A Little Creek In The Ozarks

We left the woods after finishing the hike to Bearcat Hollow, saying goodbye to all the ticks. A few hours later, a storm system pushed through the Ozarks. Dark and forbidding clouds passed by overhead:





And after dark, the skies were lit up by flashes of lightning. The bolts seemed to dance across the sky.



The next day we went to visit a magical little spot in the Ozark Mountains. We turned off the pavement of Hwy. 7 onto a bumpy dirt road, which ran down into the woods. Along way we stopped by this oddly-shaped old house, and I ran out to get a picture. I think it kinda looks like a mushroom, like it's something that the Smurfs would live in. I'm guessing it has a good amount of attic space here:



And then we made it to this scenic little creek in the woods, which isn't too far from the Ozark Highlands Trail.



We spent a good amount of time here taking pictures of the creek and the massive boulders that sit in the water.









And another part of the same creek (this part is actually on private property - we had permission to be there).





A large boulder sat by the creek, and one side was covered with a thick carpet of moss. And growing through the moss were some tiny little ferns.



And after that it was time to leave the mountains and head back to the city. It had been a good visit, but I'm sure all the ticks were sad to see me go.

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.

Richland Creek

I followed Falling Water Road all the way to the campground at Richland Creek, which easily takes the claim as one of the most scenic little streams in the Ozarks. It's even been designated as a National Wild and Scenic River by the federal government.



The campground sits on the edge of the Richland Creek Wilderness, which contains over 11,000 acres of land that is permanently prohibited from logging, mining and vehicles.



At the campground you can also find the spot where Falling Water Creek flows into Richland Creek:



Next to the creek was this small set of stairs, which heads up to the campsites.





After leaving the campground, I had to stop the car for again for a few shots from along the dirt road (which is a lot of fun to drive down):

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.

Falling Water Falls

Next I headed over to visit Falling Water Falls, which sits along Falling Water Creek and can be reached by driving on Falling Water Road. As the names suggest, it's a very scenic area with lots of waterfalls. Falling Water Falls is probably one of the most popular waterfalls in Arkansas, since you can drive right up to it.



I carefully made my way across the rocks and the creek to get a better angle of the falls. To get these shots, the camera was sitting on a tripod that was perched just a few inches above the rushing water. I was sitting on a fallen tree trunk, with one leg hanging off into the water. I was wearing waterproof hiking boots, but they aren't really all that effective when one of your legs is submerged in the water.



Luckily I didn't drop my camera into the creek (or my phone, car keys or wallet).



I gathered up the camera and carefully headed back across the creek. I walked with my sodden shoes to the top of the falls, and got one last picture of the falls:

Blanchard Springs

Last weekend, I made a quick visit to the Ozarks with my nephew Isaac so we could take a few senior portraits. We decided to drive over to Blanchard Springs, which is an incredibly scenic area that would hopefully make for some nice pictures. There were a few flaws in the plan, unfortunately. Most of the recreation area at Blanchard was closed because of flood damage. And it was also really cold and windy that day.

A good chunk of the area around Blanchard was indeed closed, and the road to the campground area was gated shut. But we did end up walking around the gate for a just a few steps, because the closed road actually ended up being a nice little background for some pictures. Because there hadn't been any traffic, there was a nice collection of fallen leaves along both sides of the pavement.



Luckily the trail to the springs was still open, so we headed over there next. 



It was past peak color there at Blanchard, and a lot of trees had already lost their leaves. The wind that day was also blowing a lot of the leaves away.







One of the great things about Blanchard Springs is that it's one of the few places in Arkansas where you can find waterfalls running year-round. We headed below the old stone dam, which was designed so that it has a waterfall running down below it at all times.



Nearby are the ruins of an old mill (which was built in 1900). It's a great backdrop for portraits and landscape photos, with the creek flowing right past the stone walls. We got a few more pictures before it was time to retreat back to the warm car and head back home.

All Around The Mulberry

It's looking like another good year for fall color. So to take advantage of the colors, I headed up the Ozarks again last weekend. Jonah tagged along with me this time as we headed up to the mountains around the Mulberry River. We ended up driving down a narrow and steep dirt road, which took us past this neat old building (it was apparently a blacksmith shop).



We headed out that day because the weather forecase promised it would be nice and cloudy. And it was, at least for awhile. It even rained on us as we were driving west. But as we headed up the dirt road the sun came out, and all the clouds disappeared as if they'd been removed by an eraser. We then headed over to one of the access points on the Mulberry River, which also had some nice color on it. Luckilly there were a few shady places that allowed for some long exposure photos.



For some reason, nine year-old kids aren't that excited about driving several hours to take pictures of old buildings. So Jonah was ready to head back home. Since the light was a little harsh, I agreed and we started to head back to the car. But not before getting one last shot of the fall colors along the scenic Mulberry River.