Fern Falls

After getting a late lunch at the Ozark Cafe we then headed over to Fern Falls, which is a scenic little waterfall just off of Hwy. 7. The hike isn't too long, but after all the rain it was mostly underwater. There was so much water on the trail that it was like hiking through a creek.

And if there was that much water on the trail, it was safe to assume there would be a lot of water at the falls. And there was - it was practically flooded. We followed the trail as it turned and ran beneath the falls, where a bunch of ferns were growing (hence the name Fern Falls).



The falls are 42 feet-tall, and they were pouring over the bluff with a roar.



For a bit of a comparison, this is what the falls looked like the last time I was here:



The last time I was here was in the winter, so it was cool to see all the ferns growing around the falls. Here's one more shot of the eponymous ferns, with a prime location right below the waterfall.



And one last shot of Fern Falls, taken from the top:

Down To The River

We headed down the mountain into Boxley Valley. I resisted the urge to stop at every old barn to get pictures, since I was just here a few weeks ago. But we did make one quick stop at the old springhouse, which had a bit of water tumbling down beside it.



And then we headed to the Steele Creek access along the Buffalo. After really heavy rains, there are two waterfalls that pour over Roark Bluff. They are about 200 feet tall, and are among the tallest waterfalls in the state (when they're going). I tried to get a few pictures, but the polarizing filter was wet. I took it off the lens to try to dry it, but my shirt was still completely soaked after our hike that I accomplished nothing but just smearing the water around on the glass. As I was fumbling with the filter, it slipped from my fingers and dropped with a little *plonk* into the muddy and murky waters of the river. Whoops.

Marty's Falls

It absolutely stormed over Memorial Day weekend, which isn't great if you're planning a cookout but is awesome if you like waterfalls. Luckily I was able to get up to the Ozarks on Sunday to meet up with my friend Zack, and a little group of us headed off to see a few waterfalls. The first one is called Marty's Falls, which sits just within the boundaries of the Smith Creek Nature Preserve near the Buffalo National River. It had been raining all day, but when we started the hike it started to storm. There was heavy rain, and some lightning and thunder that sounded uncomfortably close. Of course I forgot a rain jacket so I was thoroughly soaked by the time we reached the falls.

There is a nice little shelter under the bluff, behind the falls. Which came in handy because we actually used it to take shelter while the storm raged on.



And the shelter was large enough that there was plenty of room to take pictures from several different angles without having to worry about the camera getting drenched.



The falls are named after Marty Roenigk, who along with his wife donated this land to the Nature Conservancy (QuiVala Elise falls is named after her).



Just down the stream was another waterfall, which seemed to be flowing out from under a huge rock.



As far as I know, these falls are unnamed. But I think they should be called McFly Falls, in honor of another famous Marty.



We were going to hike along Smith Creek while we were there, but the creek became flooded after the storms. So we headed out to visit a few other waterfalls instead...

Two Rivers

One evening last week, there were some interesting clouds in the sky. The clouds might make for a cool sunset, so Jonah and I hurried over to Two Rivers Park. We headed to the pedestrian bridge over the Little Maumelle River, but stopped to get a few pictures of some distant storm clouds that hanging over the I-430 Bridge.



And those interesting clouds did indeed make for a pretty cool sunset. They turned a deep orange as the sun sank below the low foothills of the Ouachita Mountains.



We stayed for a bit, as the light continued to fade out and the sky transitioned into night.

Hammerschmidt Falls

The last stop was Hammerschmidt Falls, a scenic waterfall that sits just within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River. The falls are reached by a fairly short and easy hike. I made it there and was pleasantly surprised to see the falls surrounded by a thick fog.



The 43 foot-tall waterfall is named after John Paul Hammerschmidt, the former politician who helped push through legislation that created the Buffalo National River (and not named after John Jacob JingleHammer Schmidt, like I assumed).



I did take a lot of pictures here, unable to resist the temptations of waterfalls and fog.



The creek flows down the hillside and then runs through Indian Creek canyon, which is one of the most beautiful and treacherous places within the Buffalo National River. There are some amazing waterfalls there, but it is a rough and difficult hike (people have died there recently, so really only expert hikers should attempt).



And one last shot from Hammerschmidt Falls, as fog drifted through the trees beyond the waterfall.



I hiked out, and changed out of my wet hiking shoes at the car since it was time to drive home. But I made one final stop, to get a quick shot of an old barn near Jasper. The barn stood out against the hill behind it, which was nearly hidden by fog.

Triple Falls

Back in March a round of storms dumped a lot of rain across the state, resulting in some pretty bad flash flooding. And the Buffalo River was hit especially hard. At St. Joe, the river is at flood stage at 27 feet, but back in March it reached 48 feet. At Steele Creek, the river flooded the campground and made it all the way up to the ranger station. It's now been several weeks but you can still see evidence of the flooding there, like the fences that are far from the river that were knocked down (or still have pieces of debris stuck in them). Closer to the river there are a lot of downed trees, which were pushed down by the force of the water.

Steele Creek was busy that morning. The campground was back open and completely full. The put-in at the river was full of people loading up canoes and kayaks.



From there I drove over to visit the famous Triple Falls. But along the way I pulled over and got a picture of this red barn, sitting in a foggy field.



And the fog got thicker as the dirt road makes its way down towards the river.





As I continued on, a guy driving a truck coming uphill tried to wave me down as we passed each other. I didn't manage to stop in time, so we just kinda awkwardly looked at each other for a few seconds. But luckily there was another truck right behind him, and the driver stopped to talk. He said that I might need to wait a bit. A car got stuck trying to drive up the steep hill, and was being towed out. He said there was a long line of about 30 cars waiting behind it.

Triple Falls is a popular waterfall, which sits within a Boy Scout campground. And that weekend just happened to be a big Scout campout, and the families were all trying to get home that morning. The road to the campground is steep, and can be rough. Especially after heavy rains. And apparently someone in a little sedan attempted to take on the dirt road and got stuck. I headed down the road, and soon enough saw a little car being slowly towed up the hill. And beyond, a long line of cars and SUVs sat waiting like it was rush hour in a big city.

Eventually I made it to the small parking area for Triple Falls, and then started the short and easy hike to the waterfall.



The falls are beautiful, falling 48 feet into a small pool before flowing off towards the Buffalo River.



It is definitely worth the drive to reach the falls (as long as your car doesn't get stuck).





By then, all the campers had departed and were on their way home. I guess no one else got stuck since the road out was clear and empty (except for the fog).

Boxley Valley

I woke up just after sunrise the next morning and drove into Boxley Valley, a very scenic part of the Buffalo National River. It had stormed overnight, and the landscape was still soaked and sodden. A little bit of fog clung to the mountains that ring the valley. My shoes quickly got soaked by wet grass as I walked over to get a few pictures of this old root cellar.



And then I headed over to get a few pictures of this very photogenic old barn.







The barn was built back in the 1920s.







It started to rain again as I stopped to get a few pictures further down the road of this old barn. Luckily I managed to get a few pictures that didn't have any rain drops on the lens.



It is interesting to visit Boxley now, after having recently been to Cades Cove at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are both incredibly similar. Both are scenic valleys filled with all sorts of historic buildings. Both are managed by the NPS. But the way they are managed is different. When the Park Service took over Cades Cove, the residents were bought out and removed (much to their displeasure). The more modern-looking buildings were torn down, in order to showcase a more traditional view of Appalachian life. The drive through the valley is very pretty (apart from the traffic), but it feels lifeless. Almost as if all the humanity has been removed.

When the NPS took over the Buffalo River, they also bought out and removed many of the residents who lived along the river (also much to their displeasure). But Boxley was different, people were allowed to still live and work here. So the historic barns you drive by are still in use. The fields are still being used, and the homes are still being lived in. It preserved the past, but continues to make the valley feel like a real place. Not just something set aside for tourists to drive through.

I headed down the road and stopped at the old Boxley Baptist Church. The church was built in 1899, and it is still used by local residents as a community center. It's where local residents vote in elections, or take yoga classes. A newer church building was built just a few steps away.



Nearby was this old barn, which was built onto the side of a hill.



And down the road I pulled over at another neat old barn:





While driving through Boxley it's impossible to not constantly stop to take pictures. At least it had stopped raining.









And one of the old houses in the valley, which has such a welcoming front porch.



I always have to stop at this old barn, which was built back in 1915.





There was some talk awhile back about upgrading the Buffalo River into a National Park and Preserve. And like Natalie Imbruglia, I'm torn on the idea. I think the Buffalo River is an incredibly beautiful and special place, and it deserves to be ranked among the most scenic parks in the country. But I also understand the negative impact that it could bring. Namely, overcrowding. After having battled the traffic at Cades Cove, it was refreshing to have the peaceful and quiet roads there mostly to myself that morning.





And one last shot of Boxley, of the old Beechwoods Church (built 1915).



After this I headed out of the valley and went towards another waterfall...