Hemmed-In Hollow Falls and Diamond Falls, Buffalo National River Wilderness

5/13/2014 -  Hemmed-In Hollows Falls, Diamond Falls hike from Compton Trailhead

GPS Coordinates:  Lat/Lon/Elevation
  Parking Location:  36.08091,  -93.30353,  2246 ft.
  Hemmed-In Hollows Falls:  36.07213,  -93.30753,  1278 ft.
  Diamond Falls:  36.07167,  -93.30946,  1349 ft.  1356 ft. 
  HIH Downstream Falls #1:  36.07096,  -93.30791,  1125 ft.
  HIH Downstream Falls #2:  36.07027,  -93.30821,  1081 ft.
  HIH Downstream Falls #3:  36.07102,  -93.30878,  1066 ft.
  Sharp left turn in trail:  36.06447,  -93.30927,  1127 ft.
  Campsite #1:  36.06681,  -93.31252,  1391 ft.
  Campsite #2:  36.06466,  -93.30909,  1116 ft.
  Wild Vic's Cabin:  36.07501,  -93.30945,  1934 ft.

Pet Friendly: No.  This area is operated by the National Park Service, not the Forest Service.  They feel the need for a lot more control and rules, so no dogs allowed on the trail.  Horses are allowed on the 'yellow tagged' trails, but only hikers on the 'white tagged' trails.

Motorcycle Friendly: Not for me, but I have a heavy road cruiser.  It's only a little over a mile on gravel roads, so others might find it acceptable.

GPS files:
  GPS track file: Hike to Hemmed-In Hollow Falls (.gpx format)
  GPS track file: Diamond Falls to Hemmed-In Hollow Falls(.gpx format)

Hemmed-In Hollow Falls (209')

Hemmed-In Hollow Falls and Diamond Falls are two of the tallest waterfalls in Arkansas.  In fact, at 209 feet high, Hemmed-In Hollow Falls is the tallest waterfall between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains.  I figured today would be a good day to visit Hemmed-In Hollow for a number of reasons.  With our busy travel schedule, this was looking like my only free day for hiking in the next couple of weeks.  It was raining today at our home north of Dover, but it looked like it would stop raining for at least a few hours around mid-day in the Ponca area, so some of the waterfalls in that area looked promising.  Also, Boomer was still recovering from the snake bite he got while we were hiking last week, and the trails in Buffalo National River area do not allow dogs on the trail, so while he was out of commission I thought I would do some hiking in the Buffalo NR area. 

Diamond Falls (148')

To get there, go to the small community of Compton, 8.8 miles north of Ponca on Highway 43.  The small Compton post office will be on the left (coming from Ponca).  Turn right on the gravel road across the highway from the post office.  This is NC-2700.  At the first intersection, turn right (to stay on NC-2700).  Go another 0.8 miles and turn right on NC-2720.  There is a sign pointing to the Compton Trailhead.  There is a large parking area on the left after you turn down this road.  Park there and look carefully at the signs on the two trails from this trailhead.  The one on the right is for the Sneeds Creek horse trail, and the one on the left is the Hemmed-In Hollow trail.

The trail down into Hemmed-In Hollow is fantastic, from a hiking perspective.  It is well defined and easy to follow, is well maintained, and sees a fair amount of traffic.  I hear a lot of complaints about the climb coming OUT of the hollow, and indeed it is an elevation climb of 1180 feet.  But that climb is stretched out over a mile or so of trail, so at any given point the trail itself is not that steep.  In fact, in many places the trail architects have placed large flat rocks to form stair steps.  It is a lot of climbing, but not difficult in that there is no bushwhack involved, nor any stretches so steep you have to climb instead of hike.  Some folks have avoided this hike because they have heard it is so strenuous, (it even says "steep and strenuous" on the bulletin board at the trailhead).  If you pace yourself on the way back and give yourself plenty of time, it should be do-able for anyone in halfway decent shape.  That is Rick's opinion, in any case.  I have put a 3-D topological map of this route at the bottom of this post so you can get a feel for the hike involved.

Hemmed-In Hollow Trailhead

It took me two hours to drive to the 80 miles to Compton Trailhead, because of the rain and some SMV's on Highway 7.  It was still raining when I parked, and looked like it would keep up a light rain for a while.  So much for all the weather forecasts.  Fortunately, we carry a couple of plastic rain ponchos in the glove box, so I got one out, put it over myself and the backpack, and got on the trail.  I looked like a giant blue smurf, but it isn't like I'm the epitome of fashion when on the trail anyway.  Plus, I was the only one crazy enough to hike in the rain, so I had the trail to myself for now.  Reset your GPS at the trailhead, and soon after you leave it, you cross the upper headwaters of Hemmed-In Hollow

Intersection with Bench Trail

Creek.  Don't be concerned if it doesn't look like much water flow.  That is the top of the creek and it picks up quite a bit before going over Hemmed-In Hollow Falls.  At 0.79 miles, you come to an intersection with what is known as the bench trail (it runs on the bench above the Hemmed-In Hollow bluffline).  Go straight through this intersection, or somewhat straight, anyway.  There is a sign post that even points the way. 

The trail to this point is fairly moderate, dropping less than 300 feet over almost a mile.  The next mile is much steeper, but as previously mentioned, the trail's descent is very well managed.  At 1.52 miles, there is a campsite on the left.  Going out the back of this campsite is a short path to the edge of the bluff, where you can get a view of the entire hollow with Hemmed-In Hollow Falls on the bluff wall opposite you.  Continuing on down the trail, at 1.8 miles you come to another intersection with a signpost.  The Hemmed-In Hollow trail takes a sharp left turn here, then shortly after that is another good campsite.  For you hikers that like to pack in and camp overnight, this is your last chance.  Camping is not allowed down in the hollow itself.

Downstream Waterfall #3

At 2.2 miles you cross a small creek, and at 2.27 miles come to Hemmed-In Hollow Creek, where the trail branches again.  Turn left here to go upstream.  If you stop on the Buffalo River at Horseshoe Bend, this is the trail that comes from the river along the west side of the creek.  Once you turn upstream, Hemmed-In Hollow Falls is only a quarter mile upstream.  There are several waterfalls along this creek, starting as soon as you turn upstream.  You cross another small creek here, I believe this is the creek Diamond Falls feeds.  If you look upstream, you will see a small waterfall on that creek, and right next to the trail is a nice double waterfall with that creek and Hemmed-In Hollow Creek both having side-by-side waterfalls.

Downstream Waterfall #2

There is another waterfall that you can hear as you hike along the trail, but
you can't see it clearly.  There is a trail of sorts that goes down to the creek to get access to this second downstream waterfall, then continues on down along the creek.  Further upstream, there is yet another really pretty waterfall.  It can be seen from the trail, but you will have to scramble down off the trail a little to get a good view of it.  Whenever there are a number of smaller waterfalls in the area, I always try to see as many as I can, but generally save them for the way back.  That is exactly what I did today, going straight to the main attraction and saving the smaller falls, the mid-trail view of the hollow, and Wild Vic's cabin for the way back.

Hemmed-In Hollow Falls (209')

Hemmed-In Hollow Falls is just spectacular.  At 209 feet, it is the tallest waterfall for literally hundreds of miles.  Hemmed-In Hollow did not get the amount of rainfall we had received at home, but it still had plenty of flow to look great.  The waterfall is so tall, it is impossible to find a viewpoint where the entire waterfall can be captured in a photo.  The foliage will get in the way when you get back from the falls far enough for the widest angle lens I carry.  There are a lot of photos of this waterfall, but I can assure you they don't really do it justice.  As usual, you need to be there to properly experience it.  It had stopped raining a few minutes before I got to the falls, so I hung up the poncho to dry and started just savoring the magnificence of this place.  

To get a better perspective of the falls, you need to get up on the series of ledges around the waterfall grotto.  Easier said than done, especially with wet rocks and slick muddy soil.  I first went up close to the falls on the left side, but you can only go so high there.  It is fine for taking some side view photos, but not for accessing the level you need to be at to go to Diamond Falls.  If you look at photos of Hemmed-In Hollow Falls, you will see a large dead tree behind the falls about 60 or 70 feet above the base.  That is, where the vestiges of plants end and the cliff rises above it.  That is the level you need to be at to follow the bluff around to the left to Diamond Falls.  On the right as you face the waterfall, the slope is such that you can scramble up to gain access to this level.  Traditionally, folks scrambled up the right side, then crossed behind the falls at this level.  I do NOT recommend doing that any 

Ancient Cedars on Diamond Falls Route
(Hemmed-In Hollow Falls is at Upper left)

longer.  While the ledge here was relatively dry due to the overhang, you are still walking on loose dirt and gravel, and the ledge has deteriorated such that at one point you only have six inches or so to stand on as you go around behind the falls.  At this point, if you slip it is pretty much straight down with nothing to break your fall, and the it is solid rock at the bottom.  By the time I got to this point, I was past the point of no return and it was safer to proceed on than to try to turn around.  So I proceeded on, but I vowed to find a better way coming back.  I do NOT recommend anyone take this route any longer, even if you are not deathly afraid of heights as I am.  One slip and you have to go back in a body bag.  That would NOT be a good end to a great day of hiking.

Let me be clear here.  I would encourage everyone to go to Hemmed-In Hollow Falls because the trail is excellent and I believe anyone in decent shape can do it.  I can NOT say the same for Diamond Falls.  There is a trail of sorts along the bluffline base, but it is neither safe nor easy.  To get to Diamond Falls, you have to get

Rock Tunnel on Diamond Falls Route

to base of the sheer rock cliff above the creek level.  Once there, you just follow the base of the cliff as well as you can around to the left (west) and Diamond Falls is less than a quarter mile around the bend in the bluff.   Once I got away from Hemmed-In Hollow Falls itself and to the point where there is a little slope and some trees between you and the creek bed, I could at least breathe a little easier.  At this point, there are some ancient, gnarled, twisted, cedar trees that look like they are a bazillion years old.  You couldn't ask for a better foreground object for a side shot of the Hemmed-In Hollow Falls.

Diamond Falls (148')

Proceeding on around the bluffline from the old cedar trees, you come to a rock tunnel.  Don't go through it; there is about a 40 foot drop out the other end.  But you can scramble up and over it, then continue on around the bluffline to Diamond Falls a short way ahead.  In drier times of the year, it is a little disappointing, but today there was plenty of water flow to make it look spectacular.  At 148 feet tall, it is not quite as as tall as big brother Hemmed-In Hollow Falls around the corner, but still a big'un, as they say in Arkansas.  The creek flows off the bluff ledge, drops about a hundred feet, then hits a large sandstone outcropping before spraying off and falling the remainder of the way to the base.  Again, you just gotta be there to really appreciate the beauty.

After heading back from Diamond Falls the way I came in, I scouted along the way for a better way to get back to creek level.  Due to the ruggedness of the terrain there, the options are very limited.  I determined that the best route is to slant down the hillside from the ancient cedar trees toward the base of the falls.  It looked like some folks had made that same determination.  It was not really that difficult a descent except one place that was basically about a ten foot mud slide because the ground was so wet.  But even at this point, there were bamboo growing that I could hold onto to steady myself and keep on my feet.  Once below that mud slide, there is a about a four foot drop down onto the creek floor, which I could jump down from.  Next trip, I'll climb up there to start my trek up the slope.   I said it already, but let me emphasize - if you want to go up to the ancient cedars and Diamond Falls, do it here on the left of the falls, not by going behind the falls.  You might get a little dirty, but it is at least relatively safe.

Downstream Falls #1

After getting back at Hemmed-In Hollow Falls, I rested and hydrated a bit, then headed back.  I had plenty of afternoon left, so went down the creek to all three of the downstream falls.  There was plenty of water in the creek to make them all look pretty good.  There is a path off the trail toward the creek (Lat/Lon 36.07059, -93.30823) that goes down to the second downstream falls, then continues along the creek to the third downstream falls where you need to get back on the trail again anyway.  On the way back, I took this side trip to get a good view of all the smaller, but still beautiful, waterfalls.

Getting back on the trail, I started that long steep climb we talked about.  If you pace yourself, this shouldn't be a factor.  Unfortunately, those that know me know that I don't have much of a governor.  I pretty much have a wide open throttle all the time.  Boomer can keep up with me, but I'll wear him out on the longer

Hemmed-In Hollows Falls
from across hollow with telephoto lens

hikes.  When Bethany goes hiking with me, I'll get her to lead the way so it slows me down to a better pace.  But she opted for staying home today, getting the house ready for guests coming in and getting us ready for a trip this weekend to see our nephew's wedding.  So without anyone to pace me, I have to make myself stop and rest.  That first campsite we came to on the way down is a good place, about halfway back up the slope, and I had intentionally passed it up on the way down.  So I stopped there, wheezed and panted a little, and enjoyed the great panoramic view of the valley before me.

Wild Vic's Cabin

Moving on after catching my breath, I got back to the intersection with the bench trail and turned right (east) onto it for a quick trip to Wild Vic's cabin.  The bench trail is mostly on the level, so hiking along it is actually a breather for me.  Look for the cabin in the woods on the right about 0.16 miles from the trail intersection.  I continued on past the cabin until I came to Hemmed-In Hollow Creek to check out the trail condition.  It was not so good;  after Vic's cabin, it was very wet, the trail itself looking more like a creek with water running down it all the way to the creek crossing.  On the way back, I stopped at the cabin and explored a bit.

Wild Vic's Cabin

 I'm not sure who Vic was, or why they called him "Wild", but he sure had a great view.  The beds of Iris around the cabin where just at the end of their blooming period.

Heading back, I got back to the intersection and turned right to go back to the Compton Trailhead.  From here, it was a little less than a mile back and my little side trip to Wild Vic's cabin had given me a good breather, so the remainder of the trip went fairly quick and easy.  Just in time, too; as I got back to the parking area, it had just started a fine misting rain again.  I love the rain, and I love to hike, but I hate to hike in the rain.  At any rate, it all worked out pretty good for me today.  I only got a little bit of the rain at the first half hour of my hike, and there is something especially refreshing about hiking through the woods after a rain.  All in all, another great day in the wilderness.  If you have not made the hike to Hemmed-In Hollow Falls yet, you should.

GPS Track - Hemmed-In Hollow

Ladderbucket Falls and John Mountain Falls, Arkansas Ozarks

5/5/2014 -  Ladderbucket Falls and John Mountain Falls

GPS Coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Parking Location:  35.54074, -92.79777,  1547 feet
  Turn left onto ATV trail:  35.54159, -92.79934,  1601 feet
  Falls #1:  35.5444, -92.80044
  Keep right onto ATV trail:  35.55351, -92.7603,  1407 feet
  Bluff Break:  35.55073, -92.79351,  1222 feet
  John Mountain Falls:  35.55112, -92.79336,  1223 feet
  Falls #3:  35.55010, -92.79433 
  Ladderbucket Falls:  35.54868, -92.79469,  1227 feet

Pet Friendly: 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.  I will add that on this particular day it was not so friendly to Boomer.  He was bitten by a copperhead and we had to cut short our excursion to get him to the vet. 

Hiking Statistics:   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.

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

GPS files:
  Ladderbucket area waypoints
  GPS track file to John Mountain and Ladderbucket Falls (.gpx format)

Links to blog posts for other nearby areas:

  Schoolhouse Falls
  Jacob's Stairway
  Lizard Log Falls
  Brushy Fork waterfalls

NOTE:  A newer blog post (11/9/2019) for Ladderbucket Falls and John Mountain Falls is available here.

Ladderbucket Falls (36')

Boomer (our German Shepard) and I loaded up this morning for our first trip out to a couple of waterfalls, John Mountain Falls and Ladderbucket Falls.  Since it was our first time there, I did my due diligence the night before.  I looked over the directions in Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls book, looked at the maps, and plotted out a route.  I decided to try a different route both driving and hiking.  

For driving to the parking location, it looked like I could cut about five miles of dirt road off the trip by staying on Highway 27 until I could take Lindsey Mountain Road.  I knew White Oak Mountain Road to be a pretty good road, but if I can do less time on dirt roads, I'm all for it.  That was not a good idea in this case.  I had never been on Lindsey Mountain Road, and when I got to it, I found it to be pretty awful for driving.  Single lane with no room for passing, and extremely rough.  It was bone-jarring rough.  After less than a half-mile, I found a spot to turn around and did so.  Back toward Hector we went to take the tried and proven route.  

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

To get there, drive north from Hector on Highway 27.  Less than a mile from the Big Piney Ranger station in Hector, you cross over Dare Creek.  Look upstream when you cross and you will see a nice little waterfall.  Immediately after crossing Dare Creek, turn right onto White Oak Mountain Road (aka FR-1301).  This is a gravel road but is a well-traveled and fairly well-maintained road.  Go 11.8 miles on White Oak Mountain Road.  Be careful about seven miles from Hector and bear left where the road branches at the 'Y' in the road.  See the sign at right - you want to stay on White Oak Mountain Road at this point.  After following it for 11.8 miles, turn right onto Wilderness Trail (aka FR-1307).  Go another 3.5 miles and turn left onto Jobe's Way, then drive a quarter mile to the gate across the road and park.  There is a place to pull off Jobe's Way and park about 50 feet before you get to the gate.

By the way, that is John Mountain to your left as you drive into the parking location, hence the name of the waterfall.  If "Jobe's Way" looks more like "Jobe's driveway ruts", that's because it is.  The cleared area beyond the gate 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 go to the left of the gate, you can swing around the cleared area, then turn back to your right and go down to the old logging road that runs from the gate out the west side of Harry Jobe's little chunk of land.  It's just a short detour through the woods and you are back on the logging road we hiked most of the way on.

Turn left onto the logging road, away from Harry's property, and stay on it as it swings around the end of the hollow.  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', keep bearing to the right, staying on it until it ends.  There has been some logging activity and a fire in the area where the logging road ends not too long ago.  Where the trail ends, you are actually only about 100 yards from the top of John Mountain Falls.  Leave the road 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 go down a short way further toward the hollow to the bluffline.

Break in the Bluffline

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.  

John Mountain Falls (84 ft)

John Mountain Falls is spectacular, 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.  As always, being there is really the only way to properly experience it in all it's glory.  

Leaving John Mountain Falls the same way we came in, we stayed right at the base of the rock bluff and continued on past our break in the bluffline.  There is not much room between the base of the rocky cliff and the steep slope off to the creek that runs through this hollow, but it's wide enough to hike along.  About halfway between John Mountain Falls and Ladderbucket Falls is another nice waterfall.  I would estimate this unnamed waterfall to be about 60 feet high.  It even has a small cave at the base of the bluff overhang, directly behind the waterfall.

Ladderbucket Falls (36')

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.  

From Ladderbucket Falls, we had planned on looking for a break where we could get above the bluffline again and explore the upper reaches of this drainage.  But we found nothing but the tall rock cliffs we had hiked along on the way there, so we backtracked along the base of the bluff again to get back to our original break in the bluffline near John Mountain Falls.  This was the only place we found to get back on top of the bluff, but it is less than a quarter-mile between the two waterfalls, so not really a big deal. 

It was back at our break in the bluffline that Boomer got bit on his left rear paw by a snake.  I think Boomer was just a little too excited about heading back up and didn't see it until he stepped on it.  I didn't get a real close look before the snake was slung off into the hollow, but I think it was a small copperhead.  Whatever it was, it zapped him pretty good.  Even small copperheads have a full load of venom.  He still managed a slow walk, but I could tell he was not doing well at all.  Boomer normally runs all over the

Unnamed Falls between Ladderbucket
and John Mountain Falls

place, but now he barely managed to just trudge along.  He was moving so slowly that at one point I carried him for about a tenth of a mile.  He weighs 95 pounds, so the only way I could carry him was to wrap him around the back of my shoulders.  He did NOT like that at all, and let me know he wanted to be down and walking, so I put him back down.  By the time we got back to within a half-mile of the car, he was starting to perk up a little, taking bigger steps and picking his head back up.  

Boomer was feeling better, obviously.  But I still got him back to town as quickly as I could, going straight to Doc and Gina, our vets.  His leg had stiffened up again on the trip back to town, but he still managed to walk in on his own.  They did their normal great job and checked him out, shaved his leg, cleaned it up, and bandaged it.  I had to leave Boomer with them overnight, for observation and shots.  But for all you Boomer fans out there (and who isn't?), it looks like he will be just fine.  He is quite the hiking machine; he could have just laid down and died, but he kept marching on.

Boomer - Mountain Dog

So we had a close call with Boomer, and getting him back to the vet was a priority.  We had passed a couple of nice waterfalls just below the logging road on the way in and had intended to check those out on the way back.  Maybe next time we'll be able to do that.  We did get to see some fantastic scenery and get out in the wilderness for a while, but we also got a stark reminder that there are hazards out there.  This is Arkansas, and this time of year snakes, ticks, and other critters are just part of the price of admission.  The waterfalls in this hollow are best seen after a good rain, but are nice with any water at all.

Boomer - bandaged, medicated, and feeling mistreated

5/6/2014 UPDATE - We got to take Boomer home from the vet this afternoon.  He has to go back Thursday for hydro-cleaning and treatment.  He has to stay for the weekend, but at least we can have him home for a couple of days.  Doc says that the flesh where he was bitten will abscess and rot, but will eventually heal and fill back in.  But for now, Boomer has to keep it bandaged and can't get the bandage wet.  It will be some time before he can go swimming or hiking again, but he will make a full recovery.  When they screened him, they found out he had also just contracted tick fever.  So he is on a pretty stiff regimen of medications for both the snake bite and the tick fever.  In a way, it's good he was bitten and was taken to the vet.  Otherwise, tick fever would have progressed significantly before we noticed the symptoms.  As you can tell from the photo, he looks like he's feeling a little mistreated.  But he's not grumpy; he's a trooper and will be good as gold and back out hiking with me soon enough.

Pack Rat Falls, Arkansas Ozarks

4/28/2014 -  Pack Rat Falls hike

GPS Coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Parking Location:  35.67663, -93.25463,  817 feet
  Pack Rat Falls:  35.67267, -93.25335,  1005 feet

Pet Friendly: Yes, dogs on or off leash should be fine. This is a campground, so if your dog is not well behaved around strangers, please keep it on a leash.

Motorcycle Friendly: Yes!  Just like any other vehicle if you can't see how deep the water is when the road crosses Haw Creek, don't cross.

GPS files:

  GPS track file for Pack Rat Falls Hike (.gpx format)

Pack Rat Falls

When we set out to go hiking today, Pack Rat Falls was not even on our list of waterfalls to check out.  But after visiting Lonesome Hollow Falls, Fern Falls, and Hudson Shelter Falls, we still had a good part of the afternoon left.  We decided we would drive home form Hudson Shelter on a little longer route via Highways 123 and 164, instead of just going straight down Highway 7.  Then we could stop in at Haw Creek campground and see what the recent rains had done for one of our favorite waterfalls.

Pack Rat Creek Canyon

As it turned out, the Haw Creek area received very little rainfall yesterday, if any.  In fact, Haw Creek Falls had less water than just a couple of weeks earlier when Boomer and I had hiked to Pack Rat Falls.  Bethany had never been up this cool little drainage, so we decided to make the hike up to Pack Rat Falls.

I won't reiterate the detailed directions on how to get to the falls, since you can get that information on my previous post for Pack Rat Falls.  Click on the link here to access that post and the detailed directions.  

I will add that the Ozark Highlands Trail goes right through camp site #5, which is the parking location and trail head for Pack Rat Falls.  When you start out, you are actually on the Ozark Highlands Trail for a few yards until you round the ridge spur on the right and go off that trail to head upstream in the creek canyon for Pack Rat Falls.

Pack Rat Creek Canyon

Log Walking Practice for Boomer

The creek itself is one of my favorites.  It tumbles down this canyon with cascades, slides, and pools literally all the way up to Pack Rat Falls.  Along with being the love of my life, Bethany is our photographer.  Having never been to this wonderful little creek, she had to stop and take a bazillion photos along the way.  Pack Rat Falls itself is a beautiful 24 foot waterfall, and it's grotto makes a picturesque setting.  There was a large log going right across the pool at the base of the falls, so Boomer got a little real life workout with his 'mount' command, which means he is to get up on the log and walk across it.  He did just fine, slipping a little because it was wet and mossy.  I'm surprised both of us didn't end up in the pool, but we came out nice and dry.

We were starting to lose our daylight down in the creek canyon, so we headed back out.  Of course, on the way back we had to 'oooh' and 'aahh' and wait for Bethany to take more photos, but that's OK.  This is the kind of magical place that you just like to hang out in and savor nature's beauty.  All in all, a great way to put a cap on a four hike afternoon with my favorite hiking companions.

Hudson Shelter Falls, Arkansas Ozarks

4/28/2014 -  Hudson Shelter Falls hike

GPS Coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Parking Location:  35.85416,  -93.12623,  2111 feet
  Hudson Shelter:  35.85146, -93.12411,  1912 feet

Pet Friendly: Yes.  Be careful, however if you go down to the shelter cave itself (base of the lower waterfall).  You have to cross the creek to do so, and right at the top of the fall.  Less sure-footed dogs might slip and go over the ledge.  You might too, for that matter.  Be careful!

Motorcycle Friendly: Marginal.  It is over four miles on a gravel road, but I will say it is a fairly well maintained gravel road.  I hate taking my Harley off the pavement, but you may find this acceptable for a street bike.

GPS files:
  GPS track file for Hudson Shelter Falls hike (.gpx format)

Middle and Lower Falls of Hudson Shelter Falls

So far today, we had already hiked out to Lonesome Hollow Falls and Fern Falls, both not far off Highway 7 and only a few miles apart.  Another one in this area we wanted to check out was Hudson Shelter Falls.  We had been to Hudson Shelter a couple of times, before I started writing my hiking blog.  Both previous times we had come here the creek feeding the falls had been dry.  On one of those occasions, it was even at a time of year when most Ozark creeks DID have water flowing in them.  So I didn't really know what to expect today, even though we had a significant amount of rainfall yesterday.  That doesn't always equate to significant rainfall

Lower Falls Viewed From Within Hudson Shelter

everywhere, and the other two waterfalls, while spectacular, did not seem to have had nearly as much rain as we had.  Today, I figured if I could not catch this waterfall with actual water falling, it might be time to give up on it.  I'm glad we gave it one more shot.

Hudson Shelter is a large (huge) shelter-type cave tucked away in a drainage right off the side of Hudson Mountain.  It is actually less than four miles as the crow flies from Lonesome Hollow Falls, where we had started our hikes today.  On the drive to it, there was not a lot of standing water or any other indication that the creek feeding the falls would have a decent amount of water.  But we were in the area, so it needed to be at least checked out.  It is also a short hike, so it's not as if it would take much time to at least look.

Turn off Highway 7

To get there, drive north 11.0 miles from Pelsor (aka Sand Gap), or if coming from the other direction, drive south 2.8 miles from the junction where Highway 16 splits off from Highway 7 to go west toward the community of Deer.  This will bring you right to the middle of the small community of Cowell, such as it is.  Turn right on the road going toward the northwest here (or left if coming from the other direction) onto NC-6560 (aka FR-1204).  On some maps this road is CR-55 (old county road name) and on some it is Newton 6370.  All I can tell you for sure is there is only one street sign on Highway 7 for this road, and it says NC-6560.

Whatever you want to call this road, go down it for 4.1 miles and turn right onto FR-1204B.  I believe this FR-1204B is also known as Hudson Mountain Road locally, but the only marking is a stake on the right that says 1204B.  Go about a hundred yards down FR-1204B and there will be an old logging road on the right.  Park there and start your hike.  In the past, I have been able to back all the way down this logging road to where it bends to the left, but today there were some trees partially blocking the road.  

Highest of the Three Falls at Hudson Shelter

Follow the old logging road for a short distance to where it makes that bend to the left.  Keep going straight and leave the logging road at that bend.  There is a trail there that goes down to the creek, then follows it downstream.  This drainage is a feeder creek that flows into Campbell Creek about a third of a mile below Hudson Shelter.  As we got to the creek, I could hear the sound of water gurgling in the creek.  Woo-hoo!  At last we would see this with water in the waterfall!

Middle Falls of Hudson Shelter

The trail crosses over the creek a couple of times before coming to the top of the falls.  Hudson Shelter Falls is actually a triple-tiered waterfall, with three distinct waterfalls.  There is only 15 to 25 feet from the base of one waterfall to the top of the next, so I only listed one GPS waypoint for the group of waterfalls as a whole.  

The top waterfall has a cascade of about six feet, then drops off a ledge for another four to five feet.  This one is small, but still a pretty waterfall.  It was difficult to get an unobstructed view of this one for photos due to fallen trees.  As you go past this waterfall on the left side as you face downstream, there is a path for a relatively easy climb down to the next level.  From there, you stay on the left side of the creek for a similar drop down to the base of the second tier, the middle falls.

Lower Falls of Hudson Shelter (Middle Falls Visible Above)

The middle falls are nice by themselves, falling off a ledge then down large rocks for a total of at least 20 feet.  Once you get back over to the other side of the creek, there are several perspectives where you can see the middle and lower falls together, for a striking view.  To descend to the base of the lower waterfall and to the cave itself, you have to cross over the creek and descend a scramble of large rocks.  Be careful here as there is ample room for a misstep.  Boomer was able to make it down the rock scramble and back alright, but was unable to get up on one large rock I climbed for the photo at the top of this post.  He let me know how displeased he was for me to be up there unchaperoned.  

Inside Hudson Shelter

Hudson Shelter itself is a huge cave, easily 70 to 80 feet deep and much wider than that.  It has a high ceiling, at least 20 feet in the center.  The photo on the right is taken from the big middle area of the cave.  To put it in perspective, that small blob of black in the center of the photo is Boomer, a three foot tall, fairly large, dog.  The lower waterfall falls over the right side of the mouth of the cave (as you look downstream), the side you just climbed down to get there. 

After my previous visits when the creek was dry, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the waterfalls were flowing.  I'm glad I didn't give up on this area and got to see it today.  The tiered effect of the waterfalls flowing right out over the roof of the cave make this an almost mystical looking place.  It is also another quick and relatively easy hike.  It is less than half a mile each way, and about a 200 foot elevation drop.  You do have to go four miles down a gravel road, but it is a well maintained road.  This hike is highly recommended IF conditions are wet enough to have water in the creek.  If you are one of those cave-crazy individuals, you will want to make this short hike just to see the Hudson Shelter cave itself.  This one also goes on the quick and easy hike list for visitors.  

Fern Falls, Arkansas Ozarks

4/28/2014 Hike to Fern Falls

GPS coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Parking location: 35.89291, -93.19023,  2045 feet
  Turn on trail: 35.89332, -93.19416,  2010 feet
  Fern Falls: 35.89748, -93.19249,  1851 feet

Pet friendly: Yes.  Easy open trail, with bypasses around downed trees and obstacles.  As always, be careful around the top of the waterfall.

Motorcycle friendly: Yes.  Just pull off Hwy 7 and park.

GPS files:
  GPS track file for Fern Falls Hike (.gpx format) 

Fern Falls (42')

After leaving Lonesome Hollow Falls, Fern Falls was next on our list.  This was another beautiful waterfall that I had been to before, but neither Bethany nor Boomer had made the trip yet.  This was another easy hike with a big payoff.

From where we had parked near the Cowell cemetery, all we had to do was get back on Highway 7 and go north a little over 6 miles, and park next to the scenic byway sign.  I won't reiterate the detailed directions on how to get to the falls, since you can get that information on my previous post for Fern Falls.  Click on the link here to access that post and the detailed directions.

After you veer right onto the trail going down along the creek, it is still a well defined trail.  That being said, someone wanted to make really sure you stayed on the right trail and blazed it with red trail ribbon on trees all the way down.  Where the trees had fallen on the old logging road, they were especially careful to blaze every few feet along the trail bypassing the downed trees. The hike to the falls was very nice.   Everything was getting fully greened up for springtime, and the dogwoods were in full bloom along the way.   Having been here before, we didn't even waste time at the top of the falls.  You can't really see anything from the top, and the best place to cross the creek is about 40 feet upstream where even a short person can rock hop.  

Dogwoods Along The Trail

Over on the west side of the creek, there is a path over to a break in the bluffline that leads right down to the bottom of the ledge that Fern Falls goes over.  This area also did not seem to get nearly as much rain as we had received yesterday, but it got enough for the falls to be flowing well and looking their best.  Fern Falls is a somewhat classic Ozark waterfall, flowing out over a large ledge, then crashing onto the rocks below and falling into a large pool.  Of course, Bethany could not be satisfied with photos taken below the ledge and had to get further down to downstream of the pool.   The best way to do that is to go behind the waterfall all the way around the grotto, then it is an easy climb down to the pool.  

This was the second on our "go back and see these waterfalls after a good rain" list, and it did not disappoint.  Fern Falls looked spectacular today.  As with all the waterfalls we visit, photos and videos are really a poor substitute to being there.  My GPS track showed it to be only 0.62 miles each way, and it is a very easy hike.  The trail is well defined with a very easy gradient, dropping less than 200 feet over the length of the trail.  Fern Falls also goes onto our quick hit list of hikes we can take even with friends and family that are novice hikers.  We'll be back!

Lonesome Hollow Falls, Arkansas Ozarks

4/28/2014 - Hike to Lonesome Hollow Falls

GPS Coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Parking:  35.80639, -93.15759,  1822 feet
  Turn off ATV trail:  35.80364,  -93.15878,  1839 feet
  Lonesome Hollow Falls:  35.80487, -93.16006,  1988 feet

Pet friendly: Yes.  OK for pets on or off leash.

Motorcycle friendly: Yes.  Less than a mile down a fairly good gravel road.  I would take my street bike on this road.

GPS files:
  GPS track file for Lonesome Hollow Falls hike (.gpx format)

Lonesome Hollow Falls (47 feet)

The last time I came to Lonesome Hollow, the waterfall was a beautiful, fairly tall (47 feet) waterfall, but I thought it would be much better with more water flow.  I have a list of waterfalls like this that I vowed to go back to after a good rain.  Yesterday, we got almost three inches of rain at our house north of Dover.  While I realize the amount of rainfall varies widely over an area as large as the Ozarks, I figured surely there was a good deal of rain in the mountains north of us, even if not as much as we received at home.  So Bethany and I, along with our German Shepard, Boomer, loaded up and headed north to see if we could visit a number of these "see when wet" waterfalls.  Lonesome Hollow Falls was first on our list.

I won't reiterate the detailed directions on how to get to the falls, since you can get that information on my previous post for Lonesome Hollow Falls.  Click on the link here to access that post and the detailed directions.

Lonesome Hollow Bluffline

We parked and started our stroll down the old ATV trail.  By the looks of the ATV trail, it looked like no one had been here since my last venture to Lonesome Hollow months ago.  I'm sure that is not the case, but I like it when there aren't any signs of human intrusion.  Today we had the woods all to ourselves, as usual.  After dropping off the trail where it gets below the bluffline on the right, we made our way along the bottom of the bluffline, coming into view of the waterfall.  It was really flowing well, completely changing the way the waterfall looked.  This area did not get the three inches of rain we got further south, but certainly got plenty of rain to make the waterfall spectacular.  After getting back home, I went back to some of the photos I took in February and did some comparisons.  A little more water makes a big difference.  I thought it was a cool little waterfall then; now it looked like an awesome not-so-little waterfall.  See the comparison photos side-by-side below.

Feb 12, 2014

This is what I would call an easy hike.  It is only a half mile each way, and less than 200 feet elevation change.  The first quarter mile is easy hiking on the old ATV trail.  The other quarter mile is technically a bushwhack since there is no trail, but it's an easy bushwhack.  It is on the level and easy to hike along the bottom of the bluffline.  This waterfall hike is going on my list of easy hikes with great waterfalls that I can take visiting friends and family to,  when there's adequate ground water, that is.

April 28, 2014