Fern Falls is a quick hike just off of Highway 7 South of Jasper. There is not an official trail here, but the trail generally follows some old road traces to it tends to be fairly easy to follow. The hike is a little bit of a mess after a lot of trees and branches fell during the 2009 ice storm, but we found our way without problem and got to view a nice waterfall as our reward. (Updated): In our more recent visit in 2020 there has been a lot of work done to the trail and it is actually in very nice condition.
Getting there
The trail head begins 11.4 miles south of the Jasper square on Highway 7. At 11.4 miles, there will be "Historic Highway 7" sign on the west side of the highway. There is no official parking area, but if you can pull off the side of the highway here and make a pace to park, that's the spot. The trail begins just behind the sign.
The Trail
The trail starts off along an old road and heads down the hill a bit. It's a fairly well-defined road, so easy enough to follow.
At approximately .25 miles, the trail leaves this road trace to follow another -- turning sharply to your right (there is pink tape tied to trees and a rock cairn here to note the spot). Turn onto this old road trace (definitely less defined than the one that continues straight, and continue down the hill.
Eventually you hit the old road trace again and continue down the hill. When you get to the bottom of the hill (roughly .5), you'll see a small stream in front of you, turn right here and follow the road trace along the side of the creek. After about another .25 of level and nice hiking along the creek, you'll get to the top of the waterfall.
To make your way to the bottom of the falls, cross the creek upstream from the falls and follow the ridge around until there is a gap in the rock line and head down to the falls. To get the best photos, follow the ridge around behind the falls to the other size for a great view of the falls, and the water hole down below.
Fern Falls (named for the Ferns that grow up around it in late April and May) is a 42 foot waterfall with two streams that fall and hit a rock bed below to spread into a nice secondary falls.
When you are done exploring, you can head back the way you came -- this time back UP the hill you came down.
Updated 2020:
There is another waterfall near Fern Falls that was relatively recently documented. To get to Scaresdale Falls, go to the top of Fern Falls and take a small volunteer trail to the RIGHT (when facing downstream). This trail follows along the top of the bluff line for a bit and then curves to the right (away from the creek). After a few hundred yards a new drainage comes into view. Scarsdale Falls is a short waterfall and cascade in this secondary drainage.
Trail Details
Total Distance: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Footwear: Hiking Boots preferred
Children: Older children would be ok
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls. Danny Lee Hale's TakaHike (East & Central) has Scarsdale Falls
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Nearby: Lonesome Hollow Falls, Hudson Shelter Falls, Round Top Mountain Trail
Comments