Saturday, May 16, 2009

Lost Valley

From Steele Creek, it was a short drive to one of the most scenic places in Arkansas - Lost Valley. The valley is reached by a short and compact trail that hits several awesome waterfalls, runs under huge towering bluffs, past wildflowers, a natural bridge and even a cave with a 35 foot waterfall inside.

The parking lot to the trail was packed, but it really wasn't all that crowded on the trail. There were a few large groups of people who didn't mind walking into the creek while you were taking a picture, but we had a nice amount of time to explore the waterfalls there. Also, there was a lady randomly smoking pot out there too.

The trail crosses over Clark Creek and then heads deep into the woods, which were a deep and vibrant green. This is what the trail looks like after three weeks of rain:
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Zack and I stopped to explore this little waterfall along the creek, one of the many falls that you see along the trail.
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And the view from the top of that waterfall, looking in the opposite direction:
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The highlights of Lost Valley are the waterfalls, but this one tree has turned into a landmark. The trunk is hollow, yet the tree is still alive. Amazingly, it managed to survive the recent ice storm that fell or damaged a lot of trees in the Ozarks (including a few along the trail). It's hard to find this tree without people getting their picture taken while standing inside the trunk.
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One more small waterfall along Clark Creek:
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The trail soon runs up to the natural bridge, which actually is the mouth of a cave that once extended throughout Lost Valley but collapsed eons ago. This large rock sits at the pool created by the waterfall there, but this was the farthest out I could get without standing in the water.
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And a wider view of the waterfall spilling out from the natural bridge:
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On the opposite side of the natural bridge, the creek has several great other waterfalls, sandwiched by the huge bluffs along the creek.
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From here the trail begins to get really interesting, as it gets closer and closer to Eden Falls. Soon you reach the foot of the massive Cob Cave, a giant overhanging bluff that looms high above you. At the base of the bluff sits Eden Falls, one of the prettiest waterfalls in the state.
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But that isn't the end of the waterfalls. There are three Eden Falls - a Lower, Middle and Upper. The above pictures are the Lower Falls, and the one that most people see. The other two are just above the Lower Falls, but are a bit harder to get to. To reach the falls, you have to carefully walk across a narrow ledge, and then drop down about nine feet to a small area carved out by the waters of the two falls.

The Upper Falls drop down from a gorge, joining the waters from the Middle Falls which flow out from the mouth of a cave. The Upper Eden Falls:
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And the middle Eden Falls:
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But wait, there's more waterfalls to see! The trail loops back around and stops at another great waterfall spot - Moss Falls. This isn't a big fall, but I like this spot. The creek dips over several small falls which end right next to a small cave.
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It was a perfect day for photography. I was sad to see it come to an end...

2 comments:

Zack Andrews said...

All the photos turned out great Brian!

Can't wait to get back out there, we took a good group and it seemed that everyone had a good time.

Cormackphotos said...

Thanks Zack, it was a great trip with great people! Can't wait to do it again soon.