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.