Longpool

After going to Holla Bend I drove up to the Longpool Recreation Area along Big Piney Creek in the Ozark National Forest. Longpool is a popular spot for kayakers and hikers, though the park was totally empty that day. In fact I was the only person there. My plan was to take the short hike to Longpool Falls, even though we haven't had rain in awhile and the falls probably weren't running.

Big Piney Creek was low, but still looked cool.


The water in the creek had a nice greenish tint to it:


And along the way to the waterfall trail head:


The hike to the falls is short, about a mile or so. Below Longpool Falls is a smaller waterfall that tumbles over some mossy rocks. There was a small trickle of water there, but I was surprised to see ice and icicles hanging off of the rocks. It was warm that day, in the 60s, and I didn't expect to see icicles there.


There were some icicles hanging along the bluff line at Longpool Falls, but the falls were nothing more than a trickle. I took a few shots but wasn't happy with them. Then I was startled as one of the icicles broke off and hit the ground with a large crash. It was time to call it a day, and I hiked back to the car to get something to eat for lunch (Diamond Drive-in in Clarksville - yummy).