Lonesome Hollow

That evening, I tagged along with a few other photographers from CSNP to visit some other nearby waterfalls. John Moore took Jon Wisniewski and I first to the nearby Hudson Shelter Falls. Even with the rains that morning and the day before, the falls were barely a trickle. The shelter below the falls, which stretches far back under the bluff, was neat to explore.

From there we visited another waterfall, which had actually just been discovered not too long ago. Even though a logging road runs just above the falls, it doesn't seem like many people have ever ventured into this hollow and to the falls. It was amazing to me that places like this exist in Arkansas, where you can claim to be one of only a handful of people that have seen that waterfall.

The falls are located not far from Hwy. 7, near the town of Cowell. I'm not sure of the directions, but you turn by a cemetery and then head down a dirt road (which I realize describes most of the rural roads in Arkansas). We parked and walked down a logging road, and then bushwhacked the short distance to the falls. Lonesome Hollow Falls have been measured at 47 feet tall.


An umbrella magnolia tree was blooming at the base of the falls. Here is a closer view:


Right below where the falls hit is this small cascade, which fell past moss-covered rocks:


And another shot of the Lonesome Hollow Falls. The falls won't be lonesome for long, they are slated to be included in the next edition of Tim Ernst's waterfall guidebook.


There is more to see in the hollow besides the waterfall. There is small shelter under the bluff, which was filled with all sorts of Native American artifacts. There was a table set up that looked to be an old work bench, with chunks of rocks that were being turned into arrowheads. There are also rock piles set up like chairs and benches. It was an amazing thing to see, and something that I never expected to encounter in this modern age. We did joke that it was probably best to not mess with any of the rocks or artifacts, lest we set off some sort of Indiana Jones style booby trap.

Also, before heading out to visit these falls, I sat some clothes and my hiking shoes by the campfire to dry out. They had gotten a bit soaked while hiking through a few thunderstorms that morning. I had completely forgotten about them while out at Hudson Shelter and Lonesome Hollow. So I wasn't in the least bit surprised to get back to camp to find out that a log had rolled out from the fire, and with seemingly deliberate haste, landed right on top of my trusty hiking shoes. I got back to camp to find my shoes laying in a burned and melted state. But at least they dried out...