Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Waterfall area - Buffalo River Float from Ponca to Kyles

There are a lot of fantastic sites along the Buffalo River -- and a favorite section for floaters is the float from Ponca to Kyle's Landing. You can read more about the float here, and probably the most essential stop along the float at Hemmed-in-Hollow here.

However, if you are floating this section of the river, there is another essential stop along the way that is far less well known, but is one of our favorites.

If you're floating from Ponca, the stop for this water fall area is about 8 miles down river (about 1 mile from the stop to Hemmed In Hollow). As you get close to the point, keep an eye out, and on your left will be a small little waterfall (maybe 6 feet hight) that flows into the river. When you see the water flowing into the river, pull out here on the left.

Up-river from this little falls is a series of smaller (and some of them fairly large) waterfalls for about 1/2 mile up this creek. They're each unique, and very cool. I've posted some pics to give you a feel for the area.

There is a trail that runs mostly along the left, then crosses the creek to the right, and then to the left again. At the top of one of the falls, the trail continues back up the stream for quite a ways.

I get thrown off on the geography a bit here as I have yet to take my topographical map on the river with me to figure this out, but this area seems to either be the Fishtrap Hollow area or the Bear Cave Hollow. If it's Fishtrap Hollow, there would be a much bigger falls further upstream. However, by that point in the float, we were late enough in the day that I didn't really have time to explore and figure it out. So for now, I'm just going to tell you to enjoy the waterfalls near the river -- and we'll leave anything else that may await further upcreek for a later trip.

This is a really interesting little area, and I almost never see any boats parked in this spot, and have never heard anyone talk about it. But I highly recommend it as a stop on the float.

Distance: 8 miles by boat, 1 mile round trip by hike

Footwear: Keens

Difficulty: Moderate

Kids: Maybe. This isn't really a trail, and there is a bit of scrambling that could be slick and dangerous for youngsters.

Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls - via Buffalo River Float

Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls is an extremely popular destination in the Buffalo River area. At 209' tall it is the tallest waterfall between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. This is a seasonal waterfall that is really nice when the water is high in the late winter and spring, but you may ask locals before making the hike to the falls as it might be disappointing if it's dried up, which it often is in the middle of summer and in the fall.

There are many ways to get to Hemmed-in-Hollow. One long hike comes in from the Center Point Trailhead. Another, more direct route, comes in from Compton. This is a very tough hike however (that I've done on a couple of occassions, but not yet covered on this blog).

I actually took this hike for the first time 12 years ago on my first ever visit to the Buffalo River area with my then girlfriend. That girl eventually became my wife, and we've continued to come to the area ever since.

However, by far the easiest way to get to the falls is by floating the Buffalo River from Ponca, and then hiking back to the falls.

To get there, rent a canoe and take the float from Ponca to Kyle's landing. At about 6 miles into the float, you'll reach Jim Bluff (there is a stone at the base of the bluff with the bluff name written on it). About a mile later, you'll want to pull out on your left and park your canoe or kayak to start the trail to Hemmed-in-Hollow. The best landmark for this really is to start looking for it after Jim Bluff and right before the trailhead, the river will turn fairly sharply to the left and you'll go through a series of pretty tough rapids with a big rock ledge on your right. Where the river turns again sharply to the right (and over another stretch of rapids), the pullout is BEFORE the second set of rapids on your left. If it's a good floating day, you'll be helped by noticing the parking lot of canoes along the shoreline.

Park the canoe next to the creek that flows into the river here.

Start on the trail on the opposite side of the creek and follow the well-worn trail back to the falls. You'll cross the creek and continue on on the left side of the creek.

Along the way, you'll pass a couple of smaller waterfalls that are really nice in their own right. At one place, a small creek comes in from your left (you'll have to cross it too) and forms a double falls on your right.

At about .8 miles in from the river, you will enter a huge hollow with a 209' waterfall flowing right into the middle of it (note the people in the picture above). When the wind is blowing, it's not uncommon for the water stream to get blown so much it breaks up to where it's hardly visible until it hits the ground at the bottom. This really is a fantastic area, and there is no real way to describe the feeling of being there -- and pictures don't quite do the whole experience justice. It's a pretty hollow, with a huge falls, and a cool breeze and the sound of the water as it splashes at the base of the bluff.

This is a great spot and really a showpiece of the Buffalo River area. If you get the chance to float this section of the river, you absolutely must take the time to go back to the falls.

Distance: 7 miles by boat, 1.6 miles (round trip) by hike

Difficulty: Easy

Kids: Yes

Footwear: Because  you'll be coming from the canoe, I wear Keens on the river and use them for the hike as well. The protective toe is essential (in my mind) for both hiking and for being on the river.

Star Rating: 5 out of 5. This really is a first class day with the canoe and the hike.

Buffalo River Float -- Ponca to Kyle's Landing

One of the most popular activities along the Buffalo National River is floating on the river. And one of the most popular floats is from the Ponca low water bridge to Kyle's Landing.

The float is as upstream as the area outfitters will put in (many experienced kayakers will put in further up river during very high water) and is usually only floatable in the early Spring and is usually floatable when the air space on the Ponca low water bridge is between 0 and 29" of airspace. Buffalo Outdoor Center is great about updating the airspace levels during the key floating season. BOC, along with Lost Valley Canoe, are two outstanding canoe rental places right there in Ponca for those who don't have they're own kayaks.

As a point of record, I've floated this stretch 3 times now at 3 pretty different water levels. 29" was really shallow, and we drug quite a bit. Our first time was at 13", and was VERY fast, and fun, but may be pretty challenging if you don't have much experience in a canoe. This past trip we were at 21" of airspace, which was great for floating, and yet still had some challenging spots.

The float to Kyle's Landing is 11 miles long. It's a long float, but usually moves pretty quickly in higher water.

The float goes by many of the biggest bluffs along the River, Roark Bluff, Jim's Bluff, and Big Bluff. It also passes Steel Creek Campground, the easiest trailhead to get to Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls and another great little waterfall area -- the links will take you to those stops. It's also not uncommon to see several volunteer waterfalls along the side of the river, depending on the river level. There also a couple of old barns and home sites along the route, so leave yourself plenty of time for exploring.

There are also several areas of great rapids that will test your canoeing skills (fun for kayakers too!) and pass the dreaded grey rock, which is large rock that is pretty notorious for having tipped many generations of canoers.

This is my favorite float on the Buffalo River, and definitely worth the effort. In my next two posts, I'll discuss a couple of my favorite stops along the way.

Triple Falls/Twin Falls - Hike from Camp Orr

Triple Falls (or as it is also commonly known, Twin Falls) at Camp Orr is among the most spectacular watersfalls in the Buffalo River area. In additional to have an incredible triple falls during high water, the left two-thirds of the falls is fed by a spring -- which means unlike most waterfalls in the Buffalo River area that are seasonal and only flow during high water, most of this falls flows year-around.

A couple of years ago we hiked into the falls using a 2 mile stretch of the Buffalo River Trail from Kyles Landing.  This is still a very viable option, and worth using if you want to have a nice hike before reaching your destination.

However, if your goal is to just see the falls, the easiest route is to come in from Camp Orr -- a popular Boy Scout Camp area that is right along the Buffalo River.

Getting there: To get there, turn off of Highway 74 at Mt. Sherman (about 4 miles west of Jasper) at the sign pointing  North to Kyle's Landing. There is a new canoe outfitter here at the entrance and there will be a lot of activity, so it's hard to miss. Take the gravel road toward Kyles Landing. Go about 1 mile and turn RIGHT at the sign that points to Camp Orr (staying straight takes you to Kyles Landing). Follow this road for 1.8 miles, and park at the bottom of the hill in a parking area at the start of a large field.

Note, the last mile or so of this road is VERY steep and bumpy, and while passable via regular vehicle in dryer weather, if the road is muddy, you may need a 4 wheel drive to get back out.

The Hike:

From the parking area, enter the woods opposite where you parked -- there should be a sign here pointing to Twin Falls and you'll walk under a little metal arch that starts the trail. The trail is a short, flat, .25 mile hike back to the falls.

Sit, enjoy the falls, and one of the most spectacular places in the Buffalo River area. The three falls tumble 48 feet over the ledge into a nice little pool at the bottom. It really is magnificent.

On the way back to the falls, you will have passed another trail on your right that points you to the "top of the falls". If you wish to venture to the top, go back to this spur, and then follow the trail on up to the top of the falls. Up here you can see Shop Creek (which flows in to form the 3rd falls) and hop across the creek to see the natural spring that feeds the other two falls.

This is a short hike in from Camp Orr and very much worth the time and effort.

Distance: .5 miles roundtrip. It's about 1 mile if you go to both the top and bottom of the falls.

Difficulty: Easy

Kid Friendly: Yes

Star Rating: 5 of 5

Footwear: Tennis shoes are fine

QuiVaLa Elise Falls - Smith Falls Nature Preserve

This waterfall is tucked away in the Smith Creek Nature Preserve just south of Boxley.

The Preserve is a 1,226 acre preserve that contains Smith Creek (which flows into the Buffalo near Boxley), and sits atop Sherfield Cave, which contains the largest colony of Indiana bats in the state. Last week was my first ever visit to this area, and I was pleasantly surprised. The parking area and trailhead are tucked away just off of highway 21, and in previous drive-bys didn't look terribly well developed or maintained. But once you get to the parking area, there are several well-developed trails -- more than we were expecting -  so we're already planning our next trip back to the area.

QuiVaLa Elise Falls is one of the highlights of the area for photographers and nature lovers (the cave, which is not accessible, is the reason for the preserve). The falls name is literally translated from French-Indian and translates to mean "Who goes there Elise?" Elise is Elise Roenigk, who, along were husband, owned the land and made it available to the Nature Conservency in 2005.

To get to the falls, start at the trailhead at the main gate. There are generally maps in a box at the main gate to help guide you. Start directly down the road past the gate. As you get to the bottom of the first hill at about .2 miles the main road will veer right, while a smaller trail will take off directly to your left. Turn LEFT here (there was a sign here last week that pointed you to "Elise Falls").

You will follow this trail (which also follows an old, less-traveled road) the rest of the way down the hill. It will be steep at times, but was well maintained and easy to follow. We also hiked in Spring and there were a lot of purple, white, yellow and red wildflowers all along the trail.

At .7, the road will run into Smith Creek. Smith Creek is usually dry here (I believe it runs mostly underground at this point) and you will want to walk out into the creek bed. There are more trails that pick up on the other side of the creek that we'll hike some other day.

However, to get to the falls, you'll follow the creek bed to the left (downstream) for a a couple hundred yards past a small bluff. Just past the bluff, you'll see a small creek come in from your left that spills into Smith Creek. Follow this creek upstream 100 yards and you'll get to the falls.

The falls is 21 feet high and tumbles through a slot in the rocks in the bluff line. It's a pretty neat little falls. When you're done here, it's time to turn around and head back OUT of the creek area. You'll follow the same track you came in on, but you'll have 500 feet of elevation gain getting back out, which makes the hike out much tougher than the hike in.

Getting to the trailhead:

The Trailhead is just off Highway 21 just south of the Boxley Valley. Look for a two track road with a red gate on the left (east) side of the road. The gate sits about 100 feet back from the road. The entrance is exactly 3 miles form the Boxley Baptist Church This is 3.2 miles North of the Mossville Church. There is a sign there highlighting the Smith Creek Nature Preserve. Drive down this dirt road to the the parking area by the gate (there is room here for 6 cars or so). The trail begins on the other side of the gate.

Distance: 1.7 miles round trip

Footwear: Trail shoes or hiking books

Difficulty: Moderate

Kid Friendly: It's safe to travel on, so if they can make the 500 foot climb back out, then it's a good trail for them.

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Waterfall Book. Or, pick up a map at the trailhead.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

 

Koen Interpretive Trail - Buffalo River Area

The Koen Interpretive Trail is short little trail that is both easy to get to and easy to hike.

The trail is in the Koen Experimental Forest. The Experimental Forest was created in 1950 with the goal of studying plant life in the south Ozarks and understanding sustainability of the forests in the area.

The Koen Interpretive Trail is a short, .25 mile loop through the Koen Interpretive Forest.  There are also a couple of short spur trails here that connect the different sides of the loop, so if you take them all it will be about .4 miles total.

The trail is a nice, flat, packed trail, that is handicapped accessible and is a good trail for folks of all ages. Along the trail, 34 different types of trees and plants are well marked to help you in recognizing both native and non-native species. There are also many different types of wild flowers and bird species in the forest.

There are plenty of sitting areas, as well as a nice little picnic area at the trailhead that makes this a great  outing for families looking to spend some time outdoors. This trail can also be easily combined with the Ponds Loop Trail -- which is just down the road -  for two short, easy, family friendly hikes.

Getting there:

The trail is easy to get to, as well as to hike. From Jasper, take Highway 7 North 4 miles to Highway 79 (gravel) - this is about 2.5 miles South of Pruitt.

Go West on Highway 79 (marked by a sign pointing you to the Erbie Campground, which is now closed). At .4 miles, a sign will point for you to turn right to get to the Koen Intepretive Trail, turn right on this dirt road. The parking area and picnic spot are about 200 yards down this road.

Difficulty: Easy

Footwear: Anything will work

Trail Guide: Not required, but covered in Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails

Kid Friendly: Yes!

 

Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area - Boen Gulf Access - Part 3

The Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area is a beautiful, rugged area of land with a lot of beautiful landscape.

As I noted in previous posts, this is a wilderness area and not terribly well developed. There are a series of waterfalls here and an old jeep road that does provide close access to a lot of the sites that you can read about in Part 1 and Part 2 (Part 1 also has a description of how to get to the trailhead).

The trail to Magnolia Falls is well traveled, as is the route to the bottom of Woods Boys Falls. However, if you’re really adventurous, there is even more to see and do here.

To get even further into the wilderness, instead of turning left crossing the creek to get to Magnolia falls, or at the bottom of the bluff line to head to the base of Woods Boy’s Falls, stay on the jeep road and descend down the road pretty sharply to the bottom of the hill. After about 1.75 miles from the trialhead, you will hav reached the bottom of the hill.

Here, there are two creeks that join to form the Boen Gulf and there is a LOT to see and explore here in all directions as the water from the creeks have carved a lot of unique rock features, small waterfalls and cascades that make for some very interesting scenery.

There are no trails from this point, but if you stay close to the creeks you should be able to find your way back to the jeep road ok without a GPS (at least in the winter and early spring, heavy summer growth may make this a challenge when in full bloom).  Having a GPS would make it a little more fool-proof.

Without a lot of trail to describe, there isn't a lot to talk about other than showing some pictures and noting that we just bushwacked our way through the creek bottom.

We spent better than an hour exploring this creek bed area and saw many interesting cascades, including a great area where the creek that forms Stahle Falls merges with the creek that formed Magnolia Falls and Woods Boys Falls. There are some interesting features here.

So explore and find your own favorite little spot.

Distance: It’s about 3.5 miles round trip to get to the junction in the creeks. How much you explore from there is up to you. This can be done in conjunction with the other two waterfall hikes in the area.

Difficulty: The trail is moderate – but exploring the area without trails can be very difficult.

Kids: No

Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Footwear: Sturdy Hiking Boots

Upper Buffalo Wilderness - Boen Gulf Access - Part 2 - Woods Boys Falls and Don Hadlock Cascade

This is Part 2 in our series in this area. To get to these falls, you’ll start off on the same trail that I describe in part 1, same parking access, same first mile of beautiful hiking trail.

At about 1 mile, after you cross a small stream, the spur trail to the left takes you down to Magnolia Falls and the top of Woods Boys Falls. It's a short hike over, and you should definitely check out Magnolia Falls if you're going to do this hike.

However, to get to the bottom of Woods Boys Falls, stay straight on the jeep road. The road is still pretty easy to follow and goes up hill a little, and then starts to go downhill pretty quickly and eventually passes under some really scenic bluffs (pictured) on your left.  I always try to imagine actually driving on this road – and just can’t imagine it. It’s a wonderful hike though.

Just past these bluffs, the road will continue downhill, but to get to the top of the falls you’ll turn left off the road and follow the bluff line back around to the base of the falls. There’s no real trail here, but with the bluff to your left and the creek far down to your right, it will be pretty hard to venture too far from where you need to go.

Eventually you’ll get to the base of Woods Boys Falls (above)– named after some kids that grew up in the area. The falls is about 33 feet high.

After exploring that area for a bit, you can head back the way you came. About 100 yards back on the trail from Woods Boys Falls, there is a really rocky area on the “trail”. At this point, scramble down to the creek and you’ll see the 27 foot tall David Hadlock Cascade (above and below). This Cascade was named after a man who re-discovered this falls in 2010 (to give you an indication about how unexplored this area is). Unfortunately, Hadlock visited the falls on an icy day and slipped here and fell to his death.  He did so from the other side though, it’s not THAT dangerous coming in from this side, but still, be careful.

After exploring this falls, scurry back up the way you came, and then head back along the bluff line to the jeep road. You can actually get to the base of Stahle Falls from here as well, if you follow the bluff line on the South side of the creek around. For today’s hike, we just followed the trail bluff line to the jeep trail and headed back to the trailhead.

This is a really pretty hike and very scenic area, that when combined with Magnolia Falls, makes this a fantastic day-hike.

For a complete overview of Part 1 of this hike, click here.

For Part 3, Click here

Distance: 4.1 miles round trip.

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult

Kids: This will be fine for older kids, although the scamper down to Hadlock Cascade will be a challenge.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Footwear: I’d recommend Hiking boots for this one.

Upper Buffalo Wilderness - Boen Gulf Access Part 1 - Magnolia Falls and Stahle Falls

The Upper Buffalo Wilderness is a generally rugged area that is much less developed than other parts of the Buffalo River. However, there is a great little hiking trail here, and plenty to see and explore.

Last week, we used some warm weather to do some hiking and exploring in the area. There are four separate waterfalls in the area, an old jeep road that provides fairly easy hiking to most of it, and a lot of other really scenic areas. Because there is a lot to do here, and the dramatic changes in the trail quality,  I’m breaking our full day of hiking into three separate sections.

For this, Part 1, we’re going to visit Magnolia Falls and Stahle Falls. Magnolia Falls is quickly becoming one of our favorite little spots because it is a great little waterfall, with an easy, scenic hike to get to, and the trailhead access is easy and convenient to get to.

The trail takes off from the Wilderness Access Point and heads down an old jeep road. You immediately pass a few primitive campsites, and then some trees that have fallen across the road that you have to navigate over/around. Quickly, you’re past the obstacles and are following the old jeep road. Because it’s an old road, the trail here is pretty easy to follow and is pretty well worn.

At about .1 miles, you get to the Wilderness area check in. Take a minute to do so just in case someone has to come looking for you. Just past the wilderness check-in station, the road veers to
the left, and you’ll follow this. Soon you’ll pass an interesting stone wall and a series of large rock formations to your right. This is really some first-class hiking here.

At about 1 mile, the trail dips down and crosses a small creek. As soon as you cross the creek, if you are headed to Magnolia Falls and Stahle Falls turn left onto a little trail here. If you are headed elsewhere, you’ll stay on the jeep road and I’ll cover that in parts 2 and 3.  Follow this little trail along the stream a couple of hundred yards and you’ll hit a much larger creek. To your left is Magnolia Falls.

This is a great little waterfall that is about 26 ft tall and with the scenic hike, is one of the better bang-for-your buck hikes in the Buffalo River area. The falls go into a deep pool and really creates a scenic little area that we first visited back in December (the snow pics look very different than these).  Just downstream from Magnolia Falls is another waterfall, Woods Boys Falls. You can see the top from here. In part 2 of this series, we’ll hike to the bottom of the falls.

After exploring this area, you can continue on to Stahle Falls. To get to this falls, hike up to the top of Magnolia Falls on the left. There is a trail here and some rocks to help you get across the creek at the top. Along the top of the bluffline there is a trail of sorts and follow it about .25 miles and you’ll get to the top of Stahle Falls. This is the tallest of the waterfalls in the area, falling 63 feet. This trail takes you to the top of the falls, and there is no safe way to get down from here but when the
leaves are off the trees you can see for miles down across the wilderness.

At this point, you can double back to the jeep road and head back to the car, or continue onto other parts of the area.

I highlight this part of the trail separately because it is the most accessible part of the wilderness in this area and a great, easy hike to a nice falls. The other parts of the trail are a little tougher but I think this one warrants more travel.

Getting there: To get to the trailhead, turn west onto Forest Road 1462/County Road 6. This road is about 2.5 miles south of the Mossville Church on Hwy 21 South of Boxley. The road isn't marked, but it's a pretty signifcant (and well maintained) gravel road and if you're following your odometer you'll know it when you see it. Once you turn west onto CR6, about .3 miles down the road is a pull-off area for parking. The parking area is on the opposite side of the road from a "Wilderness Access" sign. Park here and enter on the same side of the road where you parked.

Part 2: Woods Boys Falls and Don Hadlock Cascade

Part 3: Bushwacking through the wilderness

 

Details:

Distance: Magnolia Falls – 2.1 miles roundtrip. Add .6 to go to Stahle Falls and back.

Difficulty: Magnolia Falls – Moderate, the trail getting to Stahle Falls is more challenging.

Star Rating: Magnolia Falls – 4.5 Stars (out of 5), Stahle Falls 3.5 out of 5

Children: Magnolia Falls – Yes, except for very young children, Stahle Falls probably no.

Footwear: Trail Shoes or Hiking boots are preferred.

Floating Season - the Ponca low water bridge and river levels

It's officiall spring (although the weather doesn't yet feel like it) today. Spring is the absolute best time to float the Upper Buffalo River.

While floating any of the segments of the Buffalo River is spectacular, the upper stretch from Ponca to Kyle's Landing is a favorite for many. This section of River has the largest elevation loss on the River (making for faster currents and better rapids -- it's the only section of river classified as "Class II" ratings), many spectacular bluff lines, and several short hikes that can be taken that start right at the river's edge.

The other notable thing about this section of the Buffalo River is that it is not all that commonly floatable. Sometimes in the winter it's floatable. Often in Spring. But by late spring, Summer and Fall, the low river levels make this stretch unfloatable via canoe or kayak.

So how do you know?

For generations now the folks at the Buffalo River have been using the "air space" reading at the Ponca low water bridge. The Ponca low-water bridge was THE bridge crossing the Buffalo River until the 1970s. When the water was high and over the bridge, if people needed to cross the river they'd have to travel all the way around through Boxley and across the mountain road that passes through Mount Shiloh to get to the other side -- about a 20 mile detour. The new highway bridge we use now is a significant upgrade.

Anyway, to get the water level reading, they measure the amount of air-space between the top of the water, and the bottom of the low-water bridge -- measuring the amount of "air space" in inches under the bridge. The less airspace, the deeper the water.

Anything involving zero airspace is TRECHEROUS. If you are an experienced kayaker, and know your limits, do what is fun for you. But for the other 99% of us, it's best to stay off the river.

From zero to about 9' of airspace is pretty fast currents -- and experienced kayakers preferred. 9-21" is ideal for floating. I've done this section at 13" before and it was a really fun trip. At 23-29" it's low, but floatable, which means you'll drag at times over gravel bars but still make it down the river. More than 30" of airspace?  You'll be heading out further down river.

The Buffalo Outdoor Center has a great page (and video) detailing the river level readings and during the winter and spring they do a nice job of updating the current river level.

BOC is one of the top outfitters on the upper part of the River -- and are a great outlet for renting your kayak or canoe and arranging transportation to or back to your car.

So get out and float the River and enjoy it. Be careful, be sure to know your limits, and if the air/water temperature are cold, be sure to have proper wetgear to protect you from hypothermia. It's only fun if you're safe.

By the way, as you can tell from the photo above, the Ponca River bridge is a hub for recreation in the area -- with many people coming to hang out, float, fish, and swim in the area around the bridge. In the photo above (taken on March 16), the river level is about 22" or so of airspace -- so pretty good for floating.