Bearcat Hollow

I've known Zack Andrews and Matt Kennedy now for about 17 years (give or take a few months). They are both outstanding photographers and great friends. We've been out hiking to lots of waterfalls across Arkansas, hitting places like Twin Falls at Richland, V-Slot Falls, Cossatot Falls, Acord Hollow, Compton Double Falls, and Bowers Hollow Falls. And we still try to meet up to do some hiking every year, even if we aren't in as good as shape as we were 17 years ago.

So this time we hiked into Bearcat Hollow, which sits north of Richland Creek. The hike starts out easy enough, following a dirt road and then the Ozark Highlands Trail. But then you leave the well-marked OHT and then descend into the woods. There was a faint trail here, probably mostly used by rock climbers. But the woods were already overgrown with briars and poison ivy, and we lost the trail. We bushwhacked downhill, getting snagged by thorns and attracting the attention of a large number of ticks.

Eventually we made it to the top of the falls. But to get to the bottom required hiking along the bluff line for a bit until there was a decent opening where you could safely drop down. But we did finally make it to the waterfall, which drops 35 feet onto a large rock sitting in a pool of turquoise water.



The sun was breaking through the clouds, so we spent a good amount of time here waiting for the light to change. It gave me plenty of time to pluck off the ticks that were trying to climb up my legs (I found more than a dozen of them on this hike).





Matt and I hiked to this waterfall back in January of 2019, and it was interesting to see how different it is in the Spring. There definitely was a lot more green - there was now a thick carpet of ferns growing behind the waterfall.



While taking a long exposure photo here, the tripod head wasn't tight enough and the camera swiveled just a little bit. I kinda liked how the resulting shot (which was taken completely by accident) turned out.



And one last shot of the ferns behind the falls. After this we made the hike back up the hill, through the thorns and ticks. All together, it was about a four mile hike to the falls and back.

Haw Creek Falls

I got back onto paved roads and the headed over to visit Haw Creek Falls. But along the way I did make a stop at the old bridge over Big Piney Creek. Here a little dirt road heads off, going deep into the woods.





The narrow one-lane bridge over the Big Piney was built in 1931.



It's a fun bridge to drive across (as long as there's not any oncoming traffic).



And then I finally made it to Haw Creek Falls, which is one of my favorite waterfalls in Arkansas. I went to college not too far from here in Clarksville, way back in the olden days. I made many trips up to this waterfall back then, and have been returning here every chance I can ever since. It's always like reuniting with an old friend.

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.

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...

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).

Booger Hole

Along Osage Creek near the town of Compton is a small waterfall with the amusingly odd name of Booger Hole. It's a neat waterfall, and one that you can drive right up to. But one wonders how it got its name. You'd think whoever came up with it could have just dug a little deeper and picked out something a little better.

Broadwater Hollow

The next waterfalls were at Broadwater Hollow, which sit within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River. I drove up to the small town of Compton, and then followed a dirt road down to the trailhead. The first waterfall there is Paige Falls:



Despite only being about eight feet tall, the falls are quite scenic.



From here the creek makes it way downstream to another waterfall - Broadwater Hollow Falls.



These falls are taller (21 feet), and the sounds of the water hitting the rocks echoes across the hollow. It's a pretty spot.



Along the hike back to the car, I stopped to get a few last shots of this neat spot in the creek: