Six Finger Falls

My waterlogged shoes and I got back in the car, and drove further down Falling Water Road. I made a quick stop here to get a picture of the creek. As I was standing here, I found a tick climbing up my leg. It'd be the first of many that I'd see that weekend.



And then further down the road was this overlook, looking down on Falling Water Creek. The timing was just right to catch the Ozarks at just the perfect moment of Spring - when the new growth on the trees are a bright and vibrant green. It only lasts about a week before the foliage transitions to a more duller green that it will keep until the fall.



And then back to the road and to the next stop - Six Finger Falls:



The falls aren't the tallest (only six feet tall), but they span the entire width of the creek. The falls actually get their name because when viewed from above, the falls look like a hand with six fingers.



Falling Water Creek flows into Richland Creek, which then flows into the Buffalo National River, which then flows into the White River, which then flows into the Arkansas River, which then flows into the Mississippi River, which then flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

Richland & Falling Water

On the way home on Sunday we decided to take the scenic route - which meant driving down some dirt roads through the Ozark Mountains. The kids wanted to see some waterfalls, so we headed towards Richland Creek and Falling Water Creek. The falls weren't going to be running all that much, despite all the rain that weekend, but it would be a fun drive anyways.



The next stop was the campground at Richland Creek, which is an incredibly scenic spot. The water was low, but there was some great fall colors reflected in the creek.





And the next stop was Six Finger Falls along Falling Water Creek. A really pretty spot, even if the falls were barely flowing.



And then the last stop was Falling Water Falls. There was a nice collection of fallen leaves twirling about below the falls.

Falling Water

It was getting late in the day by the time we left Haw Creek, and we had just barely enough time left to see one more place before it got dark. So we decided to visit Falling Water Creek, which was fairly closely but it is also always busy and crowded (we started the day wanting to avoid all the touristy places, and here we were going to one of the most touristy spots). But it is busy for a reason, it is very scenic with lots of waterfalls that are very easy to reach. 

We drove down Falling Water Road, which runs alongside Falling Water Creek, and then stopped at Falling Water Falls (while looking at Fall colors). Amazingly, there wasn't a single other soul at Falling Water Falls when we got there. Falling Water Falls is an increasingly popular spot, and it's rare to be there when it's devoid of people. But as soon we stopped, three cars pulled up and like clown cars deposited out dozens of people. We instead headed off down the road to find a few other places to stop... 

Like this overlook of Falling Water Creek, which was running high after the storms the day before. 

Nearby was a small creek that ran over the bluffline, creating the 30 foot-tall Intersection Falls. 

 

Then we headed over to Six Finger Falls, a unique waterfall along Falling Water Creek. The falls aren't very tall (only six feet), but they stretch across a wide section of the creek. The falls get their name because when viewed from above, they look like a hand with six fingers. 

 

And another view of Six Fingers Falls: 

And one last shot, taken as it was nearly dark with just enough light for a 15 second exposure.