Cedar Falls

We got a lot of rain here last week, which meant that last weekend was a perfect opportunity to go and look at a few waterfalls.  The only problem was that it was sunny - which isn't the most conducive weather for waterfall photography.  Since there was nary a cloud in the sky on Saturday, it pretty much limited the available shooting times to a short period either around sunrise or sunset.

So it shouldn't be a shock at what time I decided to head out - sunset.  So on Saturday afternoon, we headed out to visit a nearby waterfall that I assumed would be running well.  The drive to Petit Jean State Park isn't that long from Little Rock, and after about an hour or so we had made it to the top of the mountain.  The trail to Cedar Falls isn't very long, starting out by the lodge and heading steeply down the hill along a creek that has several small waterfalls on it.

Soon the trail levels out and follows Cedar Creek.  The sun was getting low, and was lighting up the trees behind the creek.



Winter can be a dull time in the woods, without any color from the leaves on the trees. But the woods along the trail were lit up by the sun, which reflected in the water along the trail. This was along a small stream that flows into Cedar Creek.



After a little bit more hiking, we made it to the falls. The sun was still shining on the falls, so while waiting for the sun to slowly disappear, I got a few pictures of the light reflected in the creek...



At 90 feet tall, Cedar Falls is probably the most powerful waterfall in the state. And this might be the most water I've seen in it in several years.



The sun had finally sank low enough where most of the area around the falls was in shadow. But the sun was still hitting the upper reaches of the steep bowl, casting a golden light on the pool below the falls...



A wider shot of the falls - you can see some of the last bits of light hitting the rocks on the upper right-hand part of the shot...



It was starting to get dark, so it meant time to head back up the trail. But not before one last stop, to get a shot of the creek flowing below the falls..