com/book/bookorder.html">Takahik, Hiking the Arkansas Ozarks</a></i>. Danny mapped out the old train trestle site with the thoroughness I have become used to seeing in his maps and guidance. I'll use Danny's notations in my explanation, and I have listed GPS coordinates for them above.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZKg_breqofGlKmDyLKb69kh_BD4eNmfmkRLK8_r3MZlnPYkHbbyr1OImXypXQz1kjEJfpusPIZIsxIzJV6lGcT0Wa5PWig8s-1hLfMtVYyoIM9rkmK-ftDneCqQnQYCQzrBZoaOz-Mq0/s1600/20190224_134032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZKg_breqofGlKmDyLKb69kh_BD4eNmfmkRLK8_r3MZlnPYkHbbyr1OImXypXQz1kjEJfpusPIZIsxIzJV6lGcT0Wa5PWig8s-1hLfMtVYyoIM9rkmK-ftDneCqQnQYCQzrBZoaOz-Mq0/s400/20190224_134032.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stick to the base of the bluff<br />on the way to and from the base of the waterfall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Access Point B is where you can break off the trail and head down to the top of Train Trestle Falls and the area where all the old trestle pilings are. Today, Boomer and I continued on around to Access Point C and turned left off the trail to head down to the bluffline break. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Danny marked Access Point D on his map as the bluffline break.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> In my coordinates above, I have listed Access Points D1 and D2, with D1 being the point to angle down to from where we turned off the OHT, and Access Point D2 being the actual bluffline break. This is where the sheer bluff 'breaks' to a slope that you can step/stumble/slide down, instead of falling off a cliff. Once down through the bluffline break, hook around and follow as close to the base of the bluff up into the grotto to the base of Train Trestle Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdociAhm7qlc9_G0OyqqWyNjFHw2we2UJ14N2wyz3FpMyic3UKbIYkJGV1Nhk7921cMiGK_484FNPXuITckK73mLysfl4qkTlHyhUKfjgM1ZvTb1XkO9o2ShPzDZpClFHh89YSKhepgLHH/s1600/20190224_135502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdociAhm7qlc9_G0OyqqWyNjFHw2we2UJ14N2wyz3FpMyic3UKbIYkJGV1Nhk7921cMiGK_484FNPXuITckK73mLysfl4qkTlHyhUKfjgM1ZvTb1XkO9o2ShPzDZpClFHh89YSKhepgLHH/s400/20190224_135502.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Falls #5<br />Note the old concrete piling<br />and bolt in the creek<br />in the left bank</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Boomer and I did our best working with the harshly bright sun to get some photos of the waterfall, then headed back up the break to the trail. Then from Access Point B, we went back down to the top of the waterfall, which is where all the old trestle hardware and concrete pilings remain. Old stuff like this fascinates me, and the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">history behind it is fascinating as well. This railroad was built in the early 1900s to haul timber out of the area. Thanks to a lead from Micheal Bean and Dave Eichenberger, I believe this to be the Combs, Cass, and Eastern Railroad Company, formerly the Black Mountain & Eastern Line. Referring to <a href="http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=6630">The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture article on the rail line</a>, I believe this is the trestle 12.8 miles south of Combs (assuming rail lines, not as the crow flies). Where this line rolled through Summit it was at 1891 feet elevation, making it the highest rail line in Arkansas history. Today, Summit is just a weird 5-way junction of dirt roads about 3.1 miles down Rag Town Road from where we parked today. The rail line was only 16 miles long and was abandoned sometime between 1925 and 1929. This would have been the largest of four trestles on the line, at 345 feet long and 77 feet high. If I have any of this wrong, please comment below and straighten me out. The other thing I always find interesting is how quickly even large construction works like this can get swallowed up by the Arkansas jungle. If you look at the base of Falls #5, a small waterfall just upstream of Train Trestle Falls, you can see where one of the pilings is now half covered up by the bank on the left, along with one of the big iron bolts. The pillar itself is almost below the creek level. It's a little sobering to realize that in the big scheme of things, we have only been here a short time, and whatever mankind does is, in the end, temporary. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LB2jRt55KwiVwG8EUB_mFvvdZJ1AjkALBK_98j4MRNcRUA_rLTlQQTa4_r-T2xdLd6YM5lf7BhQhGxZM03_BIm0O2jT_eZjaxnISOwcyby3JrfrprxRQ3AwbJ5ofTlBhl2SxnmrlpWoW/s1600/20190224-Train+Trestle+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LB2jRt55KwiVwG8EUB_mFvvdZJ1AjkALBK_98j4MRNcRUA_rLTlQQTa4_r-T2xdLd6YM5lf7BhQhGxZM03_BIm0O2jT_eZjaxnISOwcyby3JrfrprxRQ3AwbJ5ofTlBhl2SxnmrlpWoW/s400/20190224-Train+Trestle+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Train Trestle Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we had absorbed all the old history and scenery we could, Boomer and I made our way upstream to Access Point A, got back on the OHT, and started our hike back. The trail back rises immediately and zig-zags up the hill, climbing a couple of hundred feet fairly quickly. I was a little winded by the time we got up to where the trail levels out. The good news is, it's almost on the level after that point and we made good time getting back to the FJ. All in all, it was a beautiful day to be in the great outdoors. Boomer and I had a great time, got a little exercise, and we still wrapped up the day in plenty of time to drive home and have a lot of daylight left. I would highly recommend this hike. The trail is as good as any you will find, and except for the climb at the very beginning of the return hike and the bushwhack down to the bottom of Train Trestle Falls, this is easy hiking. Just take your time on the climb and be very careful if you go down to the base of the waterfall. As always, leave no trace and leave the old train stuff as you found it.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKSJ1tNKkAQJsteH-EuPoPwmDwCoC9yUPsUD5DTXDuJTjil93rQ6YuSqNWfqGENZjcmoGVO6PMZ2VvzjXvRvhW41tjLzysyB5WBnVFbkRhX3bR9L-VPw90ERzt9wWValugfS3DdJBPb-w/s1600/20190224_122501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKSJ1tNKkAQJsteH-EuPoPwmDwCoC9yUPsUD5DTXDuJTjil93rQ6YuSqNWfqGENZjcmoGVO6PMZ2VvzjXvRvhW41tjLzysyB5WBnVFbkRhX3bR9L-VPw90ERzt9wWValugfS3DdJBPb-w/s640/20190224_122501.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">New Trailhead Information and Registration Box</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHW6qkJOIO38OtASPU9c6dx4h1egEqFCsNLsZhbMvoZuc8J8AV47HOcL1xwBdrbEZFGmhPXtvc2-zqFx19T-CL8mx15sJ_-RBl44EnbW5_GPbtiMyFdb4uhE86j7ItNGWaVAtXtQzogOA/s1600/20190224_122620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHW6qkJOIO38OtASPU9c6dx4h1egEqFCsNLsZhbMvoZuc8J8AV47HOcL1xwBdrbEZFGmhPXtvc2-zqFx19T-CL8mx15sJ_-RBl44EnbW5_GPbtiMyFdb4uhE86j7ItNGWaVAtXtQzogOA/s640/20190224_122620.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hmmmm. Boomer filled out the registration card. He thinks highly of himself.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0LczVyZ2QVPevFScEhHeHZ2XjLI0dgZL4lAbX5E7XvukFOCXG6CeuROJTQ_F_oyLjHTIJMu4fvg3rAyR7MamLWbAqpQtclIFB8khaD6-dNOb7_FOX7Gr_x62zgYFOWz1nRESFpHwJ2Fq/s1600/20190224_135128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0LczVyZ2QVPevFScEhHeHZ2XjLI0dgZL4lAbX5E7XvukFOCXG6CeuROJTQ_F_oyLjHTIJMu4fvg3rAyR7MamLWbAqpQtclIFB8khaD6-dNOb7_FOX7Gr_x62zgYFOWz1nRESFpHwJ2Fq/s640/20190224_135128.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kKZF16Mw2s-kmwtle0VrNMTxKdHdFFQXNorfOrkubG9bbmgtavf4JOyfALQ_jz0ZOiI6-h7aSlhTxJWpQDjsQOuB2f_eZuLKK2zuo9vr2TqqR4ie3M1eP9s2dUrmBgQdSHnfguGR_TpY/s1600/Train+Trestle+local+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="927" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4kKZF16Mw2s-kmwtle0VrNMTxKdHdFFQXNorfOrkubG9bbmgtavf4JOyfALQ_jz0ZOiI6-h7aSlhTxJWpQDjsQOuB2f_eZuLKK2zuo9vr2TqqR4ie3M1eP9s2dUrmBgQdSHnfguGR_TpY/s640/Train+Trestle+local+map.jpg" width="617" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Detail Map of Train Trestle Area<br />Map by Danny Hale</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dashed Red line - where the maps show the Ozark Highlands Trail<br />Red - GPS track for Train Trestle Falls (along the OHT today)</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-3157717615928317442019-02-24T12:00:00.000-08:002019-02-25T19:05:07.029-08:00Spirits Creek Falls, Upper and Lower Robinson Falls, Ozarks near Cass, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/24/2019 - Spirits Creek Falls, Upper and Lower Robinson Falls</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Spirits Creek and Train Trestle: </span>35.684246,-93.897851, 1614 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Spirits Creek Falls: 35.687100,-93.908000, 1039 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Lower Robinson Falls: 35.687455,-93.909444, 1123 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Upper Robinson Falls: 35.687671,-93.910098, 1167 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs will be fine either on or off a leash. Most of the hiking is on the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) so you may encounter other hikers. If your dog doesn't play nice with others, leave it home or put it on a leash.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Today's hike was 2.53 miles round trip. T</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was 654 feet, but it didn't seem all that bad because the bulk of that was on a pretty good trail, the OHT. You have to climb from Spirit Creek to get to Robinson Falls, and that part is a bushwhack, but it is only about 130 feet of elevation. We took 2:20 (hh:mm) to do the round-trip hike. I would rate this a moderate hike. The bushwhacking part is short and easy, and the climb out is on a good trail without excessive slopes. Take your time and enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Spirits%20Creek%20and%20Train%20Trestle%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Spirits Creek and Train Trestle waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Spirits%20Creek%200225.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Spirits Creek and Robinson Falls GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/train-trestle-falls-ozarks-near-cass.html">Train Trestle Falls</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/jack-white-falls-and-phipps-branch.html">Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/white-rock-creek-waterfalls-ozarks-near_18.html">White Rock Creek Waterfalls and Bluffs</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsph_lc795FfZK20o0j4W0TcOKG0kY99WUj091Qe21219TKO0rtPni63Ehy1OvALi80o0OmsxBMGbhrlmrVhRHrZpBJygp8ogzycKoda7v5Q4uLDtec-eWYnK264FO-N90On24pTTvof3/s1600/20190224-Spirits+Creek+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsph_lc795FfZK20o0j4W0TcOKG0kY99WUj091Qe21219TKO0rtPni63Ehy1OvALi80o0OmsxBMGbhrlmrVhRHrZpBJygp8ogzycKoda7v5Q4uLDtec-eWYnK264FO-N90On24pTTvof3/s400/20190224-Spirits+Creek+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spirits Creek Falls - with Rick and Boomer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was kind of torn on where to go today. It was supposed to be bright and </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sunny so it wouldn't be the best day for photography, but it would be all that much better for enjoying the hike. There were a couple of areas that I had been itching to go explore, and in areas that had received much more rainfall recently than the western Ozarks. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Boomer (our German Shepherd) was the deciding factor today. I have learned to leave Boomer at home when I explore new places because there are some situations such as rock climbing that he might not be capable of. You never know what you might run into in the way of obstacles. Lately, I had left him home a few times with Bethany instead of taking him along, and he was getting a little mopey looking as I was getting my hiking gear together. In the end, I went with just getting out with Boomer and enjoying a day of adventure. I figured Spirits Creek and Train Trestle Falls would make for a very full day of hiking, all in areas I knew he could run around and be as big a goober as he wanted to be. The things you do for your kids, even the furry ones, right?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlJ_QKzV-RMQkK3SXmBP3md90go2mSAZuojz0j1GRG9n7ejmX4k56gyyYTI3cWHPbsfuWuaPF5DQoJ8EXsOfZkl4xR-ZateClO410nre1oCrVsUfpBIuAaLgrjYY7p7883SnmN4697T9a/s1600/20190224-Upper+Robinson+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlJ_QKzV-RMQkK3SXmBP3md90go2mSAZuojz0j1GRG9n7ejmX4k56gyyYTI3cWHPbsfuWuaPF5DQoJ8EXsOfZkl4xR-ZateClO410nre1oCrVsUfpBIuAaLgrjYY7p7883SnmN4697T9a/s400/20190224-Upper+Robinson+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Upper Robinson Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The cool thing about this doubleheader hike is we only had to park in one location. Spirits Creek is down the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) to the west of where you park, and Train Trestle Falls is down the OHT to the east. To get there, your navigation unit or phone should have the roads involved, so just entering the coordinates above will be easiest. If you can't do that, I'll start directions from I-40;</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leave I-40 at exit 35 and go north on Highway 23 for 12.6 miles.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn left on White Rock Mountain Road (aka CR-1003). This is less than a mile after you cross the Mulberry River, but before you get to Cass.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 4.2 miles and bear right to stay on White Rock Mountain Road. It becomes CR-76 at that point.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go an additional 1.4 miles on White Rock Mountain Road and bear right onto Rag Town Road (aka CR-76). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.8 miles on Rag Town Road and park in the clearing on the right just past where the OHT crosses the road.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Wum41RxzofjwZ2V8GrjsMn73ogR1y0L5E7tCnpQFEGnQVzyYzG0PUReDKnDSseCFb2nCiBTIHWzMWaW4su0iWn-CjRf6utulKGi_rT7M5hrgTEQ3vFwAl44Rr8XL2wmOTxSFEaDIxU_R/s1600/20190224_093738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Wum41RxzofjwZ2V8GrjsMn73ogR1y0L5E7tCnpQFEGnQVzyYzG0PUReDKnDSseCFb2nCiBTIHWzMWaW4su0iWn-CjRf6utulKGi_rT7M5hrgTEQ3vFwAl44Rr8XL2wmOTxSFEaDIxU_R/s400/20190224_093738.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grays Spring Picnic Area</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They have been working on White Rock Mountain Road, especially on the part where it climbs up the mountain. Where they have finished working on it, it is in pretty good shape. The other parts of it are still fairly rough, but any vehicle should be able to make it down the road okay. Where you turn right onto Ragtown road is just past the Grays Spring picnic area. You should pull in and check it out. It was built back in the day by the CCC and is my favorite rest stop. It is out in the middle of nowhere on a 'lane-and-a-half' dirt road that, it seems, is never in very good shape and has spectacular views. Check out the old vault toilet at one end of the picnic area. I would never use it, clearly, no one has for many years, but it is the only 'flush' toilet I have ever seen in a vault toilet. Pretty cool for a place with no electricity and no running water. The CCC boys built everything out of rock, and they must have had a bunch left over that they didn't want to haul away. That's the only reason I can think of for the big stone pillar at the west end. If any of you know more about the history of this place, please let me know about it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqd04CvPah-L61vZm1YBt6FkoZom4vg1R8ZpLkJUwKQMDNXp3AK_gcljht0g1aRAoVSiOZNVh0Kz4izwUvm1WuuQR5Alqce8gpAMxOY8y_iOLw4uC90st9UYn7FT-pq7_svz0Qj0q9FHB/s1600/20190224-Upper+Robinson+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqd04CvPah-L61vZm1YBt6FkoZom4vg1R8ZpLkJUwKQMDNXp3AK_gcljht0g1aRAoVSiOZNVh0Kz4izwUvm1WuuQR5Alqce8gpAMxOY8y_iOLw4uC90st9UYn7FT-pq7_svz0Qj0q9FHB/s400/20190224-Upper+Robinson+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Upper Robinson Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the clearing where you park, cross the road and start heading down the OHT. That's all there is to it. Keep your eyes on the OHT trail markers; the white markers are vertical when the trail goes straight ahead, and if they are crooked one way or the other, it is telling you the trail bends in the direction it is slanted. At 1.04 miles down the OHT heading west, the trail bends to the left and you will see a spur trail going off to the right toward Spirits Creek. Turn right onto this trail and it will take you to a primitive campsite just above Spirits Creek Falls. There is a volunteer trail from the campsite down to a bluffline break just downstream of the waterfall, and from there you can hike the few yards back upstream to the base of the waterfall. I would point out that the OHT does, in fact, get re-routed from time to time because stuff like landslides happen and because better routes are sometimes found If you look at my track (map below) you will see it doesn't follow where the DeLorme topo maps or the NFS topo maps I use in the field. We stayed on the OHT all the way down to where you turn off to go to Spirits Creek Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenI7sup1qzIQt8r3m2RH0UC-WhhFrG-9VY11fWfRwA58kppJJJ-pfoon14g_tim_5VgdjSFPladulmTUpyuObZXRVxoanYCH_qzQkPCipTRBUrn_pEZNVpvhxohJ5Ec2SnGFbKSJG7f1E/s1600/20190224-Spirits+Creek+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphenI7sup1qzIQt8r3m2RH0UC-WhhFrG-9VY11fWfRwA58kppJJJ-pfoon14g_tim_5VgdjSFPladulmTUpyuObZXRVxoanYCH_qzQkPCipTRBUrn_pEZNVpvhxohJ5Ec2SnGFbKSJG7f1E/s400/20190224-Spirits+Creek+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spirits Creek Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spirits Creek Falls is relatively short, only about eight feet tall, but it is on the main creek itself. The headwaters for Spirits Creek is more than two miles upstream, and it is a big, broad, valley. It has a lot of drainage area above it so it will have fairly good flow long after the streams in the side drainages have dried up to a trickle. It's on my list to go explore further, especially the upper forks. From the top of Spirits Creek Falls, you can look upstream and see where the side drainage containing Upper and Lower Robinson Falls flows in from the left. Cross Spirits Creek wherever you can and these two waterfalls are a short bushwhack away. There is a faint volunteer trail up to Lower Robinson Falls, but you don't really need that. It is only about a hundred yards from Spirits Creek and you can see it as soon as you start up the drainage. Upper Robinson Falls is even less distance further upstream in this side drainage. You can see Upper Robinson Falls from Lower Robinson Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDVplff4yq15LK42akXzHyenDPQEBzw31apcCL5PudKE-nK3urT-9iWZb0X_4aqWkUDZ8foBV_E53qA0qsXx7Pm4UcZ_JMjIrwgpvBNpY9NcHHbbwuLvVxnRKatJ99HrqQbaqr0ROpMpx/s1600/20190224-Lower+Robinson+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDVplff4yq15LK42akXzHyenDPQEBzw31apcCL5PudKE-nK3urT-9iWZb0X_4aqWkUDZ8foBV_E53qA0qsXx7Pm4UcZ_JMjIrwgpvBNpY9NcHHbbwuLvVxnRKatJ99HrqQbaqr0ROpMpx/s400/20190224-Lower+Robinson+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lower Robinson Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Robinson Falls, we headed back down, crossed Spirits Creek, and headed back up the OHT. Along the way, we met a nice couple on their way down. We chatted for a while, and it turned out they are avid blog readers and recognized Boomer's name as soon as I called out to him. Boomer thinks that everyone was put on this Earth just to play with him, so he tends to think of everyone as simply his adoring fans. He may be right about that; I don't think anyone has reacted to him in a way to make him think otherwise. It was close to noon when we got back to the parking location, so today's plan was on track. We had all afternoon to go down the OHT the other way and visit Train Trestle Falls. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhPZxbPItAcyN7Eh0UcONTkZDlvEbov1PyrGNi46MpVwRtUxj2OtzfacsX1xYW_8HcqdvRGNCx43dW_hmSjhu0Ek4k3tkUhA6mUKK3njPF7IVPkiiRk_NKnrQ6SsCW0Rr2bh0Y3WUKFbC/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Spirits+Creek21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGhPZxbPItAcyN7Eh0UcONTkZDlvEbov1PyrGNi46MpVwRtUxj2OtzfacsX1xYW_8HcqdvRGNCx43dW_hmSjhu0Ek4k3tkUhA6mUKK3njPF7IVPkiiRk_NKnrQ6SsCW0Rr2bh0Y3WUKFbC/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Spirits+Creek21.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Spririts Creek Falls and Robinson Falls GPS track<br />Red - where the older maps think the Ozark Highlands Trail is<br />Blue - where the OHT really is - today's hike GPS track</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-22231147814846498302019-02-22T22:17:00.001-08:002019-02-22T22:17:06.300-08:00Rattlesnake Falls, Ozarks north of Fern, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/20/2019 - Rattlesnake Falls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Rattlesnake Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.693979,-94.029380, 1134 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Rattlesnake Falls #2 (today): </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.695468,-94.030871, 1158 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Rattlesnake Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.700089,-94.030424, 1218 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Rattlesnake Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.693534,-94.028837, 1178 ft. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Today's hike was less than a mile round trip from where I parked (parking location #2). Even if you park at the road and hike the road then down to the waterfall, it will be less than a mile each way, almost completely on the level. From Hurricane Creek Road to Rattlesnake Falls, the minimum-to-maximum elevation difference is just 84 feet. I would rate this as an easy hike. Maybe super easy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Dockery%20Gap%20area%20waypoints%20wotr.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Devil's Eyebrow SIA (Dockery Gap area) waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Rattlesnake%20Falls0220.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Rattlesnake Falls track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20-%20Rattlesnake%20and%20Dockery%20Gap0220.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road track - I-40 exit 24 to parking locations</a> </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/dockery-gap-falls-and-other-waterfalls.html">Devil's Eyebrow SIA (Dockery Gap Waterfalls)</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/sixty-foot-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Sixty Foot Falls</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/06/devils-den-loop-trail-devils-den-state.html">Devil's Den Loop Trail</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/jack-white-falls-and-phipps-branch.html">Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/white-rock-creek-waterfalls-ozarks-near_18.html">White Rock Creek Waterfalls and Bluffs</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfyboFAU3D5hL5ERAbESo-nBvWTj2Xl1f7nW46dXhsv-II2Et50eyirUpHDil8WhBbJuzXFRpCxkOaEK8wbPgVjqkLvLoOcwzeiuM54xStCcguh0GQPbv2H6R-0WCQUeIwKnuk-pu1UwH/s1600/Rattlesnake+Falls+%252810%2529.dng" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfyboFAU3D5hL5ERAbESo-nBvWTj2Xl1f7nW46dXhsv-II2Et50eyirUpHDil8WhBbJuzXFRpCxkOaEK8wbPgVjqkLvLoOcwzeiuM54xStCcguh0GQPbv2H6R-0WCQUeIwKnuk-pu1UwH/s400/Rattlesnake+Falls+%252810%2529.dng" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rattlesnake Falls (29 feet)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I had just finished my day of hiking at the Devil's Eyebrow Special Interest Area (SIA), aka the Dockery Gap area. If you have done this hike, you know I was already a little tired. It was also sunset, and I was losing daylight. But all that being said, when you hike to Dockery Gap Falls, Rattlesnake Falls is just too close to not go visit it as well. It's a really nice waterfall and a very easy hike. I wrapped up all the tracks and other technical loose ends on my electronic aids, got packed up in the FJ Cruiser, and set off down the road. From where I parked for the Dockery Gap hike, the turnoff for Rattlesnake Falls was only another 1.6 miles further down Hurricane Creek Road.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIk8fxoVK60aXhZtVDCxzfMY1EpoC1br01ORmyeEiig44hrwUh04c1i1hWbPJtD3hT2PJniIzmR55sE4hZQ_MHihXryo7Yh5yui5c4fzffwLAcW-pzLlRc3CQb44nfgORsP3oLQHrxHWlr/s1600/20190220_102354+turn+off+Hwy+215+onto+Locke+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIk8fxoVK60aXhZtVDCxzfMY1EpoC1br01ORmyeEiig44hrwUh04c1i1hWbPJtD3hT2PJniIzmR55sE4hZQ_MHihXryo7Yh5yui5c4fzffwLAcW-pzLlRc3CQb44nfgORsP3oLQHrxHWlr/s320/20190220_102354+turn+off+Hwy+215+onto+Locke+Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bear left off Hwy 215 onto Locke Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you are not already that close, getting to the parking location is still not that difficult, but will depend on </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcWaK2eN6OD30AbkzqPyEPr7A612yQCEjXhmT6MOKo2z9bACTDIqcdd4XPGngsK-ap96POOVSJtVpx1_JdC5cYfM-d15csV40mcTmAvfKm2Kos5UlMUQKxljB1Wp7Sm_Lve3L3obufZQC/s1600/20190220_103047+turn+off+Locke+Road+right+onto+Old+Locke+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcWaK2eN6OD30AbkzqPyEPr7A612yQCEjXhmT6MOKo2z9bACTDIqcdd4XPGngsK-ap96POOVSJtVpx1_JdC5cYfM-d15csV40mcTmAvfKm2Kos5UlMUQKxljB1Wp7Sm_Lve3L3obufZQC/s320/20190220_103047+turn+off+Locke+Road+right+onto+Old+Locke+Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn right off Locke Road onto Old Locke Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> the direction you are coming from. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'll give my directions from exit 24 on I-40, and I'll post a map below with this road route. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixikOAglFoM4JTsXUw5tI8nDqbEViLwuihM782edpHEYeCWjyx259R5OJm1GvQQPuPbpY8yqN9i0IZ1Md5prtqAg1exzT80Jiz4I6O_IJESQoq96DuOsBMA33mFcEL8QsA1agm1FaOYYMm/s1600/20190220_103925+turn+off+Locke+Road+onto+Hurricane+Creek+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixikOAglFoM4JTsXUw5tI8nDqbEViLwuihM782edpHEYeCWjyx259R5OJm1GvQQPuPbpY8yqN9i0IZ1Md5prtqAg1exzT80Jiz4I6O_IJESQoq96DuOsBMA33mFcEL8QsA1agm1FaOYYMm/s320/20190220_103925+turn+off+Locke+Road+onto+Hurricane+Creek+Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn right off Old Locke Road<br />onto Hurricane Creek Road</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leave I-40 at exit 24 (Mulberry) and go north on Highway 215 for 9.3 miles, to the small community of Fern. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Fern, bear left (actually go straight) onto Locke Road (aka CR-74).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 4.3 miles on Locke Road, and turn right (north) on Old Locke Road (aka FR-1007). It goes to </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a dirt road, but a pretty good dirt road, then back to a paved road. It also changes its name in there somewhere to 'Old Fern Road', so if you see a sign like that, don't be alarmed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 5.4 miles on Old Locke Road and turn right (south) on Hurricane Creek Road (still FR-1007).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 2.5 </span>miles on Hurricane Creek Road, crossing Hurricane Creek, and park where an old Jeep road intersects on the right. This is parking location #3. Park here if you don't have a good 4WD vehicle.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Fwuk2psbpjOczm04yIZa47tPGNC-bmk4_4Ojfecl9N0cuySzj8MUtG0N-TmJN1lRJ6JfBwUuBHVNJFJz7AvZxyTVHD_x7fN9qbP1bCf4PWWzqgdAwPrXHrjrlFbnkqYZENTZdiVqtSlT/s1600/Rattlesnake+Falls+%25288%2529.dng" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Fwuk2psbpjOczm04yIZa47tPGNC-bmk4_4Ojfecl9N0cuySzj8MUtG0N-TmJN1lRJ6JfBwUuBHVNJFJz7AvZxyTVHD_x7fN9qbP1bCf4PWWzqgdAwPrXHrjrlFbnkqYZENTZdiVqtSlT/s400/Rattlesnake+Falls+%25288%2529.dng" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rattlesnake Falls<br />inside-out view</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From parking location #3, you can go down the Jeep road 0.7 miles if you have a good 4WD vehicle with high clearance. This road has deteriorated over the years and is continually getting worse. It's only 0.7 miles of easy hiking so you might consider just leaving your vehicle here even if it does have 4WD. Today, I drove down the road for a half mile and found a fallen tree across the road. It looked as though it had been there a while. I parked here (parking location #2 coordinates above). and hiked the rest of the way. When you get a total of 0.7 miles down the road, you will see a small clearing used as a campsite on the right. This is parking location #1. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bZ0L3bFIYQTM0X81Jp8QsSfUjk141wH_MX47fLSoxDZcBeb29V9uu0GaIvSvM_IXfkawHi4oBOqDPZQZu-VPJdHuADnqG2gerT-DulXlBVToGzG8P0vREln_R45dNZsIn-phi5NMWaEh/s1600/Rattlesnake+Falls+%25282%2529.dng" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bZ0L3bFIYQTM0X81Jp8QsSfUjk141wH_MX47fLSoxDZcBeb29V9uu0GaIvSvM_IXfkawHi4oBOqDPZQZu-VPJdHuADnqG2gerT-DulXlBVToGzG8P0vREln_R45dNZsIn-phi5NMWaEh/s400/Rattlesnake+Falls+%25282%2529.dng" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rattlesnake Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the campsite, you are actually adjacent to Rattlesnake Falls and you can probably hear it if the creek is running well. You can walk straight over to the creek and get to the top of the waterfall, but instead, just look to the downstream corner of the campsite. There is a trail there heading into the woods downstream and toward the creek. This trail will take you to a bluffline break and then wrap around the break toward the waterfall. The base of Rattlesnake Falls is right ahead. It's a pretty waterfall 29 feet tall, and with a name that might keep some folks away. I haven't seen any rattlesnakes here, but it is Arkansas, so you never know. I'm sure there is a story behind the name, but I'm not sure if it's because of rattlesnake sightings, or because when you look at it from the left side, the water stream looks like a snake's fangs. This is a great little waterfall, easily accessible from Hurricane Road, and is also just off the Ozark Highlands Trail. This is highly recommended for everyone. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rattlesnake Falls GPS tracks<br />Blue - old 4WD road<br />Red - Hiking track to Rattlesnake Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlL8oCIrbWOCap97idBk259PhAfR2wfB52sGDwzDAJIRbVaWjepL6BwO1UVMjP-hLLcrtAmjlRmjTUSkhW9jw_8CiHHxdo9R83ipCbdTIkTa7iaVHMyu3EyrXc3Q5myslUNZ7lJtzb3cY/s1600/2019-02-20+road+map+-+to+dockery+gap+and+rattlesnake+falls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlL8oCIrbWOCap97idBk259PhAfR2wfB52sGDwzDAJIRbVaWjepL6BwO1UVMjP-hLLcrtAmjlRmjTUSkhW9jw_8CiHHxdo9R83ipCbdTIkTa7iaVHMyu3EyrXc3Q5myslUNZ7lJtzb3cY/s640/2019-02-20+road+map+-+to+dockery+gap+and+rattlesnake+falls1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Road track from I-40 exit 24 to Rattlesnake Falls parking location #3</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-33967207979584272082019-02-20T14:04:00.000-08:002019-02-22T22:17:38.918-08:00Dockery Gap Falls and other waterfalls in the Devil's Eyebrow SIA, Ozarks near Fern, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/20/2019 - Dockery Gap Falls and other Devil's Eyebrow SIA waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park - Dockery Gap Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.707369,-94.024927, 1104 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #1</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.718195,-94.018577</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #2</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.718028,-94.018238, 1158 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #3</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.719274,-94.017609</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #4: 35.717797, -94.017702, 1314 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap Falls</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.720300,-94.01710, 1416 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #5</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.720646,-94.017166</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #6</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.720675,-94.017040</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #7</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.720861,-94.017871</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #8</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.720861,-94.017871</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #9</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.721108,-94.018102</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #11: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.722929,-94.017032, 1596 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Upper Dockery Gap Falls</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.722310,-94.017075, 1545 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Dockery Gap #12</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.721283,-94.016870</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Rattlesnake Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.693979,-94.029380</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Rattlesnake Falls #2 (today): </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.695468,-94.030871</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Rattlesnake Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.700089,-94.030424</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Rattlesnake Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.693700,-94.028500</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs will probably be fine if they are off-leash. This is some pretty rough and rugged terrain, with the usual assortment of Ozark jungle obstacles. Boomer is a big, magnificent, mountain dog, and I left him home today because I just didn't know what situations we would get into. As it turns out, I didn't have to make any bluff climbs or anything that he couldn't handle, but you just don't know in terrain this rough. I'll probably bring him along next time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> The out-and-back hike today was a total of 5.12 miles. The minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was 534 feet, but there are many climbs up and down between benches, into and out of waterfall grottos, and general ups-and-downs while hiking. My round trip time today was 6:16 (hh:mm), but there was a lot of stopping for photos. This is a bushwhack all the way, with downed trees, rock jumbles, brier patches, undergrowth, and overall very rough, rugged, and steep terrain. This is a difficult bushwhack and not one for a beginner to take on. In the summer months, of course, it will be more difficult.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Dockery%20Gap%20area%20waypoints%20wotr.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Devil's Eyebrow SIA (Dockery Gap area) waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Dockery%20Gap%20Falls0220.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Dockery Gap Waterfalls GPS track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20-%20Rattlesnake%20and%20Dockery%20Gap0220.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road track - I-40 exit 24 to parking locations</a> </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/sixty-foot-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Sixty Foot Falls</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/06/devils-den-loop-trail-devils-den-state.html">Devil's Den Loop Trail</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/jack-white-falls-and-phipps-branch.html">Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/white-rock-creek-waterfalls-ozarks-near_18.html">White Rock Creek Waterfalls and Bluffs</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/rattlesnake-falls-ozarks-north-of-fern.html">Rattlesnake Falls</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3c4Wcv1uCr9MzdyTTuOFON3WkKp_d-yTGHyxPvM2xwCy1wdeiIXJFDd4AWK5DA5N5OH90rccnnfBJDD8vaI35247GmDdtfdYmh48M94h9POQggGKKXf46axbbhhLbN8gw4syobbm74FCP/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Gap+Falls+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3c4Wcv1uCr9MzdyTTuOFON3WkKp_d-yTGHyxPvM2xwCy1wdeiIXJFDd4AWK5DA5N5OH90rccnnfBJDD8vaI35247GmDdtfdYmh48M94h9POQggGKKXf46axbbhhLbN8gw4syobbm74FCP/s400/20190220-Dockery+Gap+Falls+%25288%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dockery Gap Falls (39 feet)<br />with Rick - just happy to be there</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What a great day to be out in the Devil's Eyebrow Special Interest Area (SIA). The what? No, not the Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area up near Beaver Lake. This is one I never heard of until I came back from today's hike to Dockery Gap Falls. Danny Hale sent me a map of the area was labeled 'Devil's Eyebrow SIA' for the entire area I was in today, so I did a little research to see what the deal was. I found bupkis, except for one <a href="https://ozarkhighlandstrail.com/2017/01/20/devils-eyebrow-special-interest-area-bushwhack/">post</a> where an OHT member set up a group hike here, warning potential hikers that it was rated an "extremely difficult" bushwhack. Danny pointed me to a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG0LxSd5Dl8">January 2008 episode of </a><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG0LxSd5Dl8">Exploring Arkansas</a> </i>in which our old friend Chuck Dovish explores the Devil's Eyebrow SIA with a couple of NFS guys that explain what they had in mind when they made it a Special Interest Area. Chuck's show is a good one and has given us lots of leads for day trips in Arkansas. But when I set out this morning, I didn't know any of this interesting information. All I knew is that I wanted to hike out to Dockery Gap Falls, so I loaded up and headed west.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIk8fxoVK60aXhZtVDCxzfMY1EpoC1br01ORmyeEiig44hrwUh04c1i1hWbPJtD3hT2PJniIzmR55sE4hZQ_MHihXryo7Yh5yui5c4fzffwLAcW-pzLlRc3CQb44nfgORsP3oLQHrxHWlr/s1600/20190220_102354+turn+off+Hwy+215+onto+Locke+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIk8fxoVK60aXhZtVDCxzfMY1EpoC1br01ORmyeEiig44hrwUh04c1i1hWbPJtD3hT2PJniIzmR55sE4hZQ_MHihXryo7Yh5yui5c4fzffwLAcW-pzLlRc3CQb44nfgORsP3oLQHrxHWlr/s320/20190220_102354+turn+off+Hwy+215+onto+Locke+Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bear left off Hwy 215 onto Locke Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to the parking location is not that difficult, but will depend on <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcWaK2eN6OD30AbkzqPyEPr7A612yQCEjXhmT6MOKo2z9bACTDIqcdd4XPGngsK-ap96POOVSJtVpx1_JdC5cYfM-d15csV40mcTmAvfKm2Kos5UlMUQKxljB1Wp7Sm_Lve3L3obufZQC/s1600/20190220_103047+turn+off+Locke+Road+right+onto+Old+Locke+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcWaK2eN6OD30AbkzqPyEPr7A612yQCEjXhmT6MOKo2z9bACTDIqcdd4XPGngsK-ap96POOVSJtVpx1_JdC5cYfM-d15csV40mcTmAvfKm2Kos5UlMUQKxljB1Wp7Sm_Lve3L3obufZQC/s320/20190220_103047+turn+off+Locke+Road+right+onto+Old+Locke+Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn right off Locke Road onto Old Locke Road</span></td></tr>
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the direction you are coming from. Tim Ernst gives directions from nearby Mountainburg, so if you are approaching from t</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">he northwest, that would work best for you. I'll give my directions from exit 24 on I-40, and I'll post a map below with this road route. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixikOAglFoM4JTsXUw5tI8nDqbEViLwuihM782edpHEYeCWjyx259R5OJm1GvQQPuPbpY8yqN9i0IZ1Md5prtqAg1exzT80Jiz4I6O_IJESQoq96DuOsBMA33mFcEL8QsA1agm1FaOYYMm/s1600/20190220_103925+turn+off+Locke+Road+onto+Hurricane+Creek+Road.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixikOAglFoM4JTsXUw5tI8nDqbEViLwuihM782edpHEYeCWjyx259R5OJm1GvQQPuPbpY8yqN9i0IZ1Md5prtqAg1exzT80Jiz4I6O_IJESQoq96DuOsBMA33mFcEL8QsA1agm1FaOYYMm/s320/20190220_103925+turn+off+Locke+Road+onto+Hurricane+Creek+Road.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Turn right off Old Locke Road<br />onto Hurricane Creek Road</span></td></tr>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Leave I-40 at exit 24 (Mulberry) and go north on Highway 215 for 9.3 miles, to the small community of Fern. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Fern, bear left (actually go straight) onto Locke Road (aka CR-74).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 4.3 miles on Locke Road, and turn right (north) on Old Locke Road (aka FR-1007). It goes to a dirt road, but a pretty good dirt road, then back to a paved road. It also changes its name in there somewhere to 'Old Fern Road', so if you see a sign like that, don't be alarmed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 5.4 miles on Old Locke Road and turn right (south) on Hurricane Creek Road (still FR-1007).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.9 miles on Hurricane Creek Road and park on the left off the road at the sharp bend in Hurricane Creek Road. This is parking location #1 for Dockery Gap Falls.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To get to Rattlesnake Falls, you would continue on down Hurricane Creek Road for an additional 1.6 miles, crossing Hurricane Creek, and park where an old Jeep road intersects on the right. Rattlesnake Falls is such an easy hike and is so close, it's practically a requirement to stop there as well. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpEX63QQ3H96ufjKnIipYL4fAEy_ARuUOJfrbfcAVwYMUvWVXtSkpptUDBkR7Rxyuh-yQF8qUmUksqk8YTTbLO_6_i_vSkD7SU45YBL_m-2SlpEtCTKB-sjfXMz17HP-DRNCIOyVEqA3I/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25236+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpEX63QQ3H96ufjKnIipYL4fAEy_ARuUOJfrbfcAVwYMUvWVXtSkpptUDBkR7Rxyuh-yQF8qUmUksqk8YTTbLO_6_i_vSkD7SU45YBL_m-2SlpEtCTKB-sjfXMz17HP-DRNCIOyVEqA3I/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25236+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the parking location, it is about 1.5 miles and a lot of rough terrain to Dockery Gap Falls. That being said, there will be some routes that are easier than others. I think most folks keep their bearings by going down the bluff on your left from the parking spot, crossing over the pipeline right of way, and turning left to follow the bluff around and into the hollow, then just following the creek upstream. I'm lazy and want to minimize the rock hopping along the creek, with the underbrush that seems to grow thicker there. I also wanted to make sure I checked out the great waterfalls above Dockery Gap Falls, but mainly it's the lazy thing. I'll detail the route I took today, then tell you what I think the optimal route is to just get to Dockery Gap Falls. One of the reasons I write this blog is to keep track of what I learn and optimize my route and my knowledge of the area. I learn something every time I go back to an area, and that makes it easier on me the next time. In other words, I'm so lazy, </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'll wear myself out to find the easiest, most clear path from point A to point B.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dockery Gap Falls<br />Falls #5 visible above in the background</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While following the creek upstream is one way, I have learned to look for routes I think might be easier, so I'll study the topo maps and satellite imagery to try to figure that out beforehand. I hiked up the pipeline right-of-way because it is kept clear for the most part, up to the bench I wanted to be on to get above Dockery Gap Falls. When the pipeline </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">right-of-way went almost vertical, too steep and overgrown to climb, I angled off into the woods on the right and kept climbing up to my target bench above 1400 feet elevation. From there, I headed north across the bench, going upstream in the hollow. There is an old road across this bench, and I followed it out to the edge of the bench, where it dived off down into the hollow below. Not wanting to lose the elevation I had, because I wanted to go to the upstream falls, I turned off the old road and stayed on the bench I was at, continuing to head upstream. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RXV30I3WrblKFsdrzTOH9NWyN8qA94fJ_WR3420iMwW35jODgkm3rgTEloImh4fYPNHQ_HCgWRV5rIteJH2UjmE5D7WX7KlK9HL13km5lwpX3L-JK9wgxi2FbdL4C93uLiJMwUaWWbPq/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25238+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7RXV30I3WrblKFsdrzTOH9NWyN8qA94fJ_WR3420iMwW35jODgkm3rgTEloImh4fYPNHQ_HCgWRV5rIteJH2UjmE5D7WX7KlK9HL13km5lwpX3L-JK9wgxi2FbdL4C93uLiJMwUaWWbPq/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25238+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #8</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think this worked out pretty well. There were, of course, the occasional patches of briers, blackberries, and other brambles, as well as downed trees, rock jumbles, and other Ozark mountain obstacles, but for the most part, you can hike the benches with a few ups-and-downs, mostly on the level. Dockery Gap is different than most hollows, in that there are few big side drainages. You get all the way up to within a quarter-mile of Dockery Gap Falls before crossing a drainage big enough to have nice waterfalls. When I hit this one, I went upstream for a distance, just to explore and see what else was there. It looked like it didn't have enough flow at that point to support any sizeable waterfalls, so I headed back downstream until I hit Falls #1, a small waterfall just a few yards upstream of Falls #2. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59l96uKavhNW3Kekr6zeZ6RNms-IPzj6QSs6YEZ8IzFlJMo6cjHoXHoQoLLJuOoLF8yGRr8_49VM1gKN8hh8tzwxYT3Yhc7_bSCwKQxY8vQRNUzAbmqKbM24_XOuj8eO4Z42F2yq922LV/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25232+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59l96uKavhNW3Kekr6zeZ6RNms-IPzj6QSs6YEZ8IzFlJMo6cjHoXHoQoLLJuOoLF8yGRr8_49VM1gKN8hh8tzwxYT3Yhc7_bSCwKQxY8vQRNUzAbmqKbM24_XOuj8eO4Z42F2yq922LV/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25232+%25286%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My original plan was to stay up on that upper bluff and explore the part of this hollow above this major bluffline, then descend below it and hit Dockery Gap Falls and this one on my way back. Unfortunately, I am distracted easily. It's relatively easy to climb down the bluff at this drainage to the right (south) of Falls #2. When I saw how it looked in the half-shade, half-full sunlight, I decided to climb down and shoot a few photos. Once down below the bluff, you can either climb back up, or there won't be another good bluffline break until all the way to Dockery Gap Falls, and well past it on the other side. After packing up the camera at Falls #2, I instinctively started hiking down the base of the bluff toward Dockery Gap Falls. There is another tall waterfall, Falls #3, where another small drainage flows over the big bluff. This is about halfway between Falls #2 and Dockery Gap Falls, and that's where I realized my plans had changed. That's what often happens, as I said I am easily distracted by all the natural beauty of my surroundings, but it's all good. If I'm going to climb back up above the bluffline and back down again, I might as well see the main attraction first. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKySK1YhHifEzgEXfpfhNqBXvxYdchohoP2O0lquH2FNDthApOtqaJvcv1xvC2R3IIXm23oZoNuYuosbJX1jvDY9-AaecuCp-ODfU4UgSvF_ziNQmb7Ykyb164N-l_7OCkdcVPyuGmp4P/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Gap+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKySK1YhHifEzgEXfpfhNqBXvxYdchohoP2O0lquH2FNDthApOtqaJvcv1xvC2R3IIXm23oZoNuYuosbJX1jvDY9-AaecuCp-ODfU4UgSvF_ziNQmb7Ykyb164N-l_7OCkdcVPyuGmp4P/s400/20190220-Dockery+Gap+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dockery Gap Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you come around the corner of the bluff from Falls #3, you can see the whole bluff stretched out in front of you with Dockery Gap Falls well down the bluff. It's quite a sight when the creek is flowing well, and not one you'll see if you hike up the creek on your way upstream. I should mention there is another waterfall in the drainage downstream of Falls #2, and you will see that one if you come up along the creek. I meant to double back to see it and forgot all about it when I headed back. Dockery Gap Falls was great today; it was full, bright, harsh sunlight when I arrived at it, which makes photography difficult for it, but it made the experience of being there all the better. It was fantastic. I spent a good deal of time here, taking it in and taking some photos. I found one spot high up under the overhang where one of the two waterfalls just upstream of Dockery Gap Falls could be seen. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLcz-EJjBFjEi2W6DH6WTpnIV0Rk9I3gg1YnMii_tIxRIyzcPe-cWHk2SOQMkBdVeYNCzCWGgAKIhXQdeSnoUCm1eGdOIxtAPBlEIxPHaoAdgEmA2kUdyW0J4mtKVtI2lC3Fz32ZZSrSU/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25235+%2528left%2529+and+%25236+%2528right%2529+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLcz-EJjBFjEi2W6DH6WTpnIV0Rk9I3gg1YnMii_tIxRIyzcPe-cWHk2SOQMkBdVeYNCzCWGgAKIhXQdeSnoUCm1eGdOIxtAPBlEIxPHaoAdgEmA2kUdyW0J4mtKVtI2lC3Fz32ZZSrSU/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25235+%2528left%2529+and+%25236+%2528right%2529+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5 (left) and Falls #6 (right)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To get upstream of Dockery Gap Falls, you have to climb that huge bluffline. Back the way I came, the opportunity to do that was about a quarter mile back downstream, past Falls #2. On the right side (as you face upstream), the bluffline breaks just a hundred yards or so from Dockery Gap Falls. Following the base of the bluff up and around would be the easiest route, if it were not for some large trees that have fallen right over it. Instead of trying to pick my way through that mess, I just went downstream around it, and then up above the bluff. Coming around the bluff toward the top of Dockery Gap Falls, you can see a small waterfall right at the top that isn't visible until you get to the top. Just a few yards upstream of the top of Dockery Gap Falls, the stream splits into two forks, with a nice waterfall just above the fork on each side. Falls #5, on the left, is a more traditional looking box waterfall, while on the right side, Falls #6 is more of a cascade that flows under a little stone natural bridge at its base.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbe-50cA3CCOZKYcpWD4np-Hqv-7-Jxhw18LQHULr6uzGoBL-3bs0tvm7e7LUDDhlXtIzXgco-b7MSe2D3ABTwXA3fOaGDilxG2ihAJkvjN5POE_k_K0J-jWmiSOFEd05Gg8wKzksV-UH/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25236+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbe-50cA3CCOZKYcpWD4np-Hqv-7-Jxhw18LQHULr6uzGoBL-3bs0tvm7e7LUDDhlXtIzXgco-b7MSe2D3ABTwXA3fOaGDilxG2ihAJkvjN5POE_k_K0J-jWmiSOFEd05Gg8wKzksV-UH/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25236+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Going upstream, it was kind of a toss-up as to which fork to take. I figured going to Upper Dockery Gap Falls would be an up-and-back effort since it has tall, unbroken bluffs on both sides quite a way upstream until you come to it. I decided to take the left fork first, then get above that next big bluffline and do some exploring above. Going above Falls #5, Falls #7 is already visible. If you look off to the right, you can see a much taller bluff that this fork used to flow over, making a much larger waterfall. Today, there was a trickle of flow over the old route of the creek, but not much. At some point in the past, this stream had been re-routed and cut a new channel that almost all of the flow now goes down. This makes for a less spectacular waterfall, but there are now three that take its place. Falls #8 is a long, pretty cascade just above Falls #7, and Falls #9 is a two-drop waterfall coming over the bluffline above that. I circled around, up, and over the bluff there, continuing around to Upper Dockery Gap Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF6V8xBXyciV16wcOQ0l-b45YKKHbhsrZxg6jycyfo0v6UFi7Gc5VcRwW-2q3adrFn0SLFamxBb6QtwSPYBC6AP3Ven2kxN-k-awU6W7kg9hHesheDScUAxdyY3UTMfrY4QWP-2aPTZfl/s1600/20190220-Upper+Dockery+Gap+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJF6V8xBXyciV16wcOQ0l-b45YKKHbhsrZxg6jycyfo0v6UFi7Gc5VcRwW-2q3adrFn0SLFamxBb6QtwSPYBC6AP3Ven2kxN-k-awU6W7kg9hHesheDScUAxdyY3UTMfrY4QWP-2aPTZfl/s400/20190220-Upper+Dockery+Gap+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Upper Dockery Gap Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On both forks above Dockery Gap Falls, I only went far enough to see that there probably wouldn't be enough flow today for any waterfalls I might find higher in the drainage. They were flowing nicely at this elevation but seemed to lose flow quickly as I ventured further upstream. A short distance above Upper Dockery Gap Falls was a small cascading waterfall. As the creek entered the big drop down into the grotto for Upper Dockery Gap Falls, it drops through a continual series of short waterfalls before finally dropping down the steep cascade for the lower part of Upper Dockery Gap Falls. From the bottom of this waterfall, you can't get a good angle to see the entire run of the waterfall. I found just one spot halfway between benches where I could hang onto a tree and get a shot of the whole thing without falling to my death. If it were not wintertime, even that shot would be blocked by the foliage. I'm starting to see the value of drones. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6B-7SJH5pJmZC5ITgykN8AqkN7WXBrdnD_RIghU9KhdGR852h79X6lfyMx37yEKSWCGff122XOQhep29EfRo2OAbWijie-sonkRYShlZ6txYZYY3StVhxQYE1mDj409Vb5VUSiomg4NeN/s1600/20190220-Upper+Dockery+Gap+Falls+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6B-7SJH5pJmZC5ITgykN8AqkN7WXBrdnD_RIghU9KhdGR852h79X6lfyMx37yEKSWCGff122XOQhep29EfRo2OAbWijie-sonkRYShlZ6txYZYY3StVhxQYE1mDj409Vb5VUSiomg4NeN/s400/20190220-Upper+Dockery+Gap+Falls+%252811%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Upper Dockery Gap Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thought I had found a way to pick my way down to the base of Upper Dockery Gap Falls, but there was still about a 12-foot bank that was slippery and just too iffy to try. I do have a satellite beacon, an Inreach Explorer, but I would rather not have to call in the SAR teams to an area like this. So I went back the way I came, on top of the bluff and all the way around the left fork, then all the way up the canyon into the right fork and Upper Dockery Gap Falls. I did not name this one, by the way. I got the coordinates and name from an old waterfall database but have not seen any other photos of it or references for it. It's a beautiful waterfall, and it's a shame more folks don't venture up to see it. Leaving Upper Dockery Gap Falls, I hiked down the east side of the canyon and stopped by Falls #12 on my way out. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugURZpyC5LvVtEfAw7Zdii2f4bQSHTyTH-aa_oUvo43QM2Ecdd3hLoZVuEZxM0IFfdjoltznMwTBaGNj6Y6C3U7Iz3rnXElurlPQUPu5UXuaXj9iac2nknSz63CJ7q8yqvAnOm9DSt1Ef/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%252312+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugURZpyC5LvVtEfAw7Zdii2f4bQSHTyTH-aa_oUvo43QM2Ecdd3hLoZVuEZxM0IFfdjoltznMwTBaGNj6Y6C3U7Iz3rnXElurlPQUPu5UXuaXj9iac2nknSz63CJ7q8yqvAnOm9DSt1Ef/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%252312+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #12</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the time I got back down the bluffline break to Dockery Gap Falls, the sun was starting to set and I stopped to take a few more photos without so much glare. Heading back, I decided it was probably best to forego any further exploring. I still wanted to visit Rattlesnake Falls, which is less than two miles down the road. On top of that, this is a difficult enough place to hike in the daytime. I carry a headlamp in my pack, but this is not the kind of place I want to be stumbling around in the dark. I stopped at Falls #2 long enough to take some photos of it in the shade, then I kept hiking down the bench on that level. I was pretty sure there should have been an old bench road along this bench since it stays relatively flat (emphasis on relatively) for a long way down the hollow. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwZbwwoUkpx4PX4jj8YhUPSkmpluQtciloWq5F8N3ZfrXBI7H2IOiSlJ6CNdj30ypRJJ55imeAR6cMRs4KHnstHbClF0sZ38l3qvvqE9ChJZmbTgLSC8R9DW-pJRlprW2t7VfdjmEyGFI/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25235+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwZbwwoUkpx4PX4jj8YhUPSkmpluQtciloWq5F8N3ZfrXBI7H2IOiSlJ6CNdj30ypRJJ55imeAR6cMRs4KHnstHbClF0sZ38l3qvvqE9ChJZmbTgLSC8R9DW-pJRlprW2t7VfdjmEyGFI/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25235+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I eventually found the faint traces of an old roadbed and followed it all the way back down to where that old road across the bench above this one descended down into the valley. It was a very faint trace road that I lost on occasion but always found it again, mostly on the outer edge of the bench. I like the old roads the pioneers blazed back in the day, not so much because they have less undergrowth. Sometimes they do, but it has been so long since this was used that the foliage was not that much different than the rest of the area on the bench. What is nice about these old road beds is that they had at one time had rocks cleared off them and they generally took the route with the least slope differences. There's only so much that horses and mules will put up with. Don't get me wrong, there are still downed trees and such, what I call 'Ozark obstacle courses', but I still made much better time following the old trace of a bench road than I otherwise would have. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_2-uS6hldWsledsbQ1XYAcg8cx-8ONzgtvUKHbzaqfg4vcU62qD3toMAhJ2nW2M-ennqYNrPYVM7vSnuALTpsYwce46Gy975OPbUKP3mGASwGZWjIM6ei5_Ya7z3XhWuXYgRmX8LUoKn/s1600/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25232+%252817%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_2-uS6hldWsledsbQ1XYAcg8cx-8ONzgtvUKHbzaqfg4vcU62qD3toMAhJ2nW2M-ennqYNrPYVM7vSnuALTpsYwce46Gy975OPbUKP3mGASwGZWjIM6ei5_Ya7z3XhWuXYgRmX8LUoKn/s400/20190220-Dockery+Hollow+%25232+%252817%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The old bench road ran down to the old logging road that crossed the bench above, the one I had followed briefly on the hike into the area. I suspect the old bench road ran down the bluff toward the mouth of the hollow where it flows into Hurricane Creek, but I went the way I knew and followed the old road up to the next higher bench and over to the pipeline right-of-way. Then it was just a matter of hiking down the pipeline clearing and over to where I had parked this morning. The short hike between the parking spot and the pipeline right-of-way is probably the worst of the bushwhacking conditions, in my opinion. Still, it isn't too hard to skirt around briers and brush and make your way to the road. My GPS logged only 5.12 miles for the entire round trip hike. That doesn't sound like a whole lot, but these were some pretty rough and rugged miles. I was getting a little tired by the time I got back to the FJ, but I was still intent on seeing Rattlesnake Falls before I headed home. That will be the next post!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fXm-GlCnQUOSYlt4A23v0UC-tAVRZzQ_cH_ceJZ34T7bVzhPJByMt5sHJmSdVCYE9FAuv6map9N7DNA12Wt-G_mMocaDoUNjIR6sMFDVjszFSbCPrHhifxRyV-gWWjXVaLyB2CagUw7J/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8fXm-GlCnQUOSYlt4A23v0UC-tAVRZzQ_cH_ceJZ34T7bVzhPJByMt5sHJmSdVCYE9FAuv6map9N7DNA12Wt-G_mMocaDoUNjIR6sMFDVjszFSbCPrHhifxRyV-gWWjXVaLyB2CagUw7J/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dockery Gap Waterfalls GPS track</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEits1yThep21vEJ-nbS-D6PKzbsRjPeRD3zeyGAWiI_LyNeXouGlwcjYWeLCCkZ0DLzH1LcRhalGcNFsn1_-kfoxDlmk7P5owdpXI80w210v0fqW0lhc59fNPK-9L_89lkRKysrTsdgCwl0/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+-+best+routest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEits1yThep21vEJ-nbS-D6PKzbsRjPeRD3zeyGAWiI_LyNeXouGlwcjYWeLCCkZ0DLzH1LcRhalGcNFsn1_-kfoxDlmk7P5owdpXI80w210v0fqW0lhc59fNPK-9L_89lkRKysrTsdgCwl0/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+-+best+routest1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Best Routes (in Rick's opinion)<br />Blue - to/from Dockery Gap Falls from pipeline right-of-way<br />Orange - Dockery Gap Falls to/from upstream waterfalls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpX-pF-5SuAY6fFRovXsN0CSIhEbOiuQjy-82yfHu3JHSgx5KVls8X4gCkgytH08u_ISmQD6HkwxqpkTQCNQeCYvvEe1CIuGV3hCn7kawTtd7HEHHW_QNuJ_hc9q61_o1jZAEWbFitpD6/s1600/2019-02-20+road+map+-+to+dockery+gap+and+rattlesnake+falls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpX-pF-5SuAY6fFRovXsN0CSIhEbOiuQjy-82yfHu3JHSgx5KVls8X4gCkgytH08u_ISmQD6HkwxqpkTQCNQeCYvvEe1CIuGV3hCn7kawTtd7HEHHW_QNuJ_hc9q61_o1jZAEWbFitpD6/s640/2019-02-20+road+map+-+to+dockery+gap+and+rattlesnake+falls1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Road track - I-40 exit 24 to Dockery Gap and Rattlesnake Falls parking</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-75446021439822246982019-02-14T21:31:00.002-08:002019-02-15T09:54:35.493-08:00Road 299 Falls, Glory B Falls, and Eagle's Nest Falls, Madison WMA, near Forum, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/12/2019 Road 299 Falls, Glory B Falls, and Eagle's Nest Falls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Road 299 Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.256421,-93.657374</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Road 299 Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.256707,-93.656746</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Glory B Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.196011,-93.691862</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Glory B Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.196883,-93.690102</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Park - Eagle Nest Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.224055,-93.655668</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Leave the trail for Eagle's Nest Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.224607,-93.653464</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Eagles Nest Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.224100,-93.653200</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. At Eagle's Nest Falls, be careful near the top of the falls and along the bluff around it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> Road 299 Falls and Glory B Falls are literally right next to the road. For Glory B Falls, you need to park about 0.1 miles down the road, but I'll not even count that as a hike. Both are easy to access the top and bottom of the waterfalls. Eagles Nest Falls is a little hiking, at least. Today I hiked just under one mile, 0.95 miles to be exact, on the round-trip hike. The minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was only 104 feet. The hike to the bottom of the waterfall is a little tricky, but I would still rate it as an easy hike/bushwhack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Madison%20WMA%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Madison WMA waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Eagles%20Nest%20Falls%20return0213.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Eagle's Nest Falls GPS track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20299%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road Track to Road 299 Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20to%20Glory%20B%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road Track to Glory B Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20to%20Eagles%20Nest%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road Track to Eagle's Nest Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20-%20Glory%20B%20Falls%20to%20Eagles%20Nest%20Falls.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road Track from Glory B Falls to Eagle's Nest Falls</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/tea-kettle-falls-and-reynolds-hollow.html">Tea Kettle Falls and Reynolds Hollow Falls</a></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO94eZqo0OhibhKd1wph3sK8vXWuXzgGbvuxJfO1_yyal2Ll_5lyTG7G8YWFHzW73ods3dYrY7_1RKKWna5B291pQfm0ehk2yS1OmOqPwzrqdbe_VZbSMlkuqlC0QCBCYwStpEK4W1RnfC/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO94eZqo0OhibhKd1wph3sK8vXWuXzgGbvuxJfO1_yyal2Ll_5lyTG7G8YWFHzW73ods3dYrY7_1RKKWna5B291pQfm0ehk2yS1OmOqPwzrqdbe_VZbSMlkuqlC0QCBCYwStpEK4W1RnfC/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%25289%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Glory B Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After finishing my hike at Tea Kettle Falls, it was already 2:00pm, but I still had </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">three waterfalls in the Madison Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that I wanted to make sure I hit today. It's such a long drive up here for me, I intended to visit them all and get the best payload for my road time. The other three waterfalls I wanted to visit were all that I call "drive-by roadside falls", and these three are the trifecta of drive-by waterfalls for the Madison WMA. I'll discuss them in the order that I saw them today, but this order was primarily because I was closest to Road 299 Falls, but I wanted to save Eagle's Nest Falls for last and hoped that the sun would be low enough to put most of it in the shade. Road 299 Falls and Eagle's Nest Falls are relatively close to each other so you might consider visiting them consecutively. One note; I noticed my directions were a little different on some than what Tim Ernst has in his <a href="http://timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">Arkansas Waterfalls</a> guidebook. I have learned from experience that Tim knows what he is talking about. I think either route gets you there, but I highly recommend taking Tim's book with you also. If you don't have the book, order it <a href="http://timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">online</a> and he will sign it for you. You'll thank me later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Road 299 Falls</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPk33jAxKA_mcTiHOdx6lO44CO3CdFlTf7VDGpeZ2l3K-UKVte4i_8ViJBGsjknGWaKIuUg8FMT7MLsJ6x6-WWFr6t7dIvLIr7xa9gx_o0byhUqXZp5sOeHVK7cu6npfgaQPuek1pr7s8/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Road+299+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDPk33jAxKA_mcTiHOdx6lO44CO3CdFlTf7VDGpeZ2l3K-UKVte4i_8ViJBGsjknGWaKIuUg8FMT7MLsJ6x6-WWFr6t7dIvLIr7xa9gx_o0byhUqXZp5sOeHVK7cu6npfgaQPuek1pr7s8/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Road+299+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Road 299 Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The roads throughout the Madison WMA are generally good, as much as gravel roads can be, but they wind all through this part of the WMA in a virtual maze that is hard to keep track of. Your navigation unit or phone will probably know these roads since they are mostly Madison County maintained named roads, so plugging the </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS coordinates for the</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> parking location in may just do the trick for you, but I would keep an eye on it. To get to Road 299 Falls, start at the small community of Forum, north of Huntsville on Highway 23.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the sharp turn on Highway 23 in the middle of Forum, go 3.5 miles north on Highway 23 and turn right onto CR-1235. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.2 Miles on CR-1235 and bear right onto CR-1250.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.7 miles and bear right to stay on CR-1250.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go an additional 1.6 miles on CR-1250 and bear left onto CR-1425</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.5 miles on CR-1425 and turn right onto CR-299. This junction is kind of a 3-way 'Y', and CR-299 is the far right road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.6 miles on CR-299 and there is a small clearing on the left to park at. This is the CR-299 Falls parking location.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2p6Dxsv27Sah_fMKASdAaBlX34P0rTf2KQQNq33lp-ywPrsC6Oepmys3EQ07bHGX6PokDhW7WM8MU9ljw-GzWyax50holHA0yJAdcXFGwfDbGu_lhqel1FgfYR5ZBLT2sx_qJf7FbqSA/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Road+299+Falls+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2p6Dxsv27Sah_fMKASdAaBlX34P0rTf2KQQNq33lp-ywPrsC6Oepmys3EQ07bHGX6PokDhW7WM8MU9ljw-GzWyax50holHA0yJAdcXFGwfDbGu_lhqel1FgfYR5ZBLT2sx_qJf7FbqSA/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Road+299+Falls+%25288%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Road 299 Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Road 299 Falls is just downstream a few yards from the parking spot. There is a volunteer trail down to the top of the waterfall, but don't take that because you can't see much from that viewpoint. Go to the back of the clearing on the right and there is another volunteer trail that goes a short distance around the top of the bluff on the right, then down to the base of Road 299 Falls. This is a beautiful little (21 feet tall) waterfall, and the creek is that same small aggregate of limestone that you see throughout the Madison WMA, making the water crystal clear. For this waterfall, navigating the maze of roads is the hard part. The short hike down to the base of the waterfall is super short and very easy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Glory B Falls</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFFQNEdzcf78JQiY_n8yzXQe37q8GetGO4n6FnORJOwcRaPjquru1NDZR8x56lh8dwgT3dMvdIfTxFx3E3Ufkcvrp1How-Fgw9X-1TDbGryVV_Vv_FsYTtnlIUcqM1dJNI52kMdM_A0Eg/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFFQNEdzcf78JQiY_n8yzXQe37q8GetGO4n6FnORJOwcRaPjquru1NDZR8x56lh8dwgT3dMvdIfTxFx3E3Ufkcvrp1How-Fgw9X-1TDbGryVV_Vv_FsYTtnlIUcqM1dJNI52kMdM_A0Eg/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Glory B Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I debated on whether I should just go knock out Eagle's Nest Falls, but in the end, decided to go ahead on over to Glory B Falls and save what I consider the best of the three for last when the harsh sun might be a little more favorable. You can actually cut over to Glory B Falls from either of the other two, but I'll give directions as if you were going to this one directly. I included a track for going from Glory B Falls to Eagle's Nest Falls in the links above. To get to Glory B Falls, start once again from the small community of Forum. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the sharp turn on Highway 23 in the middle of Forum, go 1.4 miles north on Highway 23 and turn right onto CR-1230 (aka CR-407). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 1.3 miles on CR-1230, and bear right to stay on CR-1230.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go another 0.7 miles on CR-1230 and park at the big Madison WMA sign.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBci9-L2eK6BmAZEYlJTjG8iPoIgjGk_Q5tuWUkXiUV5nzAFfe2aU1oFV2VZ8w_PMs6esNq0QtccNeK9qkQEyjbvqr4Ysq_kupN-XwEOzkC25qdnarva2KX03WbYP5vjtW23LrHJP7FknO/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%252816%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBci9-L2eK6BmAZEYlJTjG8iPoIgjGk_Q5tuWUkXiUV5nzAFfe2aU1oFV2VZ8w_PMs6esNq0QtccNeK9qkQEyjbvqr4Ysq_kupN-XwEOzkC25qdnarva2KX03WbYP5vjtW23LrHJP7FknO/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%252816%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Glory B Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You actually drove right by Glory B Falls about a tenth of a mile before you parked at the WMA sign, but the road there is narrow and there really isn't any place to park without blocking the road. From the parking location, hike back down the road for that tenth of a mile. You can see the creek and hear Glory B Falls before you get to it. There is an easy way down to the base of the waterfall just to the left. This is the shortest of the waterfalls I visited today, at only 16 feet tall, and the sun was harshly brilliant and in just the wrong place to get a decent shot of the waterfall. As it turns out, the photos I took here are some of my favorites from the day's hikes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Eagle's Nest Falls</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixR-FKMYLl4QA3yCfM4nyX13eotutsq9wlYW_1xe0awSzOfJG2kY2YVGftq1S6xbrueqMpxLJo30i8JE1u0HNAGwTbcvwvQL0WdVJ3DxeAbrWc2i01wqYlEzarirotoLCTfrgJeY1P40MZ/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Eagle%2527s+Nest+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixR-FKMYLl4QA3yCfM4nyX13eotutsq9wlYW_1xe0awSzOfJG2kY2YVGftq1S6xbrueqMpxLJo30i8JE1u0HNAGwTbcvwvQL0WdVJ3DxeAbrWc2i01wqYlEzarirotoLCTfrgJeY1P40MZ/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Eagle%2527s+Nest+Falls+%25287%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eagle's Nest Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eagle's Nest Falls is located right below the parking area for the trail out to the King's River Overlook. There are signs on turns, pointing to this overlook, and that will tell you that you are on the right track. I actually went from Glory B Falls to Eagle's Nest Falls by cutting across on CR-1425, and I included a track for that in the links above and on the map below. For a stand-alone approach to Eagle's Nest Falls, I'll start again from the small town of Forum:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the sharp turn on Highway 23 in the middle of Forum, go 3.5 miles north on Highway 23 and turn right onto CR-1235. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.2 Miles on CR-1235 and bear right onto CR-1250. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.7 miles and bear right to stay on CR-1250. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go an additional 1.6 miles on CR-1250 and bear left onto CR-1425</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.8 miles on CR-1425 and make two right turns to round an intersection onto CR-1230.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 1.0 miles on CR-1230 and bear right onto CR-1254.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.2 miles and turn left to stay on CR-1254.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go an additional 0.5 miles on CR-1254 and turn left onto WMA-19 (aka Road 447-19).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go down WMA-19 a quarter mile and turn to your right at the gate and sign, then park in the parking area there. </span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROBkvpb1oVjI9vNp1i2X1VtISuRjLdX3O_SUJbSLJoxzIsieAbvQ_xlS0COFnf9W1ZHKiR96vkaJEDtiLIye2GS1jBfcOCPMSMdoh5sh4vozectm-SUyZYsuwZO9c8BI87TTyuhEe7U-a/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Eagle%2527s+Nest+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROBkvpb1oVjI9vNp1i2X1VtISuRjLdX3O_SUJbSLJoxzIsieAbvQ_xlS0COFnf9W1ZHKiR96vkaJEDtiLIye2GS1jBfcOCPMSMdoh5sh4vozectm-SUyZYsuwZO9c8BI87TTyuhEe7U-a/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Eagle%2527s+Nest+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eagle's Nest Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I still consider this a roadside waterfall, it just takes a lot of different roads to finally get to it. From the parking location, head down the old trace road behind the gate and sign you passed going into the parking area. Follow this trail downhill, across a small creek, then back uphill slightly on the bluff above this creek. You'll cross two more creeks and come to a spot where there is a small clearing on the left and a volunteer trail on the right. To the left, there is a bluff at the end of the clearing with a small cave in the bottom. The creek you just crossed used to spring from this cave. That spring is now a few yards further downstream, leaving the small cave high and dry. Go back down and cross the trail onto the volunteer trail; it winds down from the bluff to the top of Eagle's Nest Falls. Like many waterfalls in the Ozarks, it is easy to get to the top, but you can't really see much of it from the top.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0Cls777zQ8JqOaMCHW3CwHmQR3LgFWI6xzDrZHRVtLYMVxokBRDqDaIBz9I8BPotlttiLS8CisdSmtowSwFPDVBM5goywfufehkNos2yfWalPGWpJmcFY3IoIqLWPb66FHBipoNnbL9m/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Eagle%2527s+Nest+Falls+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0Cls777zQ8JqOaMCHW3CwHmQR3LgFWI6xzDrZHRVtLYMVxokBRDqDaIBz9I8BPotlttiLS8CisdSmtowSwFPDVBM5goywfufehkNos2yfWalPGWpJmcFY3IoIqLWPb66FHBipoNnbL9m/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Eagle%2527s+Nest+Falls+%252812%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eagle's Nest Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The top of this waterfall is somewhat unique. You can see a shaft formed in the rock from a large slab that fell over the top of the waterfall at some point. Most of the creek flows over the right side of the waterfall, but some flows down that shaft and comes out at an angle to the rest of the waterfall. You can see this from the base of the falls when you are over near the right side of the shelter cave there. To get to the base, go upstream a few yards and cross the creek. There is a faint volunteer trail, but if you can't find it, just head across the creek and up to the base of the bluff above the creek there. Follow along the base of the bluff downstream. The trail goes under an old barb-wire fence, which is now pinned up for you. As you come around the top of the grotto for Eagle's Nest Falls, there is a creek flowing over that upper bluff, making a small waterfall. Where that creek flows down, you can follow it around the edge of the bluff and then follow the base of the bluff down to the base of Eagle's Nest Falls.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eagle's Nest Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was getting late, but I still had plenty of daylight to take some photos and look around. This is simply one of the most beautiful waterfalls that I have ever seen. I have not seen any photos that really do it justice in the setting it is in. You descend along the base of a soaring bluff to a waterfall with a gorgeous geometry, and behind you on the right side of the waterfall extends a very large shelter cave. The cave is quite extensive for a shelter cave and looks like it was formed by the creek eons ago when the creek ran about 30 feet or so higher than it does now. As the creek eroded a new channel on its way downstream to King's River, it dug a new channel and moved away from the cave. I wandered around quite a bit, just taking in the scenery, then started back the way I had hiked down. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfBJU8GEO0R4ZXMkdKDxwmEto5Wjagt33M3_0YEgF0OAEs1GXOkj3IOszexTF6tybfdvKZKxrhwhuJVidqUd6p1uSZSkeRcyPUKaXlEe_t2CDLu6ixQrWPwyMonajki0-_reij7nOQCfh/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQfBJU8GEO0R4ZXMkdKDxwmEto5Wjagt33M3_0YEgF0OAEs1GXOkj3IOszexTF6tybfdvKZKxrhwhuJVidqUd6p1uSZSkeRcyPUKaXlEe_t2CDLu6ixQrWPwyMonajki0-_reij7nOQCfh/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Glory+B+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Glory B Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was just under a mile round trip, and the climb down to the bottom and back up to the parking area is only about 100 feet of elevation change, so it is a fairly easy hike. Where you come down the creek around the edge of the bluff can be a little tricky, so watch your step there. I would highly recommend all three of these waterfalls. They are basically roadside waterfalls so you won't get much exercise, but you will get a whole lot of great waterfall chasing in a very short period of time. I suppose you can always go up to Tea Kettle Falls to stretch your legs. I would recommend these for anyone, but if you are a little unstable or have children with you, be very cautious along the top of the bluff at Eagle's Nest. It is very steep and slippery near the edge of the bluff, and it is a long way down. Be safe, and enjoy!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZQkTnOQlaV3GCkiGGJ4_IYQYWoJVD3jYqZqKtWfIsJ0pD5X2I2IzPjCNY75mZvZP906xp2HI1OMWVHZcCaut1pnIZ-JRL6Ne42GNSnfwQYUKP3IGirvT5-yoyIoCot9RX9ADIvCMuS1P/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+roads1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZQkTnOQlaV3GCkiGGJ4_IYQYWoJVD3jYqZqKtWfIsJ0pD5X2I2IzPjCNY75mZvZP906xp2HI1OMWVHZcCaut1pnIZ-JRL6Ne42GNSnfwQYUKP3IGirvT5-yoyIoCot9RX9ADIvCMuS1P/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+roads1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Road Tracks to Waterfalls in the Madison WMA<br />Red - Hiking Tracks<br />Orange - Tea Kettle Falls<br />Blue - Glory B Falls<br />Yellow - Road 299 Falls<br />Yellow/Green - Eagle's Nest Falls from Hwy 23<br />Green - Glory B Falls to Eagle's Nest Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpzwY4fr9MG6ak7ysWmVI7HBcj84DjdEzpx6EMQOWFaULqNIa-cOfKk6VDhtoqsRKo4rKMuDLNdNPRXKeFeBd7Qc2wqYBvUuMZXrvocZgVp6Yx5VlbL7oxGvLWKNM-NfTTRIOVeI7ziGF/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Kings+River1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpzwY4fr9MG6ak7ysWmVI7HBcj84DjdEzpx6EMQOWFaULqNIa-cOfKk6VDhtoqsRKo4rKMuDLNdNPRXKeFeBd7Qc2wqYBvUuMZXrvocZgVp6Yx5VlbL7oxGvLWKNM-NfTTRIOVeI7ziGF/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Kings+River1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Eagle's Nest Falls Hike GPS Track</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-43354524772723060602019-02-14T19:09:00.001-08:002019-02-15T04:12:16.806-08:00Tea Kettle Falls and Reynolds Hollow Falls, Madison WMA, near Forum, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/12/2019 Tea Kettle Falls and Reynolds Hollow Falls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Turn off Hwy 23 to Tea Kettle: <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.258961,-93.745652</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.270317, -93.730672, 1250 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking Location #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.284784, -93.720331, 1640 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking Location #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.266577, -93.714468, 1275 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Tea Kettle Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.266300, -93.714900, 1236 ft</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reynolds Hollow Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.267500, -93.721700, 1225 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Warm Springs Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.265352, -93.721253</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Warm Springs Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.265138, -93.719493</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Warm Springs Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.264962, -93.717340</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Warm Springs Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.265311, -93.717469</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Warm Springs Falls #5: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.265742, -93.718491</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Warm Springs Falls #6: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">36.267503, -93.721447</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. If you make the climb from the top of the falls to the bottom or vice versa, your dog will not likely be able to make that climb on their own. If your dog can't be trusted to stay until you return, I would leave it at home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> On this first hike today, I logged right at 3.0 miles on the GPS. It is just 1.2 miles from where you park to Tea Kettle Falls. My total track time on this hike was 2:52 (hh: mm), and 54 minutes of that was actually "time moving". The minimum-to-maximum elevation change was only 146 feet, and I imagine most of that was simply climbing the bluff to get above the top of the waterfall. This hike is mostly on the level, with some minimal ups and downs along the trail. I would rate this an easy hike. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Madison%20WMA%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Madison WMA waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Tea%20Kettle.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Tea Kettle and Reynolds Hollow GPS track</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20to%20Tea%20Kettle%20Park%201.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road track from Highway 23 to parking location #1</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Road%20to%20Tea%20Kettle%20Park%202.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Road track from parking location #1 to parking location #2</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/02/road-299-falls-glory-b-falls-and-eagles.html">Eagle's Nest Falls, Road 299 Falls, and Glory B Falls</a></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tea Kettle Falls (41 feet)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Madison Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a pretty cool area to explore, with a lot of waterfalls, caves, and creeks with crystal clear waters. Among all the waterfalls in the area, Tea Kettle is perhaps the coolest. For that matter, it may be the coolest in the state of Arkansas, and that's saying a lot. Over the millennia, the creek in this hollow eroded a hole down into the big bluff it spilled over. At some point, a tiny fault or something let water flow sideways out to the face of the earth, and it eventually drilled a hole down and out the front of the bluff, somewhat like a tea kettle's spout, and thus the name. The water goes down in the hole and squirts out the 'spout', flowing out onto the loose rock below with only the shallowest of pools. When the stream really gets going, which is rare, the water flows over the top of the 'spout' as well, forming a unique double waterfall from the same point. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzUByIIUmwWbsDhha7BgYmFmWcUMRXa0DvWqEGVjs0xwJdYar3oJUU2y25cfDv7oY2hplcmmRTdzQ3K1nWFgzjQQaxHZXRTCmNjai0N_uNpqc_0EA486dk-wz8RrbtumCnSaMexUk9PH9/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzUByIIUmwWbsDhha7BgYmFmWcUMRXa0DvWqEGVjs0xwJdYar3oJUU2y25cfDv7oY2hplcmmRTdzQ3K1nWFgzjQQaxHZXRTCmNjai0N_uNpqc_0EA486dk-wz8RrbtumCnSaMexUk9PH9/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The 'Spout' of Tea Kettle Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We had just had approximately four inches of rain at our house north of Dover, which was going to make for a lot of brownish water with all the runoff, so I thought I would let that clear up for a couple of days and head northwest, where they only got about an inch of rain the previous day and night. Tea Kettle Falls is notorious for drying up quickly after a rain, so to catch it with good flow, you have to get out there right after a good rain. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The streams in this area seem to always have very clear, pure, water, even right after a good rain, which was another reason it was a good choice today. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it is a drive of over two hours for me to just drive to the small community of Forum, near the Madison WMA, so I make very few trips up there. Today, it seemed to be the right call and I headed that way. Boomer (our German Shepherd) normally accompanies me when I'm hiking alone, but today I wanted to hit not only Tea Kettle and nearby Reynolds Hollow Falls, but also the other major waterfalls in the Madison WMA. Since I would be driving about six hours today, I left Boomer at home with Bethany and took off solo.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoLb8RXVYtC6P15Q4HIWBru8w50V5kRYMOnqSaZxqOXF51uecRZ5ExoAms_ypCOpZD5d0Iw4d2lZVkH7OELYPish_m4o4PXndz0eMKwfZ7ieqcFZSfJHEIfSBlIIN8uEyYV8AZaHZMtLI/s1600/20190212_140240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoLb8RXVYtC6P15Q4HIWBru8w50V5kRYMOnqSaZxqOXF51uecRZ5ExoAms_ypCOpZD5d0Iw4d2lZVkH7OELYPish_m4o4PXndz0eMKwfZ7ieqcFZSfJHEIfSBlIIN8uEyYV8AZaHZMtLI/s400/20190212_140240.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Madison WMA sign when you turn onto Road 447-8</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting there isn't too difficult, but it can be confusing. You know how I usually say to just put the coordinates for the parking location in your navigation unit or phone, and let that do the work for you? Well, maybe not this time. Your navigation unit will probably not know this road is even a road. So this time, I added the coordinates for where you turn off of Highway 23 in the list of GPS coordinates above. Go there. From where Highway 23 makes a sharp turn in Forum, Arkansas (also where CR-8840 intersects Highway 23), go 6.5 miles north on Highway 23 and turn left at this point. This is road 447-8 (aka WMA-8), and there is a large Madison WMA sign that has just about every piece of information you can think of except for the road number. Go 1.4 miles down road 447-8 and park at the clearing on the right. There will be a sign on a tree that says no vehicles past this point. This is parking location #1, the one I used today. If you crossed Warm Springs Creek, you went too far.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8Evw1zYg0TIz7MlD7eL2EX3y1durKTUNpUjlnUXq9WoUO0YshF7KmRbH3RCGJms1wqOnfjRGzNITdDZBiLpNoyhO-MRHwaFHRezPFtIAXXpEOw5FkROH7RUSinicVLPLOfPfzoQq1cyR/s1600/20190212_105937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8Evw1zYg0TIz7MlD7eL2EX3y1durKTUNpUjlnUXq9WoUO0YshF7KmRbH3RCGJms1wqOnfjRGzNITdDZBiLpNoyhO-MRHwaFHRezPFtIAXXpEOw5FkROH7RUSinicVLPLOfPfzoQq1cyR/s400/20190212_105937.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location #1<br />Between Road 447-8 and Warm Springs Creek</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can also go further on this road an additional 1.5 miles to parking location#2. Along the way you first cross over Warm Springs Creek, then when it runs into CR-410, bear right to get on CR-410. After that, there is a WMA road on the right at 1.5 miles from parking location #1. Turn onto that and there will be a gate at the top of that road. The gate is parking location #2. If it is open, you can drive down an additional 1.4 miles and park. This is parking location #3, and the top of Tea Kettle Falls is just a few yards down the slope on the right. If the gate at parking location #2 is closed, you can park there and hike down to the top of Tea Kettle Falls, but I see no point in that. The WMA road down to parking location #3 is actually not too bad, but you should have a 4WD to attempt it. It is easy hiking, but so is the trail from parking location #1, and it goes along Warm Springs Creek and is a slightly shorter hike. Parking location #2 is about 400 feet higher than Tea Kettle, so you'll have a little climb on the way back up to parking location #2 as well. It is still easy hiking, as I mentioned. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt8jLtnhoiWlSO-ZZAVDBPUpucJhZ0LbOJbfKvWe6UshkFOud8YgMs8l6VZQmKpmnb96ACjPuM0PEzqyw1rP6ixp20IOFNyf-uEWavssL5zGKQ29NRZL9o0GcCiCAJSgWmgsQMd8tZiVn/s1600/20190212_122625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBt8jLtnhoiWlSO-ZZAVDBPUpucJhZ0LbOJbfKvWe6UshkFOud8YgMs8l6VZQmKpmnb96ACjPuM0PEzqyw1rP6ixp20IOFNyf-uEWavssL5zGKQ29NRZL9o0GcCiCAJSgWmgsQMd8tZiVn/s400/20190212_122625.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location #3<br />Looking down at top of Tea Kettle Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you do go down the road from parking location #2, once you get to the top of Tea Kettle Falls you still have to climb down the bluff to the base and back up. If you hike from parking location #1, you may decide that kind of climb just isn't for you. For me, if I'm limited on time as I was today, driving right to parking location #3 might be best. But otherwise, I prefer hiking along the creek so I can see the other scenery and visit Reynolds Hollow Falls on the way back</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">as well</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. I thought the gate would be open in winter, so I drove up thinking I might get lucky. I did not get lucky - it was closed, so I drove back down to parking location #1. I did include a map below of the road routes (in orange) to parking location #1 and parking location #2, and I'll include those track files in links at the top of this post.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7eW90CGpd4Zeef9sNF7xqt0x0qy7-8P2Gvw8bE3SelRkWiiIr1l7S6_Ni5pC7LDGbpUwEHY8Pyl6mg3GgXjrrAyLhIwTYmONzmYg1JLYOZ4yXAAqvfUSStBHBPmx9ff2JtMcH33QOPwS/s1600/20190212_134602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7eW90CGpd4Zeef9sNF7xqt0x0qy7-8P2Gvw8bE3SelRkWiiIr1l7S6_Ni5pC7LDGbpUwEHY8Pyl6mg3GgXjrrAyLhIwTYmONzmYg1JLYOZ4yXAAqvfUSStBHBPmx9ff2JtMcH33QOPwS/s400/20190212_134602.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Warm Springs Creek<br />Always Crystal Clear</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Back to where I parked today, at parking location #1 in the clearing on the south side of Warm Springs Creek, I started hiking downstream. at the end of the clearing, you'll find an old road that you can hike down within sight of Warm Springs Creek. It quickly becomes just a trail, but it gets enough foot and horse traffic to be a pretty good one. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">At one point, the trail narrows considerably as it hugs a rock bluff on the right. Just after this, a steel cable has been stretched across the trail and anchored into trees on each side. I don't know why. The only thing I can think of is maybe the WMA management is trying to prevent horses from using the trail at that point, where it hugs the rock bluff. I saw signs elsewhere in this valley where horses had been, so I know they still frequent the trail. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On the way downstream along the creek, the trail gradually rises above creek level to the short bench just above the creek. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As it crosses small drainages, there are a number of small waterfalls as their streams flow over the edge of the bluff. You'll cross one larger creek a little over the halfway point. This is just downstream of Reynolds Hollow Falls. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PxLYPJH3qVRpwMV3E6dSErx-0YbIYKAahAOoEY0AEoFj5kj8tFEe-dyf0DTbKKmObEUmYwsGuOFkgtSBpMhLKFKPIRWbq7PUO3Iuiuyp1IA0aqxohXcPnhYV8ijWh4qgwDol0t4wy45l/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%252831%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PxLYPJH3qVRpwMV3E6dSErx-0YbIYKAahAOoEY0AEoFj5kj8tFEe-dyf0DTbKKmObEUmYwsGuOFkgtSBpMhLKFKPIRWbq7PUO3Iuiuyp1IA0aqxohXcPnhYV8ijWh4qgwDol0t4wy45l/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%252831%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Inside-Out View of Tea Kettle Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I continued on down the trail, and at about the one-mile point from the parking area, dropped down toward the creek. There is a small waterfall, Falls #3, where a side drainage pours over the creekside bluff, and another, Falls #4, just downstream on that drainage. Falls #4 only has an initial drop of fewer than three feet but goes into a cascade that stretches out for about 50 feet downstream. This is as good a place as any to head over to Warm Springs Creek and find a place to cross. The bluff that Tea Kettle Falls flows over wraps around the mouth of Tea Kettle Hollow such that Warm Springs Creek flows right up next to it on the left bank. That's why you can't just follow the creek between Reynolds Hollow and Tea Kettle Hollow. I looked for and found some downed trees that I was able to cat-walk across and keep mostly dry. I didn't get any water inside my boots, which is the important thing. Once you cross over into the mouth of that hollow, Tea Kettle Falls is only a hundred yards or so upstream. If it is flowing well, you should have been able to hear it by this time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopg7MOfHWcZ4hPBQHyK2D3c2Pjo7uOd-jcMMNYwcKWXZJjS6SAUUxO3dCZYGkL2rQ9reucMDIgcXWJoGOewCnfIO8Y0rrZ3uYXIgLHQAjRZMOoxco4XafDe2ToXCMJST7SpYDgnXH2COB/s1600/2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%252820%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopg7MOfHWcZ4hPBQHyK2D3c2Pjo7uOd-jcMMNYwcKWXZJjS6SAUUxO3dCZYGkL2rQ9reucMDIgcXWJoGOewCnfIO8Y0rrZ3uYXIgLHQAjRZMOoxco4XafDe2ToXCMJST7SpYDgnXH2COB/s400/2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%252820%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tea Kettle Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As I described earlier, Tea Kettle Falls not only has a unique geometry, it is in a beautiful setting. The grotto has high bluffs all around, pierced only by that jet of water coming out of the side of the bluff and forming the waterfall. The area the waterfall falls in is all covered by that same small rock aggregate that I think is limestone. In my part of the Ozarks, a waterfall like that would have created a good sized pool below it. Here, it barely makes a dent in the rock floor of the grotto, and the water flows off just as clear as can be. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was very bright, so I knew the waterfall photos would not be as good as they would otherwise. I didn't really care. It is just such an awesome sight, I just wanted to pause and savor the scenery around me. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLP6zmCDFdEdl_N9CE0lMdxMNYLGUBJulc9l4CyLPGeaOzfC71AeEibREDDTiNWlCeWTDIOO_YHSf2j4k5pnQ-ntLsfGkAd8Wig4WenhBwocz04gc0ZeA5oaZ4iTx03ZMaN7eFMycW6LCA/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%252824%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLP6zmCDFdEdl_N9CE0lMdxMNYLGUBJulc9l4CyLPGeaOzfC71AeEibREDDTiNWlCeWTDIOO_YHSf2j4k5pnQ-ntLsfGkAd8Wig4WenhBwocz04gc0ZeA5oaZ4iTx03ZMaN7eFMycW6LCA/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Tea+Kettle+Falls+%252824%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">View from the top of Tea Kettle Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I climbed to the top and did the best I could to snap a few photos there also, but my irrational fear of heights and the wet slippery rock up there kept me from fully enjoying that. Check that; I think my fear of heights is completely rational. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Going from the top to the bottom of Tea Kettle Falls is not that difficult, it's just not something people like me like to do. Off to the left of the waterfall, there is a bear crack where a big chunk of the bluff has broken away. Around on the left side of that, you can climb up on rocks and make your way up to the top. If there is a better, safer, way for us acrophobics, please let me know. After enjoying the view from up there, I climbed back down and headed back. I found my fallen tree (nature's bridge) and crossed over Warm Springs Creek. On the other side of the creekside bluff upstream I found another good place to cross back over to the north side of the creek. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC7QCmRX7-GJFAXisl6IfhcmsaJobnWhQ5zgoKacX4knfVcORC6H5BiYiUeD6qGWHGWjux03UmQ1p0PeDpDAn_lUmHTdCkdRpot435vuZTV3l5ARWm2iXPPzm-xWoB7VhXM85zPfGHYLu/s1600/20190212-2019-02-12+Reynolds+Hollow+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzC7QCmRX7-GJFAXisl6IfhcmsaJobnWhQ5zgoKacX4knfVcORC6H5BiYiUeD6qGWHGWjux03UmQ1p0PeDpDAn_lUmHTdCkdRpot435vuZTV3l5ARWm2iXPPzm-xWoB7VhXM85zPfGHYLu/s400/20190212-2019-02-12+Reynolds+Hollow+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Reynolds Hollow Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is also a volunteer trail on the north side of the creek, and there is enough traffic on it to keep it plainly visible. Even if you are bushwhacking, there just isn't much undergrowth this time of year. About halfway between Tea Kettle Falls and Reynolds Hollow Falls, you cross a small creek with a nice cascade on it, Falls #5. If you look upstream, it appears as if the creek just appears at the base of a small bluff. In fact, it does just that. There is a spring coming out the bottom of the rock face there that the water gushes out of. At least, today it was gushing. Continuing on around and going up into Reynolds Hollow, I arrived at Reynolds Hollow Falls in no time. It isn't a huge waterfall, but it's a beautiful one, and generally has about the same flow as Tea Kettle Falls, so if one is worth seeing, they both will be. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W91UEaWyqD38m4l0GX6MOsSeibOm8nfmrtONJojsHV_JSfDl9eeDZeQorhIPvX3ywop4hKy4LJ9-i7_TiFLXRIetakjo5I2UkGv6oUx3EmjIurIYAbSe3Eh_vdGXp4C3JncwpbB9VtHw/s1600/20190212_113926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W91UEaWyqD38m4l0GX6MOsSeibOm8nfmrtONJojsHV_JSfDl9eeDZeQorhIPvX3ywop4hKy4LJ9-i7_TiFLXRIetakjo5I2UkGv6oUx3EmjIurIYAbSe3Eh_vdGXp4C3JncwpbB9VtHw/s400/20190212_113926.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This bluff is why you don't cross the creek<br />until you get to Tea Kettle Hollow</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From Reynolds Hollow, I crossed back over Warm Springs Creek again. The trail along the south side is fairly close to the creek, so it doesn't take much bushwhacking to make your way back up to it. I made my way back along the trail to where I had parked the FJ Cruiser. I had been a little too late starting out, having breakfast with my wife Bethany before starting my drive up. I didn't get started hiking until 11:00am and it was almost 2:00pm but the time I got back to the FJ. I still wanted to see the three waterfalls I call the "trifecta of drive-by waterfalls" in the Madison WMA, so I quickly loaded up and headed on down to the south section of the WMA. This hike is fairly easy hiking, with a few ups and downs, but nothing all that strenuous. I hiked three miles in total, but a lot of that was just me getting distracted and exploring new things. It is only 2.4 miles round trip if you just go to Tea Kettle Falls and back. I would rate this one an easy hike, and I would recommend it for everyone.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0G4pYzXiAKdZgV95yD6pAyNcgPAoFwg-F8E9wVrwDM_-2UmyAS0_ZkE-32SqrVio5c4PTZ90ZxpXNO9qVroLx80XwecWh5adsZPC_UZRWPSN16NwfZJXuR7ovIi6c946fB_bSe0NDp3q/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="1600" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0G4pYzXiAKdZgV95yD6pAyNcgPAoFwg-F8E9wVrwDM_-2UmyAS0_ZkE-32SqrVio5c4PTZ90ZxpXNO9qVroLx80XwecWh5adsZPC_UZRWPSN16NwfZJXuR7ovIi6c946fB_bSe0NDp3q/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Red - GPS track for Tea Kettle Falls and Reynolds Hollow Falls<br />Orange - Road 447-8</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJPspntXitNH0F_EReRCB6ixsE54t4VlfrtttDKY9iDRw6luamAbvlk5aHLqEgXqItVi_zyyfSpXuUvgdv3fGYOAI4oPZm1WjehZQCxO3icUZKZsSoetsKN_vM7XXgFdQpQWChFqjxaLA/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+-+Road+to+Tea+Kettle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJPspntXitNH0F_EReRCB6ixsE54t4VlfrtttDKY9iDRw6luamAbvlk5aHLqEgXqItVi_zyyfSpXuUvgdv3fGYOAI4oPZm1WjehZQCxO3icUZKZsSoetsKN_vM7XXgFdQpQWChFqjxaLA/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+-+Road+to+Tea+Kettle1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Red - GPS track for Tea Kettle Falls and Reynolds Hollow Falls<br />Orange - Road 447-8 track from Highway 23</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-17744725053035921222019-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:002019-02-11T17:53:40.485-08:00Kirkwood Swimming Hole and Mill Creek Waterfalls, Ouachita National Forest near Havana, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">2/9/2019 Kirkwood Swimming Hole and Waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.051774, -93.578222, 422 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Middle Kirkwood Falls: 35.046000, -93.580700</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> Lower Kirkwood Falls: 35.051700, -93.578100</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Upper Kirkwood Falls: </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">35.044426, -93.581866, 540 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. In the summer, the lower waterfall and pool will sometimes have folks enjoying the swimming hole, so make sure your dog is well behaved around people. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> On today's hike, Boomer and I only logged 1.6 miles round trip. Our minimum-to-maximum elevation change was only 142 feet. Our total track time on this hike was 1:44 (hh:mm), and only 31 minutes of that was actual "time moving". Over an hour was "time playing with the new camera". I would rate this an easy hike. Even if you bushwhack along the creek as we did, it's not difficult bushwhacking territory and still gets an easy rating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Kirkwood%20Falls%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Kirkwood and Mill Creek waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Kirkwood%20Falls%20Track.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Kirkwood Waterfalls GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/05/gum-creek-falls-wildman-twin-falls-and.html">Gum Creek Falls, Wildman Twin Falls, and Big Shoal Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/05/clear-creek-waterfalls-and-mt-hardy.html">Clear Creek waterfalls and Hardy Falls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNp6UdROd4ENlJqaArcNwqsF2wOCWELmh7ft2vHi78QwMCcuNvmYkFSXU7bn1cQnx8ph8Lhyphenhyphen1uto0XMTc2HXeLW2G8pEEVJooKFl5_jgJpOfxTCEfS1JM5O242WLUV1c5YbXZid2irMoy5/s1600/20190209-Lower+Kirkwood+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNp6UdROd4ENlJqaArcNwqsF2wOCWELmh7ft2vHi78QwMCcuNvmYkFSXU7bn1cQnx8ph8Lhyphenhyphen1uto0XMTc2HXeLW2G8pEEVJooKFl5_jgJpOfxTCEfS1JM5O242WLUV1c5YbXZid2irMoy5/s400/20190209-Lower+Kirkwood+Falls+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lower Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kirkwood Falls is well known to the locals in this area as the Kirkwood Swimming Hole, but let's face it, there just aren't that many locals around here. The nearest town is Havana, Arkansas, several miles away, and there aren't a lot of locals there, either. I guess you could say that about most of Arkansas outside of a handful of cities, and that is one of the things I love about living here. We have a boatload of beautiful natural state scenery and not a whole lot of people to 'crowd it up'. At one time, things were a lot busier around here. Kirkwood Falls is named after the large timber company with that name, and this was once the site of the state's largest sawmill. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi179t2jmlECLMHucRp3vntvvhr2rTuBjv7XX2wlYtsXMlT7MMN07WV89ht9K09Id_n1dVY4vNeXIUjOad0hoXPaHHAMW7srnyAjFRnqVU67l-ZFuLGhr-uxePxS3mJPrSWPLNfjB1rNpqk/s1600/20190209_123750+Boomer+the+Magnificent+Mountain+Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi179t2jmlECLMHucRp3vntvvhr2rTuBjv7XX2wlYtsXMlT7MMN07WV89ht9K09Id_n1dVY4vNeXIUjOad0hoXPaHHAMW7srnyAjFRnqVU67l-ZFuLGhr-uxePxS3mJPrSWPLNfjB1rNpqk/s400/20190209_123750+Boomer+the+Magnificent+Mountain+Dog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Boomer doing what Magnificent Mountain Dogs do</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those boom days of the lumber industry are long gone, and today Boomer (the magnificent mountain dog) and I had the whole valley to ourselves. I doubt that another vehicle even drove by on the road the entire time we were there. I got a new camera yesterday, and I was looking for a quiet, short hike with some great scenery that was not too rough and rugged. I wanted to be able to focus on (see what I did there?) experimenting with the new camera and seeing what it could do instead of wearing myself out on a hike. Kirkwood Falls fits that bill nicely. There are waterfalls here, some varied lighting with the way the sunlight glares on whitewater, and it was really easy hiking. It's remote enough that I figured no one else would be around to distract me, and that was the case today.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbKz0Uu-xq9xJMlCLxGbJMCn6bOaRQTz1WOVqyr7_P-p-fvUNDNKLX76iuYNGdF2zFz1-xkrSbpQrslvADf5_R9SnsibpmnauHgN4MUbj-L50xMK-zKi7eJPCPOjYa6GV3HqHV_scjgCK/s1600/20190209_134849+Parking+Location.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbKz0Uu-xq9xJMlCLxGbJMCn6bOaRQTz1WOVqyr7_P-p-fvUNDNKLX76iuYNGdF2zFz1-xkrSbpQrslvADf5_R9SnsibpmnauHgN4MUbj-L50xMK-zKi7eJPCPOjYa6GV3HqHV_scjgCK/s400/20190209_134849+Parking+Location.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Parking Location at Lower Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting there is not that difficult, but it will seem that way when I spell out the directions because there are a lot of twists and turns. The easiest way, of course, is to plug the GPS coordinates (listed above) into your navigation unit or phone and let it do all the navigating for you. If you can't do that, </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To make it as simple as possible, go to the small town of Havana first.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the junction of highway 10 and Highway 309 (Main Street) in Havana, go west on Highway 10 for 1.1 miles and turn left (south) onto Walnut Grove Road (aka CR-27). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 1.6 miles on Walnut Grove Road and bear right to stay on Walnut Grove Road. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go another 3.1 miles on Walnut Grove Road, going over the Petit Jean River bridge, and turn left (south) onto Jack Creek Road (aka CR-519). After you turn onto Jack Creek Road, you go over a cattle guard and you think "Hey, I'm on some farmers driveway and now I'm driving through his pasture!" Well, you are, but it is still CR-519, a county road, also. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go 0.8 miles on CR-519 and you go over another cattle guard. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right after you go over the second cattle guard, bear left to stay on CR-519. You are now in the Ouachita National Forest. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go another 2.3 miles on CR-519 and turn left (north) onto CR-518. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Go just 0.3 miles on CR-518 and turn left (north) onto a dirt road that will take you a few yards to the parking location. This last turn is just before a nice, shiny, new bridge over Mill Creek.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyyJ6koe63pBqL8RE84ztqEt1I9Lkj5j3-6hMV2z3PCXYOox0J-zq-cRo1RbKtyNINJ9ZEZH3vBD05zCJYIfFU9CL71CxtcqdtNLLtnjGWcMeex9QM4Z2kRRuRjLP-DuOIFyrJkmLyRaw/s1600/20190209_134347+bridge+upstream+of+Lower+Kirkwood+Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyyJ6koe63pBqL8RE84ztqEt1I9Lkj5j3-6hMV2z3PCXYOox0J-zq-cRo1RbKtyNINJ9ZEZH3vBD05zCJYIfFU9CL71CxtcqdtNLLtnjGWcMeex9QM4Z2kRRuRjLP-DuOIFyrJkmLyRaw/s320/20190209_134347+bridge+upstream+of+Lower+Kirkwood+Falls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bridge over CR-518 and small waterfall<br />upstream of Lower Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So there you have it. I told you it would sound complicated to go that 9.2 miles from downtown Havana to Kirkwood Falls, and it does sound that way, but it's easier than it seems. Just remember to turn left when you go from one road to another. When you bear right on Walnut Creek Road, you are staying on Walnut Creek Road. If you find yourself back in the middle of Havana, it's because you forgot to stay on Walnut Creek Road and ended up making a big loop on Pumpkin Bridge Road. Don't do that.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkB5NHOkwHP_UwRozNzk-eqgR8rz0B0jdAK2Vm-FZwEN1Okvih2xlqPRkeGen8rqIr2YzotdOOaoLmawQ1HaFhkS-te628o3B6yIMi61XC8OA5r5DwdXEjk2rRvI42LeWUvEreo1dM6rQ/s1600/20190209-Upper+Kirkwood+Falls+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkB5NHOkwHP_UwRozNzk-eqgR8rz0B0jdAK2Vm-FZwEN1Okvih2xlqPRkeGen8rqIr2YzotdOOaoLmawQ1HaFhkS-te628o3B6yIMi61XC8OA5r5DwdXEjk2rRvI42LeWUvEreo1dM6rQ/s400/20190209-Upper+Kirkwood+Falls+%252810%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upper Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So you made it to the parking location despite my confusing directions, and after you thank the Good Lord for getting you there in one piece, you look up and right there in front of you is Kirkwood Falls. There are actually three waterfalls on this part of Mill Creek, and this one is Lower Kirkwood Falls, but I believe a lot of the locals just refer to it as the Kirkwood Swimming Hole or simply Kirkwood Falls. I believe the big sawmill was built right next to this deep, beautiful pool. From here, you'll be happy to know the directions are a lot easier; you just go upstream. If you go back along the short road you came in on, you will see a gated trail on the other side of CR-518. That is an old trace road that takes you to Mill Creek just upstream of Middle Kirkwood Falls, then crosses the creek and goes upstream on the left side to Upper Kirkwood Falls. That's really easy hiking if that's what you want. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhzhnp1UCC0WmsrgNadZBXb0Fi4rRA_sZXvehEkyOa1xMm3xWBGYN-GNykIwyMvQ5iDaVnw42Dg3EZzSHm52B0Abyr9Fjyb3lsyBj3znL5fN1YtdfVE2eXM08h65Dm9dlU6WrrhibhAUZ/s1600/20190209-Middle+Kirkwood+Falls+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhzhnp1UCC0WmsrgNadZBXb0Fi4rRA_sZXvehEkyOa1xMm3xWBGYN-GNykIwyMvQ5iDaVnw42Dg3EZzSHm52B0Abyr9Fjyb3lsyBj3znL5fN1YtdfVE2eXM08h65Dm9dlU6WrrhibhAUZ/s400/20190209-Middle+Kirkwood+Falls+%25289%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Middle Kirkwood Falls - with Boomer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, Boomer and I are into easy hiking, but not at the expense of seeing the stuff we actually came out to see. We just headed upstream along the creek, which is also easy. Technically, it's bushwhacking since there is no trail, but it's mostly big pine forest, with little undergrowth or steep bluffs, so it's still easy. This is a beautiful creek, and if you go on the old trace road, you'll miss that scenery. There is a short waterfall just on the other side of the new bridge over Mill Creek on CR-518, and by the time I got my pack on and low-jack (InReach) turned on, Boomer was on the other side of it waiting for me to catch up. It took just a few minutes to go the half mile or so upstream to Middle Kirkwood Falls, a relatively short but beautiful waterfall.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaLJQpUPD73KQdpmcaiOpFVXubZWmsA70BMmGCLD921BvaV4F0zzaEM0oTc3mTsBubygGgvuqX2E59g28_MJ8HbbU7XCm0J2c3l8GBkUSQQspM77H36dyKO_OK4I2rfsK_iCDaOz7sS8y/s1600/20190209-Upper+Kirkwood+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaLJQpUPD73KQdpmcaiOpFVXubZWmsA70BMmGCLD921BvaV4F0zzaEM0oTc3mTsBubygGgvuqX2E59g28_MJ8HbbU7XCm0J2c3l8GBkUSQQspM77H36dyKO_OK4I2rfsK_iCDaOz7sS8y/s400/20190209-Upper+Kirkwood+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upper Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Going upstream from Middle Kirkwood Falls, we crossed the old trace road and continued up the right side of Mill Creek. I prefer the hike along the creek to the easier trek on the old road, but there was also the factor of high water in the creek today. There were places I could cross the creek and probably keep my feet dry, but I saw no need to test that. Upper Kirkwood Falls is less than a quarter mile upstream, and we reached it in no time. There is a big bluff on the right side of the creek as we went upstream, but even with the relatively high water, we were able to hike up along the creek as we got close to the waterfall. After snapping a few photos and trying a few things with the new camera, we crossed the creek and took a few more. It was at this point that I went to put an ND filter on and realized I didn't have my filter pouch in the pack. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Ld1X4YfIokhUJt8WolyYGrV9PbR-z98NG0RFnMP91M5vQE7cDnYHT1OMAy8hY660QY25l6GI5-TMWq8TPOeNNOaKLoVAi3WDEOZVtcrwmjkfeQl4DArYy437qjIa3fmth7yyq6SKQpe/s1600/20190209-Lower+Kirkwood+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Ld1X4YfIokhUJt8WolyYGrV9PbR-z98NG0RFnMP91M5vQE7cDnYHT1OMAy8hY660QY25l6GI5-TMWq8TPOeNNOaKLoVAi3WDEOZVtcrwmjkfeQl4DArYy437qjIa3fmth7yyq6SKQpe/s400/20190209-Lower+Kirkwood+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lower Kirkwood Falls and Swimming Hole</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took a few more shots with the CPL filter I had been experimenting with, and then we crossed back over the creek and retraced our steps. I use the "lead' command with Boomer often, when I want him to find the best route, but today I told him "find" my filter pouch, and he put his nose to work as we went back downstream. He found my filters right where the pouch had fallen out of the pack when I put it on at Middle Kirkwood Falls. He sat there until I caught up with that "you owe me now" look on his face. I suppose he is right about that, but it is a symbiotic relationship; he gets free food and lodging for life, not to mention free medical benefits and lots of love. But make no mistake about it, he pulls his weight and I'm happy to have him on these outings. Especially today, when he saved me the replacement cost of an expensive filter. Good boy!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4luUYQ06HWSJxLNNCtL6XmfHg8E3KCQ5567vCG7pmKUBzE3etQfT3urGBoccQjwgnKFCDYV7aIMDgDmTP7y5prrB87IjqMPiApA-5SU7gba0JiNAp0RUdBo9SsslSnEnXJCR2oBIT5LqL/s1600/Jim+Fitsimones+swimming+pool+-+modeled+after+Kirkwood+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1600" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4luUYQ06HWSJxLNNCtL6XmfHg8E3KCQ5567vCG7pmKUBzE3etQfT3urGBoccQjwgnKFCDYV7aIMDgDmTP7y5prrB87IjqMPiApA-5SU7gba0JiNAp0RUdBo9SsslSnEnXJCR2oBIT5LqL/s400/Jim+Fitsimones+swimming+pool+-+modeled+after+Kirkwood+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jim's Swimming Pool<br />photo by Jim Fitsimones</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Turning back downstream, we took the old road back to the parking location and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">took a few more photos around the pool. I have not been swimming in this pool, but I can see how it would be a popular spot. It's beautiful and has a waterfall flowing right into it. My friend and frequent hiking partner Jim Fitsimones thought this was such a fantastic look for a swimming hole, he used it as a model for the swimming pool at his house near hot springs. Working with a contractor friend, Jim used a photo he had taken here as the model for sculpted (fake) rocks forming Lower Kirkwood Falls around the end of his new pool. Based on the flow I saw in Mill Creek today I think Jim needs to crank up the pumps on his pool, but they did a great job on recreating this scene with concrete.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_wbItesMbpJf-JYspanHZDSEPmqhOMFMYIt8f1jrwOz4tX5oBFYr6TU5JLrXMArNBGfeD-RkTVixrN0q0Iu-MCltn8N_pDqMBab9RdNXa00kEiCyQmuEQRmpDZ_StqAq8a62JyJvAgq1/s1600/20190209-Upper+Kirkwood+Falls+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_wbItesMbpJf-JYspanHZDSEPmqhOMFMYIt8f1jrwOz4tX5oBFYr6TU5JLrXMArNBGfeD-RkTVixrN0q0Iu-MCltn8N_pDqMBab9RdNXa00kEiCyQmuEQRmpDZ_StqAq8a62JyJvAgq1/s400/20190209-Upper+Kirkwood+Falls+%252811%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upper Kirkwood Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was a short and easy hike, with not much effort, leaving me with plenty of time and energy to do a lot of field testing with my new camera. So far, I'm extremely pleased with it. I'm more of a hiker than a photographer, but I have some experience and plenty of friends that actually are photographers and who are good at their art. I know that 90% to 95% of what you see in a photo is all the guy or gal behind the camera, and not the camera itself. That being said, I'm working on my photography skills, and a camera like this makes it easy to be as good as I can be. We sold all of the other camera systems we had accumulated over the years, keeping only this new Nikon Z7, a Nikon D90, and all of our F-Mount lenses. I'll let you know how it handles on future hikes.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iLkPDR6_IciS9w2y5Eknf_KDmTD-i5xHos3y1dNRdyQRi77Uc7iJV7Hen_9A03EHCTfOEmKJLXOcC1W84J_pEFfjQIy-sxWVtX1i-kpdcrAi6UILQLviyehuT0VJGsULzPspRwFRbCzO/s1600/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iLkPDR6_IciS9w2y5Eknf_KDmTD-i5xHos3y1dNRdyQRi77Uc7iJV7Hen_9A03EHCTfOEmKJLXOcC1W84J_pEFfjQIy-sxWVtX1i-kpdcrAi6UILQLviyehuT0VJGsULzPspRwFRbCzO/s640/DeLorme+2-D+Map+Document1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GPS Track for Kirkwood Waterfalls</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-59617727376602661192019-01-28T14:28:00.000-08:002020-05-17T20:18:37.240-07:00Sis Hollow Waterfalls, Gulf Mountain WMA, Ozarks near Alread, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">1/28/2019 Sis Hollow Waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Park - Sis Hollow: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.595074,-92.705367</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.595894,-92.710190</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.593547,-92.708503</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.588574,-92.701564</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #5: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.594349,-92.697017</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #6: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.594480,-92.696972</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.595274,-92.696736</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #8: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.596532,-92.696048</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #9: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.597339,-92.695738</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #10: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.597827,-92.695263</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #11: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.598258,-92.695089</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #12: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.598397,-92.695120,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Curtain Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.598739,-92.695051</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #14: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.596622,-92.698769</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Sis Hollow Falls #15: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.597367,-92.699844</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> old homestead: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.562523,-92.740157</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. Some of this hollow is a little rugged, but most dogs should be okay. The primary hiking impediment here is briers and brambles, so your dog will probably do better than you do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> We logged 4.24 miles on today's hike, with a minimum-to-maximum elevation difference of 502 feet. We took 3:48 (hh:mm) for the entire hike, with a 'time moving' of 1:40. This is a bushwhack all the way through the hollow and is sometimes a little rugged and steep. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> On the west prong and parts of the north prong, briers are a problem. I have hike under worse conditions, but I would still rate this a difficult bushwhack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/HectorSmyna%20Area%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Hector-Smyrna Area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Sis%20Hollow%20Track.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Sis Hollow GPS track</a></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi409O2xbdkdmgPxerEr97gH803suL1EQ4kJQ3mioV2BjvXIMUEm9vRX3kPdpEOOcNH-3_Qa-lkObrAcoxUPj8r5P0B1fF9knxBn3mpPTn5AJJ8jyW4KdPcDBBvEsHrJX_PlQjQNuMpCef2/s1600/20190128-DSC_4024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi409O2xbdkdmgPxerEr97gH803suL1EQ4kJQ3mioV2BjvXIMUEm9vRX3kPdpEOOcNH-3_Qa-lkObrAcoxUPj8r5P0B1fF9knxBn3mpPTn5AJJ8jyW4KdPcDBBvEsHrJX_PlQjQNuMpCef2/s400/20190128-DSC_4024.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Curtain Falls - with Dan, Rick, and Glen</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To be honest, I had never even heard of Sis Hollow, so it wasn't on my radar or even on any of my many 'lists', such as my list of places with no information, just 'go explore' because it looked promising on a topo map. My friend Dan Frew, who I frequently hike with, asked one evening if I wanted to go hike the next day, which I readily agreed to. When we met up the next morning, we were joined by Glen Pagan. Glen and I had communicated before, but this was the first time I had the pleasure of hiking with him. Hopefully, we'll have many more opportunities to explore together. It wasn't until we all piled in Dan's Jeep that I even asked: "where to?" When Dan answered "Sis Hollow", I must have had a confused look on my face. I was, in fact, confused. "Up near Rex", he said. Well, I still had no idea, but that's okay. I'm up for exploring anywhere that won't kill me, and I knew there was some nice country up there. I figure any day out in the woods is a good one, and this day proved me right.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLUSc9K4tKKQ1Kxsbv_Tmd9kzz53lxmi7gAHl9PcNK3s-kjh5nEXwl7MqgVI5ruzsWNRYCypRpNB9Q2DOGoy-BMoMNAR6IGjkTOkC2Z8-IbUysbmPfUfPCjDbKLaruu5t8IH9UYj9oGVr/s1600/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%252311+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLUSc9K4tKKQ1Kxsbv_Tmd9kzz53lxmi7gAHl9PcNK3s-kjh5nEXwl7MqgVI5ruzsWNRYCypRpNB9Q2DOGoy-BMoMNAR6IGjkTOkC2Z8-IbUysbmPfUfPCjDbKLaruu5t8IH9UYj9oGVr/s400/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%252311+%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #11</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to the parking location was pretty straightforward: </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the junction of Highways 27 and 16 between Nogo and Tilly, go 9.2 miles east on Highway 16 and turn right onto a local road</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Follow this dirt road just 145 yards and turn left onto Brock Road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 1.4 miles on Brock Road and turn right onto Rex Road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 0.3 miles and turn bear right to stay on Rex Road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go an additional 1.1 miles and turn left onto a Jeep road.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go approximately a half mile down the Jeep road and park. If you don't have a 4WD vehicle, you might want to park on Rex Road and just hike in. Use your own judgment.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you come from the other direction near Clinton:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the junction of Highways 65 and Highway 16 near Clinton, go 20.9 miles west on Highway 16, and then turn left onto Rex Road. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.5 miles on Rex Road and turn left onto the Jeep road. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go approximately a half mile down the Jeep road and park. If you don't have a 4WD vehicle, you might want to park on Rex Road and just hike in. Use your own judgment.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh914r5JfyBtdXmCrPoRcxYYeY2YF6Udb_ur611HVJgHy2ioOIPV5-Evc2bDsuVFr-GrGs0EUuPZvuQQd7TL3JPJOaCYMbyseGTt_z-wXjZrwkZ6_zUpgayvMMN7SkvtFUd6wk49qKeCD7s/s1600/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%25237+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh914r5JfyBtdXmCrPoRcxYYeY2YF6Udb_ur611HVJgHy2ioOIPV5-Evc2bDsuVFr-GrGs0EUuPZvuQQd7TL3JPJOaCYMbyseGTt_z-wXjZrwkZ6_zUpgayvMMN7SkvtFUd6wk49qKeCD7s/s400/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%25237+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There was extensive signage to the effect that ATVs were prohibited throughout the entire area. I have noticed most Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) now have a complete ban on ATVs. Most of Sis Hollow is within the Gulf Mountain WMA, but where we parked is not. There was a good deal of logging in progress in this area, so it was looking pretty ugly here. We parked at the edge of where the logging activity stopped, and hiked west on the old road from there, almost immediately descending into the west prong of Sis Hollow. Sis Hollow has two big prongs, running west and north, which combine and then flow into Cedar Creek. No, not the Cedar Creek at Petit Jean Park, nor the one north of Hagerville, nor a dozen others. This was yet another Cedar Creek that is a major tributary to the South Fork Little Red River. Heading upstream in the first drainage, we soon came to Falls #1. At this time, we were still in a somewhat dry period. We had received some rain, enough to make the roads soggy and muddy, but not enough to soak in and get the creeks running well. Falls #1 would look great with enough flow, but today there wasn't enough in this drainage to warrant going through the whole thing.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KKDvwgTeAnun_DHQT3lv0EbWcSqLCIhG7HGsFUGuXsIRnUe-jDfuJIePNduv37heaCZ-nc5rMqBHvAL7xbNlQ4PTBvj6wXrvz7sEwTVX3EB6OkeMpJ5KtxYvoRoY6Mf720Ib10bdw7oG/s1600/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KKDvwgTeAnun_DHQT3lv0EbWcSqLCIhG7HGsFUGuXsIRnUe-jDfuJIePNduv37heaCZ-nc5rMqBHvAL7xbNlQ4PTBvj6wXrvz7sEwTVX3EB6OkeMpJ5KtxYvoRoY6Mf720Ib10bdw7oG/s400/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We headed west to the other fork in this drainage to check it out and found Falls #2 flowing off the same bluffline as Falls #1. This fork had a bit more flow, enough to make Falls #2 at least photo-worthy. We decided to stick to the bluffline and head around into the west-most fork in this prong but found it to be a little too lacking in flow as well. Along the way, we did hear a waterfall in the middle fork that we had just left, so we doubled back up the main creek in this prong to check it out. We found Falls #3 less than a quarter mile downstream from Falls #2 and didn't see anything else noteworthy to explore. We headed downstream on the main creek in this prong to finish the exploration here and head up into the other main prong of Sis Hollow. Along the way, we did find Falls #4, a pretty cool hidden waterfall in a small side drainage near the main creek. Unfortunately, today it could have used some more flow as well.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzretdYUudcamMtnaAp88gRFKw8mxHH-r3FdipgdsNcZsJXpGGU5S5dN2hW6_qAUG9JjPn_IgekUXrQn2i9LyCECzIzAQN7X43LoMKTFvV0xgQHJn_6ccskKqMIDnIH8j2tPTA-0ypDlL3/s1600/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%25235+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzretdYUudcamMtnaAp88gRFKw8mxHH-r3FdipgdsNcZsJXpGGU5S5dN2hW6_qAUG9JjPn_IgekUXrQn2i9LyCECzIzAQN7X43LoMKTFvV0xgQHJn_6ccskKqMIDnIH8j2tPTA-0ypDlL3/s400/20190128-Sis+Hollow+Falls+%25235+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Continuing on downstream in the west prong, the terrain was not too bad, but briers and brambles were in clumps everywhere, making us continually route around them as we trekked. We got to the junction of the two prongs and headed upstream on the north prong. Both prongs actually had a nice flow in the main creeks, but so far the only waterfalls we had found were either at the very top of the forks or in side drainages. By the time we were halfway up the north fork, we were starting to think Sis Hollow was going to be a big bust. Don't get me wrong, just being able to get out in the wilderness and hike in this beautiful country was fantastic. We are just a little spoiled in that there are dozens of other hollows in the Ozarks that we can get the same fantastic scenery and some nice waterfalls, caves, and rock features to boot. As often happens, as soon as we (okay, mostly me) start complaining about briers and mouthing phrases to the effect of "...no need to come back to this one...", nature seems to take an interest in leaving us with a better impression. I've seen it a hundred times. Thanks, Nature.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #8</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well over halfway up the north prong, we found Falls #5 and Falls #6 close together on the main creek. These are not huge; Falls #5 has a relatively small drop, and Falls #6 is a long cascade/water slide. But just seeing some nice water features on the main creek was encouraging. A hundred yards further upstream, we found Falls #7, a classic Ozark shelf waterfall. A couple hundred yards upstream from that was Falls #8 and then Falls #9, #10, #11, #12, and #13 were one after another as we went upstream, all on the main creek in the north prong. The terrain in the upper part of this prong is considerably rougher and steeper than the rest of Sis Hollow, but that's the tradeoff; rugged terrain yields the best stuff to see. We spent a good deal of time photographing these waterfalls, and a good deal of time climbing from one to another. Above Falls #13, it seemed to flatten out quite a bit as we reached the top of the hollow, and no other big bluffs appeared to be above us. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxvLOgb01ZINS4-rMD9HX7vV7XMPMy0Bg_gs13hMe_bjV78MXgWqPeqQZ5W_I0J18qLzsFk6Qz5Nt8ToGktzKiZP3l5C9Bq6x17ZMKHEOp6ovvc37hC8BZL3HFIZ73L3tO-kI6Wo3s0IV/s1600/20190128+Stacked+Rock+Walls+in+Sis+Hollow+near+Falls+%252315+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxvLOgb01ZINS4-rMD9HX7vV7XMPMy0Bg_gs13hMe_bjV78MXgWqPeqQZ5W_I0J18qLzsFk6Qz5Nt8ToGktzKiZP3l5C9Bq6x17ZMKHEOp6ovvc37hC8BZL3HFIZ73L3tO-kI6Wo3s0IV/s400/20190128+Stacked+Rock+Walls+in+Sis+Hollow+near+Falls+%252315+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Old rock wall above still site near Falls #15</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We decided to go around the bluff and check out one of the few side drainages of any size on the north prong of Sis Hollow. We did find a couple of waterfalls, Falls #14, which will probably look good with more water, and Falls #15, a small waterfall near an overhang with an old still site under it. We seem to find an old still site in just about every hollow we visit in the Ozarks. Our pioneer ancestors must have been some happy folks! Continuing on up out of the hollow, we had very little climbing left to do, having gained most of the elevation we needed by climbing between waterfalls in the north prong. There were signs of old stacked-rock walls and an old homestead site at the top of the drainage a short distance above Falls #15. Close to that, we found an old trace road leading back to where we parked and more signage on that saying no ATVs were allowed, and only authorized vehicles were allowed. You could probably drive a good 4WD back to this point, but that would be as far as you could take it. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think in the future, I might revisit the very tops of the forks in the west prong, but concentrate more on hiking the upper part of the north prong. With just a mile of hiking each way, you could see all of the really nice waterfalls we found. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Old Homestead, Koone Hollow</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting back to Dan's Jeep, we piled in and headed back. On the</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> way back, we took the scenic route, going down Rex Road to FR-1342 (Koone Hollow Road), and turning left toward the Little Red River. There are the remains of an old homestead down near the mouth of Koone Hollow, with the old stacked-rock fireplace and chimney in remarkably good condition. We forded Koone Creek, and the South Fork and Brushy Forks of the Little Red River to eventually get to Per</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">sons Road, then back to Hector over White Oak Mountain. It takes longer, but the scenery and history can't be beaten. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We polished off the day by stopping by at the <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/03/devils-playground-arkansas-ozarks.html">Devil's Playground</a>, a unique feature high on White Oak Mountain with some amazing crevices. sinkholes and other features. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All-in-all, another great day in the woods. It's always a pleasure hiking with Dan, and an equal pleasure getting to meet Glen finally and do a hike with him. We found some nice waterfalls, a good sized cave, and enjoyed another day in great Arkansas outdoors. Ka-ching!</span></div>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-51078361691105057482019-01-23T22:14:00.005-08:002019-04-23T18:45:26.802-07:00Teapot Hollow waterfalls - concentrated polyfoss area along Big Piney Creek, Ozarks near Fort Douglas, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">1/23/2019 Teapot Hollow Waterfalls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650609,-93.227392, 516 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #1: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650994,-93.228957, 643 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #2: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650936,-93.229155, 694 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #3: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650936,-93.229155, 700 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #4: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651036,-93.229333, 734 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #5: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.650951,-93.229745, 801 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Teapot Hollow Water Slide: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651158,-93.230291, 893 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #6: 35.651176,-93.230782, 818 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651289,-93.231207, 865 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Hourglass Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651276,-93.231596, 936 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Salem Falls: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651442,-93.232547, 1131 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluffline Break: </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">35.651853,-93.228863, 731 ft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs should be okay off leash. This is a fairly rugged area, but each waterfall has access to the bluff above on one side or the other. That access may be somewhat steep and slippery so some smaller dogs may struggle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> On today's hike, we logged one mile total round trip. Distance-wise, it is certainly a short hike. Over that half mile of the creek, however, there is a 625-foot minimum-to-maximum elevation gain. Add to that the fact that you have to hike down steep bluff banks to access some waterfalls, and then climb back out. Our total track time on this hike was 2:27 (hh:mm), but most of that was time taking photos and milling about various water features, which is not seen as "time moving". Our moving time was only 16 minutes for this hike. Despite the short distance, due to the ruggedness of the terrain and steep climb in, I would rate it as a moderate to difficult bushwhack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Teapot%20Hollow%20waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Teapot Hollow waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Teapot%20Hollow%20track%202019-01-23.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Teapot GPS track</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2018/11/pams-grotto-hwy-123-car-wash-and-haw.html">Pam's Grotto Falls</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2014/04/highway-123-falls-haw-creek-falls.html">Haw Creek Falls and Highway 123 Falls</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2017/03/bear-creek-waterfalls-ozarks-south-of.html">Bear Creek waterfalls</a></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First off, the hollow this hike takes you through is unnamed, just a small side drainage that flows directly into Big Piney Creek. However, the good folks that read this blog gave me feedback long ago that discussing "Unnamed Falls #12 in an unnamed hollow" was just not going to work because there are many "unnamed hollows" in the Ozarks, and they couldn't differentiate Falls #12 in one unnamed hollow from Falls #12 in the next unnamed hollow. Ever since getting those comments, I have put a name on the hollows I write about, whether it is official or not. Bethany, my wife, is much more creative than I am and therefore is my 'inventor of names' for waterfalls and hollows. Bethany came up with the name Teapot Hollow after I described it as being short, but quite steep. She had to explain this one to me; teapots are "short and stout", and they are also used to steep tea. Get it? <heavy sigh>. Therefore, Teapot Hollow it is. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today, I was hiking with friend and frequent hiking partner Dan Frew. Dan has now started a Vlog to use video to document the kind of stuff I write about in my blog. You should check out his YouTube channel <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/werfleinad">Adventures in Dan-Land</a></i>. We had already stopped by nearby Pam's Grotto, and this was our second hike of the day. We had both been to this hollow, as well as the one directly across Big Piney Creek and the one right next to it on the south, but they all had very low flow at the time. We had a pretty good rain last night, and on the drive out the creeks and waterfalls along Highway 123 were running well, so we had high hopes of catching this one with a good deal of water. As it turned out, the recent rain had provided just the right amount of flow for the waterfalls here to look their best. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hourglass Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Everything is simple and easy for this one, including the driving directions. Just pop the GPS coordinates for the parking location in your navigation system and go. There is only one road to it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (1) If you can't do that, from Hagerville, go north on Highway 123 for 15.3 miles and turn right on FR-1002 (aka CR-5861). Go 2.5 miles down FR-1002 and park off the road at the end of the clearing here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (2) If you are coming from the other direction, from Pelsor (Sand Gap), go south-west on Highway 123 for 11.3 miles, then turn left (south) on FR-1002. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go 2.5 miles down FR-1002 and park off the road at the end of the clearing here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Today, it was easy to see where we should park. It was winter and therefore 'leaves off' season, and with the rain last night, the lowest waterfall was clearly visible from the road. One note about this parking location; everything on this hike is on public land. That being said, the patches of flat, cleared, grassy land along Big Piney Creek is usually leased by the Forest Service to folks in the area for grazing or cutting hay. You could drive across the field to be a little closer to the mouth of the hollow, but please just park there along the road. A few extra yards on flat land won't kill you.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEdZe4_9aNGi5q1PAc9pyd9VBLXCZoTbLJ-RS_o8Ooi0aq4mPte1f5Ml9vPHGo1WKZkVv23CtI0RGdXnHghBBM-glSus01INAt7-Ozdpkj0FLOV-ADG1hWyqTFz4D4KIQF5NuAZv2Ooi0/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25236+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEdZe4_9aNGi5q1PAc9pyd9VBLXCZoTbLJ-RS_o8Ooi0aq4mPte1f5Ml9vPHGo1WKZkVv23CtI0RGdXnHghBBM-glSus01INAt7-Ozdpkj0FLOV-ADG1hWyqTFz4D4KIQF5NuAZv2Ooi0/s400/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25236+%252810%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As simple as the driving directions are, the hiking directions are just as simple. We hiked directly for the first waterfall, spent some time there taking photos, and climbed up around the grotto on the left, and there was Falls #2. The base of Falls #2 was literally just a few feet from the top of Falls #1. Likewise, the base of Falls #3 was only a few feet from the top of Falls #2. I only gave numbers to the waterfalls that were large enough and/or otherwise 'photo-worthy'. Those ten water features in this little hollow obviously were not all as close together as the first three. In between the larger water features was a continuous parade of smaller waterfalls, water slides, and cascades, all very nice and all photogenic in their own way. The highest in this string of water features is the beautiful Salem Falls, named for my niece Kate's son. Salem Moorehead.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFoEJfY3u-9JJRnoyoJ828gzxDGXBQnRB62llOZ4MyHscqAYll5qjU5KztUyLFZMvif8Fl6PZJ_EnEB-_gEmgdmOVGyQwS3BTtbZXEPLfcxz7dJ-L71ysxEaz_adB0VDnf1QE2aApRxYV/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25239+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFoEJfY3u-9JJRnoyoJ828gzxDGXBQnRB62llOZ4MyHscqAYll5qjU5KztUyLFZMvif8Fl6PZJ_EnEB-_gEmgdmOVGyQwS3BTtbZXEPLfcxz7dJ-L71ysxEaz_adB0VDnf1QE2aApRxYV/s400/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25239+%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Salem Falls</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The entire way up the hollow, you can see the next water feature from the previous one, so planning a good route from one to the next is fairly simple. From the parking location to the highest waterfall, Salem Falls, is only a half mile hiking distance, including the random lateral movements in and out of the creek area. The more passable route on the way up seemed to be along the left side. The right side of the creek had the occasional sheer bluff that required crossing the creek or climbing higher on the bluff. We paused at each of the photo-worthy waterfalls and spent quite a bit of the hike just taking photos. Coming back down the hollow, we climbed up on the ridge of the bluff on the left side (as you face downstream), and hiked down well above the rock jumble along the creek. I marked coordinates (listed above) for a bluffline break to come down through on the final steep bluff above Big Piney. See the map below for that detail.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdu7IZoNb-7OgEEGptuAVHXTgsZfMw1zsjKDNq6XIj-z6z31uszykyGhqSb4zxUt3W88JR7vsI2NQ14Pp9BNhmo-cuBH1ua71NHAF9AccdsT4wGHWUCdwU26CU_R5q6huU-BzK5mkyhJB/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25234+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdu7IZoNb-7OgEEGptuAVHXTgsZfMw1zsjKDNq6XIj-z6z31uszykyGhqSb4zxUt3W88JR7vsI2NQ14Pp9BNhmo-cuBH1ua71NHAF9AccdsT4wGHWUCdwU26CU_R5q6huU-BzK5mkyhJB/s400/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25234+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Make no mistake about it, this is a wet weather polyfoss. I really don't know how much rain the area actually got. We had received about an inch of rain the night before at our house north of Dover, and I saw about the same reported at Pelsor. It could have been a lot more locally, but I doubt it was much more. It looks like it doesn't take a whole lot to make it look good. I think today, it had just the right amount of flow to make it look it's best. At any rate, know that it will need some wet weather. Since the drainage area for this hollow is not very large, it will go away pretty quickly after a good rain as well. It's easy enough to get to and check out so I would recommend doing that after a rain. If it doesn't look all that good on the lowest waterfall, you can go elsewhere and not waste any time. This little hollow has a whole lot of beautiful scenery, a very large payload for very little effort. If you can catch it on a wet day and don't mind a steep bushwhack, I would highly recommend this one. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ98GjEQd3nwo86ihj7eq-0hbssaAjRU5FQ9qjllS1EdyfKsmwS-3vdbeXo2MHvcnYpVS2XpVGVDBQU6HaPaxskKOU67aj12SvIk3RxRuQ3si3qSqKd0bt7BN5KYbSL-WzqHsxRN7UntF/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25231+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ98GjEQd3nwo86ihj7eq-0hbssaAjRU5FQ9qjllS1EdyfKsmwS-3vdbeXo2MHvcnYpVS2XpVGVDBQU6HaPaxskKOU67aj12SvIk3RxRuQ3si3qSqKd0bt7BN5KYbSL-WzqHsxRN7UntF/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25231+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #1</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcZ8syzFpBYT53wxjl5TWg4S7Z6roqtrMAZi6z9VBI085xcnU6GWz12vEFlEphZIOIkZK7_o5sknkbcz881WiemJO9dQkd342tkvM3aS0vcagsH4XJQ7j5NYDsA7JegTvpwjXZKbNOyKP/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcZ8syzFpBYT53wxjl5TWg4S7Z6roqtrMAZi6z9VBI085xcnU6GWz12vEFlEphZIOIkZK7_o5sknkbcz881WiemJO9dQkd342tkvM3aS0vcagsH4XJQ7j5NYDsA7JegTvpwjXZKbNOyKP/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #2</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-pT3OoqartWrhjsFFm7SDE2l_KlFzgDzf6ukFNFatp091hd8Izdx9i7z1Fe2BWLY9mpqBoV7uiu7uYgm3R5eNHTBJ5U120CXBvqkxTFccLgijCvqNoat5iuI4kjJyyYBlDEC9dyY8ZdW/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+-+from+top%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-pT3OoqartWrhjsFFm7SDE2l_KlFzgDzf6ukFNFatp091hd8Izdx9i7z1Fe2BWLY9mpqBoV7uiu7uYgm3R5eNHTBJ5U120CXBvqkxTFccLgijCvqNoat5iuI4kjJyyYBlDEC9dyY8ZdW/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25232+-+from+top%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From the top of Falls #2<br />The top of Falls #1 is at the edge of the visible water<br />The parking location is at the right side of the clearing in the background<br />Big Piney Creek is immediately behind the clearing</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYTajoXHRGGyuE73hg0zXNlbPlTdVzINgfer6ffW4WMHsvlXZTd0oVvH92XGuK5BApuRithBeCQgmIeFEeuI5QBExlWUxwnV8sgYnMHif73hG946cJd_PXaeE3ozjPUzpyaK_xCXBcoAF/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25233+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYTajoXHRGGyuE73hg0zXNlbPlTdVzINgfer6ffW4WMHsvlXZTd0oVvH92XGuK5BApuRithBeCQgmIeFEeuI5QBExlWUxwnV8sgYnMHif73hG946cJd_PXaeE3ozjPUzpyaK_xCXBcoAF/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25233+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #3</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdu7IZoNb-7OgEEGptuAVHXTgsZfMw1zsjKDNq6XIj-z6z31uszykyGhqSb4zxUt3W88JR7vsI2NQ14Pp9BNhmo-cuBH1ua71NHAF9AccdsT4wGHWUCdwU26CU_R5q6huU-BzK5mkyhJB/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25234+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdu7IZoNb-7OgEEGptuAVHXTgsZfMw1zsjKDNq6XIj-z6z31uszykyGhqSb4zxUt3W88JR7vsI2NQ14Pp9BNhmo-cuBH1ua71NHAF9AccdsT4wGHWUCdwU26CU_R5q6huU-BzK5mkyhJB/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25234+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGCFcX0M7giuagc2EJ1dOUvbE-bzMocymUELD99oknakEjoRIHSy4UkAYYr3N9GSinbWqAMiHZU_yAS8Az3H3WlMVUc4sTvGua1-rHM_7g1_VmyO5fIajLWDq0bFi3vNWimASzCt_W7Vx/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25235+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGCFcX0M7giuagc2EJ1dOUvbE-bzMocymUELD99oknakEjoRIHSy4UkAYYr3N9GSinbWqAMiHZU_yAS8Az3H3WlMVUc4sTvGua1-rHM_7g1_VmyO5fIajLWDq0bFi3vNWimASzCt_W7Vx/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25235+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #5</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQVZVKbDXLG-3aPKyJf6jsZ7aajLe0SYNKWhYZ7REkSnI2GSIrYnVTYO81QTctZ7Vs0MkVCMSeyU4mQGsXtyvk6887SIyqwFM9x-B1XA0V4a9Tvm-2zEfXZmEDLh3WxLaBmOoAFemLUOY/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25236+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQVZVKbDXLG-3aPKyJf6jsZ7aajLe0SYNKWhYZ7REkSnI2GSIrYnVTYO81QTctZ7Vs0MkVCMSeyU4mQGsXtyvk6887SIyqwFM9x-B1XA0V4a9Tvm-2zEfXZmEDLh3WxLaBmOoAFemLUOY/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25236+%25289%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXEAvwLWrxLhJehpjiCW5Qt8SMls2jtQAirDUEQMU0kz0dlfIWgkYsTtM8umc53sTvbAfaVaaKk-vbs83j_3Yq2PGM8OWkM3bluOeMdp_Al0NZS256EDtBWSjZXJ0FywLASlRZIR2Wyk8/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25236+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXEAvwLWrxLhJehpjiCW5Qt8SMls2jtQAirDUEQMU0kz0dlfIWgkYsTtM8umc53sTvbAfaVaaKk-vbs83j_3Yq2PGM8OWkM3bluOeMdp_Al0NZS256EDtBWSjZXJ0FywLASlRZIR2Wyk8/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25236+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #6</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhb5IuaV0tU55afgJL0DQ9s2QA3VnK_GhHQ9jYiOTgHCxXTC9zALZ7o0NnltYtisD_rROEvfCpb0BkipVm0JmxS2VFw3BT_BccyoUaTlnbKwZQtWFvSWb52yvPCKSYl9IqCqXSdmmfpuG5/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25237+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhb5IuaV0tU55afgJL0DQ9s2QA3VnK_GhHQ9jYiOTgHCxXTC9zALZ7o0NnltYtisD_rROEvfCpb0BkipVm0JmxS2VFw3BT_BccyoUaTlnbKwZQtWFvSWb52yvPCKSYl9IqCqXSdmmfpuG5/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25237+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #7</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1aA6P4HnlnxsJJdMCVfHW2dHWv0dLN6wT5B63jHbBUQWstGxuXkBaML2SwK9fhseKUoNHLKOI2DhxdXm-mhEPEb0Sv3ysPs4n_YCE9lhDAwUuZY_Ra46-ZeEBHsk8QTS_MpPyReCyleP/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25238+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1aA6P4HnlnxsJJdMCVfHW2dHWv0dLN6wT5B63jHbBUQWstGxuXkBaML2SwK9fhseKUoNHLKOI2DhxdXm-mhEPEb0Sv3ysPs4n_YCE9lhDAwUuZY_Ra46-ZeEBHsk8QTS_MpPyReCyleP/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25238+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hourglass Falls</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC36XEgog9czwZ9r5YZfv6RPA1iVUyF_T-cRPNTGGXQTSTb9rLSbK8h0wDI1xSs89KzgLBtkFPmz_c8dLj-WY4yzDcyDWmemSNebKZ_6sTG0NV08ZrRjMog-w_U2xs26LKmiKr2eLHGFQ/s1600/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25239+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC36XEgog9czwZ9r5YZfv6RPA1iVUyF_T-cRPNTGGXQTSTb9rLSbK8h0wDI1xSs89KzgLBtkFPmz_c8dLj-WY4yzDcyDWmemSNebKZ_6sTG0NV08ZrRjMog-w_U2xs26LKmiKr2eLHGFQ/s640/20190123-Teapot+Hollow+Falls+%25239+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS Track - Teapot Hollow Polyfoss</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-20958195768242576892019-01-18T20:54:00.001-08:002019-03-12T21:11:29.964-07:00White Rock Creek waterfalls, Ozarks near Fern, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">1/16/2019 - White Rock Creek waterfalls and bluffs</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location #1 (today's): 35.64503 -93.96658, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Parking Location #2: 35.68084 -93.96452</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Old trail branch: 35.65769 -93.97131</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Second Chance Falls: 35.66530 -93.96570</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> White Rock Creek Cascade: 35.67111 -93.96820</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #7: 35.67164 -93.96848</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> White Rock Creek Falls: 35.67330 -93.97110</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #4: 35.67341 -93.97392</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Falls #5: 35.67353 -93.97493</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Hesitation Falls: 35.67389 -93.97500</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Trail crossing near Parking location #2: 35.68067 -93.96430</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly: </b>Dogs will be fine, either on-leash or off. This is a hike with a well-defined trail, and should not be challenging for any dog. It is not a very rugged area or hike, except for the bushwhack down to Second Chance Falls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> The out-and-back hike today was a total of 6.2 miles. Most of that was on the Shores Lake-White Rock loop trail. There was some bushwhacking involved in going to Second Chance Falls and everything upstream of White Rock Creek Falls. The minimum-to-maximum elevation difference was only 341 feet, but there are many climbs where the trail dips down off the bluff to cross side drainages, or when the trail has to climb the bluff due to restrictions on the creek bank. The round trip time was 4:27 (hh:mm), but the actual hiking time was right at 2:00 hours. Hiking the trail is easy, but with the limited bushwhacks involved, I would rate this a moderate hike.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Mulberry%20RiverArea%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Mulberry River Area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/White%20Rock%20%20Creek.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">White Rock Creek GPS tracks</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/sixty-foot-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Sixty Foot Falls</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/06/devils-den-loop-trail-devils-den-state.html">Devil's Den Loop Trail</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2019/01/jack-white-falls-and-phipps-branch.html">Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls</a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Second Chance Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">On my visit to Jack White Falls a few days ago, I was reminded how much I have back-burnered hiking trips to the western Ozarks, and also reminded what a great area this is. I vowed to spend more time in this part of the Ozarks, and today was an opportunity to do just that. When I was thinking of where to go last night, I researched the White Rock Creek area because Boomer (our German shepherd) was feeling kind of gimpy and I thought this would be a fairly low-impact area for him. Usually, when I start getting ready to go out hiking, he is all over it, bounding around hanging out near the back door of the FJ to make sure he doesn't get left behind. He is normally just as happy as a pig in poop to get out in the woods because that is his happy time, his favorite thing to do. Today, he was still limping a little and showed absolutely no interest in getting out in the woods, just laying on the couch with a "not today" look. My wife, Bethany, decided he was staying home. She also declined to go hiking today, saying something about "the rest of the Christmas stuff won't put itself away." So I took that as my cue to get out while I could and set out solo today.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-pjARC9xKrS6uFE8eEzcT0gee_UfUeoeyYIFeFqf_ON3mw4hI67PhZqoA25KFihTIImeDxyapoqrisNwoMpuKTNf-8rfqFTEPNdyUW-5peJi7fMhKCl5lWHT4Tl1wlLfYkSh0GsqwyDG/s1600/20190116-White+Rock+Creek+Cascades+%252824%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-pjARC9xKrS6uFE8eEzcT0gee_UfUeoeyYIFeFqf_ON3mw4hI67PhZqoA25KFihTIImeDxyapoqrisNwoMpuKTNf-8rfqFTEPNdyUW-5peJi7fMhKCl5lWHT4Tl1wlLfYkSh0GsqwyDG/s400/20190116-White+Rock+Creek+Cascades+%252824%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek Cascade</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is an actual trail running along White Rock Creek, something I don't have on most hikes. It is actually part of the White Rock Mountain and Shores Lake Loop Trail, which spurs off the Ozark Highlands Trail (OHT) and connects the two recreation areas. The entire loop is over 12 miles long, and frankly, I was only interested in the much more scenic west side of the loop. You could hike this from the White Rock Mountain Side or the Shores Lake side, but since I was doing an "out-and-back" hike instead of the whole loop, I choose to start at the Shores Lake end. It's a longer hike to get up to all the waterfalls, but you avoid the big climb out at the upper end. There are still a lot of ups-and-downs going and coming this way, probably just as much overall climbing, but it is spaced out over the full length instead of one big climb at the end. I listed coordinates for parking locations on both ends above, as well as where to find the trail from parking location #2 if you choose to hike down from the top. It is only about 100 feet ahead from where you park. As I mentioned, I prefer hiking up from the Shores Lake end of the trail.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Rrc-ml8vyUexqXECrU8PSbKL4OUu3O_oAWjPNxkRNSlRgvTv4ECm7DcrZ8GOXqs4ERlr4_p0tdx4UjMgfPH34bAFnPYOcv4pzjsU9IH-iWc_khIKuwH6x0z8GsnQG6yyfAs5MOSOTyk/s1600/20190116-White+Rock+Creek+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8Rrc-ml8vyUexqXECrU8PSbKL4OUu3O_oAWjPNxkRNSlRgvTv4ECm7DcrZ8GOXqs4ERlr4_p0tdx4UjMgfPH34bAFnPYOcv4pzjsU9IH-iWc_khIKuwH6x0z8GsnQG6yyfAs5MOSOTyk/s400/20190116-White+Rock+Creek+Falls+%25284%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to the White Rock Creek area is easy and straightforward, and has a paved road almost all the way to the parking location. Take exit 24 from I-40 and head north on Highway 215. Go 12.6 miles north on Highway 215, through the small town of Fern, and turn left (north) on Bliss Ridge Road (aka CR-75). Go 1.5 miles on Bliss Ridge Road, past the Shores Lake campground, and park at the pull-off in the sharp right turn there. This is parking location #1, where I started today's hike from. To get to parking location #2, keep going an additional 3.7 miles on Bliss Ridge Road and turn left (west) on White Rock Mountain Road. Go 0.6 miles west on White Rock Mountain Road and turn left onto a Jeep road. Go about 200 yards down the Jeep road to where it to loops around on itself and park. This is Parking Location #2. If you had gone straight on the original trace road instead of the circular loop, the trail is about 100 feet down that trace road. Go right (west) on that trail and you will be hiking down the mountain to White Rock Creek. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxskKR7qyAZK_G5bQvhvVBdsAjnRdxZkGp9SAdQmxgmMaaRe0ty-ZJvF1UkphKFPZx07IshYm40P0T0aZiY_832-tidsIKGT3PGQZ5FTYrffbzF57mHT8feK_-2j_J8gyImBhbk6_NdJB/s1600/Trailhead+%2528right%2529+at+parking+location+%2528left%2529+-+with+notation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxskKR7qyAZK_G5bQvhvVBdsAjnRdxZkGp9SAdQmxgmMaaRe0ty-ZJvF1UkphKFPZx07IshYm40P0T0aZiY_832-tidsIKGT3PGQZ5FTYrffbzF57mHT8feK_-2j_J8gyImBhbk6_NdJB/s400/Trailhead+%2528right%2529+at+parking+location+%2528left%2529+-+with+notation.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From parking location #1, my starting point for today's hike, you'll notice that there is a logging road straight ahead on the large pull-out area, but nothing that looks like a trail. The trail actually comes up from the Shores Lake campground and crosses the road immediately to the right of the parking pullout. You can go out to the road and get right on the trail and start hiking north. Or, you can go down that logging road. It runs for almost a half mile north along Hurricane Creek, parallelling a little below the actual trail. I didn't see any signs of recent logging activity, although there was an old sign on the trail that indicated it was being logged. The old logging road has some areas along it you could pull a vehicle into and park if you have a 4WD or high clearance vehicle. My FJ would easily make it down this logging road, but I left it parked at Bliss Ridge Road because I intended to take that initial half mile on the trail itself either coming or going, just to check it out. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakkXf7ryRtN4_zQewTZoAlI6H2-pZ1nyrD1Za-E4mHx99e6GUcNadvD4nSU6s3UOTt-if75jq6L2BrehFVgIlxkJ8NG6zzd8wc8NzOe0aRIo1NU4j9avSv7Hse9xPH38G5TCLT7Aj2qg6/s1600/20190116-White+Rock+Falls+%25234+%252814%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakkXf7ryRtN4_zQewTZoAlI6H2-pZ1nyrD1Za-E4mHx99e6GUcNadvD4nSU6s3UOTt-if75jq6L2BrehFVgIlxkJ8NG6zzd8wc8NzOe0aRIo1NU4j9avSv7Hse9xPH38G5TCLT7Aj2qg6/s400/20190116-White+Rock+Falls+%25234+%252814%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I took the old logging road on the way out, just for a little variation in scenery. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> In less than a half mile, it goes from a couple of ruts down to just a single trail and merges seamlessly with the Shores Lake-White Rock Mountain spur trail. This first part of the trail runs along Hurricane Creek, a large creek that feeds Shores Lake. While the logging road is closer to it than the trail, you still can't see much of Hurricane Creek, even in the winter. What is it with the way we name creeks here, anyway? There is another Hurricane Creek that runs through the Hurricane Creek Wilderness Area near Pelsor, and yet another a few miles east of that off White Oak Mountain northeast of Hector. We don't even get hurricanes as far inland as Arkansas. We get lots of tornados, but I don't know of any creeks named Tornado Creek. Anyway, I digress. Back to the hike!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Bluffs upstream of<br />White Rock Creek Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trail soon comes down to where it crosses the creek at Bliss Spring Hollow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Some kindred soul that also hates hiking with boots full of water has graciously put large rocks across the creek to help with that crossing. A short distance after that, about 1.1 miles down the trail from the parking area, you finally come to White Rock Creek where it flows into Hurricane Creek. The hike to this point is not all that scenic, but from here on the trail follows along one of the prettiest creeks in the Ozarks. To this point, there are a lot of dense thickets of brier along both sides of the trail, and if I were bushwhacking instead of having the trail available, I probably wouldn't venture up this creek very far. As it is, though, the trail is actually a pretty good one. It has been modified from the original trail blazed to improve the route. If you look at the old National Forest Service (FS) maps, you can see where the original trail crossed the creek, runs down the west side, then crosses again. They now have routed the trail up on the bluff on the east (right as you go upstream) side, and those two crossings are eliminated. I have marked the location the old trail branched off and listed those coordinates above if you want to head upstream that way.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Second Chance Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek is a good sized creek, and I'm always going to try to get out here when the water is high, so I don't mind at all that the trail keeps me on one side. The downside of this route is that it is easy to miss one of the beautiful waterfalls on White Rock Creek. Going downstream, you are very likely to miss it, and going upstream there is only one spot that you can catch a glimpse of it if you are paying attention to the creek instead of watching where your next step is. Second Chance Falls is a beautiful, broad, waterfall running across the breadth of White Rock Creek. It is now about a hundred yards off the trail, so it requires some bushwhacking down to it. Instead of trying to locate the old trail and backtracking along it, there is a crease, a steep drainage, just downstream of </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the waterfall that I climbed down and back up. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GvOTUCZruXYumFd_BIMKgCLS4sD_yeEfhIDY6LP__kCk5_7YLIiCeEEAEETedqcgC98_pe8s_nDvEc7OWDXe935RuTYIaUedzdFK7Kbhreambze8byxfYHMBVJXqPPmrSUQaUeyG-78L/s1600/Second+Chance+Falls+-+John+Moore+-+June+2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GvOTUCZruXYumFd_BIMKgCLS4sD_yeEfhIDY6LP__kCk5_7YLIiCeEEAEETedqcgC98_pe8s_nDvEc7OWDXe935RuTYIaUedzdFK7Kbhreambze8byxfYHMBVJXqPPmrSUQaUeyG-78L/s400/Second+Chance+Falls+-+John+Moore+-+June+2008.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Second Chance Falls - with Spring/early Summer Foliage<br />photo by John Moore, June 16, 2008</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">This waterfall was named by John Moore. John is kind of a legendary figure in t</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">hat, like Tim Ernst, he spent a good deal of his life hiking through the Ozarks and documenting his treks with some <a href="http://www.mooremonkeys.com/adventures/">stunning photography</a>. He always tried to get out and spend some time in the woods with his sons on Father's Day and had missed that opportunity in 2008. After a big thunderstorm rolled through that night knocking out power where he worked, John had an opportunity the next day for a "second chance" to get out with his sons and came to this waterfall. When I come across waterfalls that aren't documented, I always try to search every resource I can to see it has a name. Getting the back story from John on the history behind the name is an extra bonus.</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> One thing I wanted to point out is the difference some foliage can make. John gave me permission to include a photo (see above) from that day in the blog so you can compare this one to the ones I took today. This tells me I need to pick a good day in the other three seasons to come back and get some photos that illustrate the natural beauty of this area much better. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek Cascade</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Climbing back up to the trail, I continued upstream. A little over two miles up the trail, it crosses Dry Fork, which like most creeks named "Dry" is actually anything but dry. It had pretty good flow today, and I seriously considered doing a little exploring up it today but decided to defer that decision until the trip back to see how much time I had. White Rock Creek Cascade is less </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">than a half mile upstream from Seco</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">nd Chance Falls, not far from the Dry Fork crossing. It was 2.5 miles on my GPS trip meter today, but remember that includes a little side trip to Second Chance Falls. This is a spectacular waterfall, with enough flow and whitewater you can easily see it on satellite imagery and is the one you most often see photographed on White Rock Creek. At this point, we have another 'old trail, new trail' story. The old FS maps show the trail staying on the east side, and there is a path to the right that climbs up the steep embankment to the top of the waterfall. But the blue trail markers (blue because this is just a spur of the OHT) follow the new route on the west (left) side of the creek upstream. I went across the creek and up the newer trail on the way up and stayed on the east side on the way back. Both are fine, but the old trail is less distinct and a little overgrown and has that tricky descent from the top of White Rock Creek Cascade.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek Falls and Grotto</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek Falls is in a side drainage approximately a quarter-mile upstream from White Rock Creek Cascade. The trail actually goes up above the top of the waterfall. There is a fork with a faint trail leading off toward the creek. That leads down to the creek, and one of the nicest camping sites I have seen. Just upstream on the right is the grotto containing White Rock Creek Falls. Today, it was pretty, but not that impressive due to low flow. This is in a side drainage, and if you look at it on a topo map you will see that there is not a lot of drainage area above the waterfall. That will make it very sensitive to the amount of recent rain, and is a good reason to make this trip shortly after a good rain. The grotto itself is very nice and opens up right where it flows into White Rock Creek. After spending a little time here, I headed upstream for the last of the bushwhack part of today's adventure. The part of the creek upstream is what I consider to be the prettiest part of a very pretty creek, but since it is off the loop trail, not many people venture up this far.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To go very far upstream, you will need to cross the creek due to the spectacular,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> tall bluffs running along the east side of White Rock Creek. Fortunately, there is a huge downed tree right there that you can walk across, and after going upstream on the west (left) side, there is another big tree down across the creek just downstream of Falls #4 to help you get across the creek to the east side again. Falls #4 is a nice little six-foot waterfall on the main creek that has a slot up at the top and a huge pool below that it flows into. I only had an 11-16mm wide lens with me, so without going swimming, I couldn't take any closeup shots of this one. Climbing the bluff on the east (right) side, I hiked upstream around the bend in White Rock Creek and found Falls #5, a nice waterfall in very wet weather, in a side drainage on the other side.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hesitation Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Less than 200 yards upstream from Falls #4 on White Rock Creek is Hesitation Falls. This is one of those relatively short waterfalls that is still quite picturesque, or in Rick-speak "photo worthy", so if it didn't have a name already I would at least have given it a number. I found the name Hesitation Falls in an old database of waterfalls, with no mention of where the name came from, who found it or named it, or any photos. I have never seen any other photos of it, but this is one that spans the creek in a couple of drops and can also be clearly seen on satellite imagery. The database had the correct GPS coordinates associated with the name Hesitation Falls, so that's the name I'll stick with going forward. If any of you blog readers out there have more information on it, please let me know. I always find the stories behind these features interesting. Update - one of my readers tells me that Hesitation Falls was named by Steve Robertson on the first known kayak run on White Rock Creek in 1998.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek downstream of Falls #4</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hesitation Falls was as far as I had planned on venturing today, but I was still </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">thinking about stopping by Dry Fork on the way back and following it upstream for a way. Making my way alongside the creek on the way back downstream, I did pick up a faint trace trail between Falls #4 and White Rock Creek Falls. This section of the creek has huge bluffs and cool rock features, and the creek runs along the base of the tallest cliffs on the creek. I walked across the log to get back on the east side (left going downstream), and stayed on the east side on the old trail going back to White Rock Creek Cascade. I stopped at the top of the cascade to get some shots from that perspective and discovered the tripod mounting plate (actually a quick release ball on my Manfrotto mini tripod) was missing from the camera bottom. It wasn't on the tripod, either. I had it on the tripod at Hesitation Falls, so I have no idea how it could have got unscrewed and lost. If you go this way, please keep your eye out for it. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjqPp15AzgKIG2-vbANwXH4MRAWT8PtI6HNO9hr_t9vX6F6uru6MYX2suz1SCy7oycKY2kcBe6kxMjPNN0iETJjmcDf54dx5GU-40x7_FygN45DudIWcTNJ-TxLyxi94wuNGOCODDhHk2/s1600/20190116-White+Rock+Creek+Cascades+%252832%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjqPp15AzgKIG2-vbANwXH4MRAWT8PtI6HNO9hr_t9vX6F6uru6MYX2suz1SCy7oycKY2kcBe6kxMjPNN0iETJjmcDf54dx5GU-40x7_FygN45DudIWcTNJ-TxLyxi94wuNGOCODDhHk2/s400/20190116-White+Rock+Creek+Cascades+%252832%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">White Rock Creek Cascade</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I did the best I could holding the camera by hand and keeping exposure to just one second, then moved on. But without the tripod, I wasn't about to hike all the way up Dry Fork without the camera gear I needed if I did find something worth shooting, so I decided to nix that little exploration side trip for today. I paused to take some quick photos a couple of times, but other than that, the hike back to the parking location was non-stop and went fairly quickly. I took the trail on the way back instead of the old logging road. It's rougher, narrower, and rockier, but it is still a trail and is pretty easy hiking. It took less than an hour to hike from Hesitation Falls back to where I parked the FJ out of almost four and a half hours on the trail, so that tells you a little about how much time I spend photo taking and looking around. All in all, this is a very pleasant hike in a very beautiful locale. It was 6.2 miles round trip, so just about right for a day hike. I was out on the trail all day and never saw another person, but that will probably be different on a weekend. If you have not yet hiked this area, I would highly recommend it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS Track - White Rock Creek</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878023854793257447.post-59588222430527040082019-01-14T16:39:00.001-08:002019-01-15T19:39:48.785-08:00Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls, Western Ozarks near Cass, Arkansas<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">1/13/2019 - Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls</b><br />
<b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS Coordinates:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking Location: 35.72437 -93.94653, 1926ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Alternate route intersection: 35.71114 -93.94295, 1630 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Jack White Falls: 35.70711 -93.94729, 1529 ft.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bear Crack: 35.70630 -93.94615</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Bluffline Break: 35.90678 -93.94758</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Phipps Branch Falls: 35.70584 -93.88002, 1557 ft</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Pet-Friendly:</b> 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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hiking Statistics:</b> 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 </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>GPS files (.gpx format) -</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> See maps at the bottom of this blog post</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Mulberry%20River%20Area%20Waypoints.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Mulberry River Area waypoints</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/rickshikingsite/Jack%20White%20and%20Phipps%20Branch%20Fallls%20tracks%20%283%29.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1">Jack White Falls and Phipps Branch Falls GPS tracks</a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2015/06/sixty-foot-falls-arkansas-ozarks.html">Sixty Foot Falls</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://henry411.blogspot.com/2016/06/devils-den-loop-trail-devils-den-state.html">Devil's Den Loop Trail</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSErYo0umpNRl9bdE0GNJb0LZTEopme501gEv6Q_7JdHgf620eQiUg1104wWAlxhwstVmQTzjVNbx4uSq0uqBhRIhPyG9Z8Z60ozqg7trcnnzAK78SYGiOUMUdeIoGuei-RkB_1OAAWx3c/s1600/20190113-Phipps+Branch+Falls+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSErYo0umpNRl9bdE0GNJb0LZTEopme501gEv6Q_7JdHgf620eQiUg1104wWAlxhwstVmQTzjVNbx4uSq0uqBhRIhPyG9Z8Z60ozqg7trcnnzAK78SYGiOUMUdeIoGuei-RkB_1OAAWx3c/s400/20190113-Phipps+Branch+Falls+%252810%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phipps Branch Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We had a little rainfall the last couple of days, mostly just drizzle and light rain, but it adds up. Today, I felt like I should get out and hike somewhere on my wet-weather goto list, but it was a cold, dreary, gloomy kind of day. Boomer (our German Shepherd) was eager to get out somewhere and have a little fun, so after discussing it with him we compromised and decided to go on a hike that wasn't so long. Jack White Falls fits the bill because it is a hike you can keep moving briskly and the cold never really has a chance to seep in. It is also about 80 miles away, and I tend to back-burner hikes so far away because there is much more similarly wild country to hike through much closer to home. But today I didn't want to spend all day out in the drippy wet, freezing cold woods, and I do like to see the other sections of the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Today looked like the perfect day to spend a little more time in the FJ Cruiser and a little less time hiking. We could hike to Jack White Falls and back in a couple hours easy, so Boomer and I loaded up and headed west.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqS5Y7nRF4gvCr1xz1HVfuCj84olVGgWb7qsRffGrYwQrhGFOGiUjVeNM8cz2rrXrGYe3a8yxpUd3AuHO2m4py9bQVcTM-kgycVx7gV7LSlbWCzuN4AwwfJl2gbChK-lQBwAqeO6JBwLA/s1600/20190113-Jack+White+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqS5Y7nRF4gvCr1xz1HVfuCj84olVGgWb7qsRffGrYwQrhGFOGiUjVeNM8cz2rrXrGYe3a8yxpUd3AuHO2m4py9bQVcTM-kgycVx7gV7LSlbWCzuN4AwwfJl2gbChK-lQBwAqeO6JBwLA/s400/20190113-Jack+White+Falls+%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jack White Falls<br />with Boomer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGgbHwFeSKKLkQ8JaV6WKqGMc66F-X5eLlkPG7DEDPP2Wg9n2sG7vxDOzWAWWfnDtDrWKH9vgNAlc-WN0flLEOUylxkomg9_1YBWbTSL0Y91dXekS5OYeWGDHvqAu92oJbARBZJeR4aJL/s1600/20190113_115723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGgbHwFeSKKLkQ8JaV6WKqGMc66F-X5eLlkPG7DEDPP2Wg9n2sG7vxDOzWAWWfnDtDrWKH9vgNAlc-WN0flLEOUylxkomg9_1YBWbTSL0Y91dXekS5OYeWGDHvqAu92oJbARBZJeR4aJL/s400/20190113_115723.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Parking location</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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 <i><a href="http://www.timernst.com/Products/H2O.html">Arkansas Waterfalls</a></i>. This will probably be the best and shortest route if you are coming from Fort Smith. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdttREHLkTsgICCcC-E9yB7WbaqR39Qzr0eG7QUmXCDPCaEs6K0pmYxXWonbnznJWVQ3FbpOYj18i24cXbpADiziNzIy9kzDtUUixI01Jv8R93uGEf0EgxJj1JBJynY8CdsIxickWN6aw/s1600/20190113_110914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdttREHLkTsgICCcC-E9yB7WbaqR39Qzr0eG7QUmXCDPCaEs6K0pmYxXWonbnznJWVQ3FbpOYj18i24cXbpADiziNzIy9kzDtUUixI01Jv8R93uGEf0EgxJj1JBJynY8CdsIxickWN6aw/s400/20190113_110914.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Grays Spring Picnic Area - White Rock Mountain Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj846KK0Wf5cLSUhr1y2RwGow2PNNyJUfsxWIjm4BpSZwovYacMKXqM2n1IkyVz6gQGZ0_OAOAEWzmTVz0lOu1HyESsPS53LodqYb8cIsMcjQeUIXnH-W6SuoH63mCt-M90E_GCBVVJUDc3/s1600/20190113-Jack+White+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj846KK0Wf5cLSUhr1y2RwGow2PNNyJUfsxWIjm4BpSZwovYacMKXqM2n1IkyVz6gQGZ0_OAOAEWzmTVz0lOu1HyESsPS53LodqYb8cIsMcjQeUIXnH-W6SuoH63mCt-M90E_GCBVVJUDc3/s400/20190113-Jack+White+Falls+%252813%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jack White Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I like to do a loop trail whenever possible, just to get some different scenery along the way. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTobElZhS1CTrNYjdDPADYwTVXcK7cckeJ0cgW7WZDqk2ntYyeqpP112XZVJUuH_eNdR2whx9lhv8bhMn48M7mCVLCl7Iy93prAkI-Y3LoqNFeoALUqPfH8S16QBd73co54CollDT935Af/s1600/20190113_114317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTobElZhS1CTrNYjdDPADYwTVXcK7cckeJ0cgW7WZDqk2ntYyeqpP112XZVJUuH_eNdR2whx9lhv8bhMn48M7mCVLCl7Iy93prAkI-Y3LoqNFeoALUqPfH8S16QBd73co54CollDT935Af/s400/20190113_114317.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ice buildup on the way to Jack White Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqIxtugMIPG4ubEYqesJmH7gcDyiGGgWrjEAahjqvKfGLjazJcLk5GCin6po2WkXAa9uADc9UZYbK_u4zZ-kOUVcIvd1XZJpcwN_2nKuHQ-D1Y0p_kfgJPuvXghvnvErwkere7k6hRDFI/s1600/20190113_143341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqIxtugMIPG4ubEYqesJmH7gcDyiGGgWrjEAahjqvKfGLjazJcLk5GCin6po2WkXAa9uADc9UZYbK_u4zZ-kOUVcIvd1XZJpcwN_2nKuHQ-D1Y0p_kfgJPuvXghvnvErwkere7k6hRDFI/s400/20190113_143341.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ice buildup after a couple hours of hiking</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW5eMdPw3cWiZnFQ02Rg3GKVkMMU5lCSWmdftBBHMDdCn8eMULt0xnLki_eE2FIMFuE0iuETkJxH3XkxcnNM0cMtcBtsVXDuQFZxuNdKU7X6lQ1wayAWdV-nNVhew0Hl9yf2Oj8ckYlsj/s1600/20190113-Phipps+Branch+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPW5eMdPw3cWiZnFQ02Rg3GKVkMMU5lCSWmdftBBHMDdCn8eMULt0xnLki_eE2FIMFuE0iuETkJxH3XkxcnNM0cMtcBtsVXDuQFZxuNdKU7X6lQ1wayAWdV-nNVhew0Hl9yf2Oj8ckYlsj/s400/20190113-Phipps+Branch+Falls+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phipps Branch Falls from Fane Creek Road</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_0saDvusB_re3a4nxGfnLK8B95xd5JzJY-Q3bTzCh-js7yJHNYV_H6pVPDMDX0_DzgzqykLpjkgzCGDpvQ9Qwmdwh2kOANQ05EIr56PiHCrZfs9CQvnguGr4-40ozrfxm4MEqqH-1NUs/s1600/20190113-Phipps+Branch+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_0saDvusB_re3a4nxGfnLK8B95xd5JzJY-Q3bTzCh-js7yJHNYV_H6pVPDMDX0_DzgzqykLpjkgzCGDpvQ9Qwmdwh2kOANQ05EIr56PiHCrZfs9CQvnguGr4-40ozrfxm4MEqqH-1NUs/s400/20190113-Phipps+Branch+Falls+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phipps Branch Falls</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HP-z7oU25DGprw36KLTgtyqAHyWPtgYsc4eCrWadHIVC0iZhK2Nn6MroKKACiDzvzZ7urNM6bZ1aWl6fSYxLNiF-K4AAspE03RTddT5hYDpkaNl6CZfpaZ7Urr8jvcnbAy-RQ_mBiPPN/s1600/20190113_151610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HP-z7oU25DGprw36KLTgtyqAHyWPtgYsc4eCrWadHIVC0iZhK2Nn6MroKKACiDzvzZ7urNM6bZ1aWl6fSYxLNiF-K4AAspE03RTddT5hYDpkaNl6CZfpaZ7Urr8jvcnbAy-RQ_mBiPPN/s400/20190113_151610.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Trees pushed over bluff at Phipps Branch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">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. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoN6L-eEzqjb-3aPCafnGM1fEQjTHg9Ku5tgfJLVw_894kYswzlGphRcSawxaAMzKZyBWdqTe43H7tDbv-WNNsxcZzg6InWYGJAj78otyqDFUBom7SHvaXcQWeOCxnytj_64b-E4gkzua/s1600/Jack+White+Falls+track1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCoN6L-eEzqjb-3aPCafnGM1fEQjTHg9Ku5tgfJLVw_894kYswzlGphRcSawxaAMzKZyBWdqTe43H7tDbv-WNNsxcZzg6InWYGJAj78otyqDFUBom7SHvaXcQWeOCxnytj_64b-E4gkzua/s640/Jack+White+Falls+track1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">GPS tracks for Jack White Falls<br />Red - Upper Route<br />Blue - Lower Route</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1dB5pf82Ziiph7KH0SOAE6KcuMYKRcbWmIZDiVKMJPh3SB6jjTf4YHceTFwu9omevDCinSxjNpPJVGYDQ0_KylT7ZE74zLXmfWrKLDZGz79tM5_n6TKVluNrCAdtk3le8lOF1XN8qXcU/s1600/Phipps+Branch+Falls+track1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1dB5pf82Ziiph7KH0SOAE6KcuMYKRcbWmIZDiVKMJPh3SB6jjTf4YHceTFwu9omevDCinSxjNpPJVGYDQ0_KylT7ZE74zLXmfWrKLDZGz79tM5_n6TKVluNrCAdtk3le8lOF1XN8qXcU/s640/Phipps+Branch+Falls+track1.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Phipps Branch Falls GPS track</span></td></tr>
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Rick Henryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08000422136828470635noreply@blogger.com0