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.

Haw Creek Falls

The next stop was Haw Creek Falls, which sits within the Ozark National Forest. It isn't the tallest waterfall around, by far. But what it lacks in length it makes up in width. The falls stretch across the entire creek:





Along with the falls, there is also a small campground here. It's a great place to camp, the campsites are situated amongst tall trees and all are just a short walk to the falls (I just wish the bathrooms were nicer).





This trail here actually heads off towards another waterfall - Pack Rat Falls. It's a really nice waterfall, but I didn't go there this time because the sun came back out just after I took this. So I instead headed off to visit a few other nearby places in the Ozarks instead...

Haw Creek

Haw Creek is a classic Ozark stream, which meanders for several miles before emptying into Big Piney Creek. The most popular spot along the creek is Haw Creek Falls, which has a pleasant campground that offers access to several waterfalls. At the end of October I drove by Haw Creek while trying to get a few pictures of fall colors, and made a stop at Haw Creek Falls. The falls aren't all that tall, but they are almost always scenic. Plus it's really not that often that we get fall colors and waterfalls flowing.





This year doesn't seem like it's going to be the best for fall colors. But the trees along the creek were showing off a little bit.











I walked up the creek for a bit, careful to not slip and fall in the water (SPOILER: I would do that the next day at the Buffalo River).



Since I had the infrared camera with me, I thought I'd bust it out to see how the fall colors looked in infrared:



I sat the camera bag down by this old tree, which has roots growing out on the exposed rocks long the creek. The roots looked like an octopus grabbing onto the rocks.





I walked back to the car, and then drove across the old Hwy. 123 Bridge over Big Piney Creek (built 1931). I stopped for a quick shot before driving up the hill towards Hwy. 7.

Haw Creek

From Hagarville I headed further up into the Ozarks, which was right at the peak of fall colors. I crossed over the old Hwy. 123 bridge over Big Piney Creek, which was built in 1931. 

The narrow, one-lane bridge bridge is always fun to drive across. The creek below was high and muddy after a recent storm dumped a lot of rain. 

All that rain was actually enough to get waterfalls flowing, which is a rare treat in the Fall (especially when the trees are at their peak). I met my friend Matt, and we set out driving to a little waterfall along a bluff near the Big Piney. We headed down a dirt road, but made several stops to get pictures of the trees... 

 

We did a short hike to the waterfall, only to find that it wasn't really flowing all that well (it was in a small drainage). So even though we had told each other that we would avoid the big touristy areas on the trip, we ended up heading over to Haw Creek Falls. The falls are popular because they are always reliably scenic and pretty. They are also a favorite waterfall of mine - I went to college in Clarksville and these falls were just a short drive away. I made several trips up here to take pictures back in those olden days (this was before Tim Ernst published his waterfall guidebooks, I had no clue there were lots of other waterfalls nearby). 

 
Haw Creek Falls is a short waterfall (only six feet tall), but what it lacks in height it makes up for in length. The falls tumble over a massive slab of rock, and can stretch out across the creek when the water is really high. 

 

There is a small campground at Haw Creek Falls, but the Forest Service has floated the idea of closing it and converting this to a day-use area. Which would be a complete shame, since this is one of the best placed campgrounds in the state. 

And the front view of the mighty Haw Creek Falls... 

And finally, one last series of shots from Haw Creek. Just downstream from Haw Creek Falls, there is a nice spot along the creek where it shoots over a little waterfall and then rushes by a huge boulder.