Hawksbill Crag/Whitaker Point is among the most popularly visited and photographed spots in all of Arkansas - and for good reason. However, deep in the valley below Whitaker Point lies a beautiful valley formed by Whitaker Creek, and during wet season, an abundance of waterfalls that are not visited nearly as often as the bluff above.
This area has been on my list for awhile, but awaiting the right weather conditions (times of high water and leaf-off are best) has been key -- and the area proved to be worth the wait. There are no formal trails here, but we found everything we were looking for without much problem and without a GPS, but with the help of a guidebook. I suspect reaching these areas in the late spring or summer when the undergrowth has grown up would be a challenge.
Getting there
From the community of Ponca, take Highway 43 south through the Boxley Valley, then turn LEFT (South) onto highway 21. Just before you cross the Buffalo River bridge in Boxley, turn RIGHT onto Cave Mountain Road. Cave Mountain Road is a VERY steep, very bumpy road -- although 4WD is not required during most weather conditions. Once you get to the top of the mountain, you'll pass Cave Mountain Church at 5.4 miles, the Hawksbill Crag trailhead at 6 milesand then go another 1.1 miles to the "Upper Buffalo Wilderness Boundary" sign. Park along the road here making sure to not block the road from passing traffic.
The Hike
The "trail" starts off directly behind the sign and heads STRAIGHT down the hill. As noted before, there is no official trail here, so just pick your way down the hill as best you can -- if you are headed down, you are heading the right way. We hiked this on January 2nd, so there wasn't a lot of undergrowth and found it to be pleasurable enough hiking -- on the way down. The hike back up was a bit harder.
At about .3 miles, we reached a creek -- this is Whitaker Creek and it runs the length of the valley. The creek will be your "trail" the rest of the way.
As soon as we got to the creek, we immediately saw a waterfall coming in from our left from a side drainage. We checked out unnamed waterfall #1. I was also glad to see this falls because it made for a nice marker for when we would need to go back up the hill to get to our car.
From here, Amber Falls was just a few 100 yards upstream. Amber Falls is a very nice 18 foot tall waterfall that tumbles into a nice pool below.
Amber Falls is named after Amber Ernst -- who's father Tim has spent a significant amount of his life exploring the wilderness of Northwest Arkansas and documenting it through a series of books that help most people explore and truly enjoy this area. The trail map to get to these falls is in his book "Arkansas Waterfalls".
After enjoying some time at Amber Falls, we then turned and went back downstream past Unnamed Falls #1. A short distance downstream from there we hit another drainage coming in from our left. Just up this drainage was another unnamed waterfall -- Unnamed Falls #2.
From here, we continued following Whitaker Creek downstream. As noted before, there is no official trail here, but we found following the creek to be pretty manageable and to be very scenic. The beach trees really were glistening off the reflections of the water on this beautiful winter day.
After about 1 mile (from the car) we arrived at a series of cascades. These cascades are just upstream from Neil Compton Falls and are very scenic.
The second cascade even comes off at an angle forming an interesting diagonal cascade.
This point is essentially at the top of Neil Compton Falls. However, the best views are from the bottom so finding the way down will be important. From here, we went to LEFT of the creek as we went downstream. This path goes along the top of the ridge for about 300 yards or so high up on the bluff above the falls. Be VERY careful as the path here follows very close to the edge. Eventually the bluff line will start heading downward and then there was a be a break that allowed us to get to the bottom of the bluff line. Scurry down here (again, be careful, this is pretty slick) to get down around creek level. Once you get to the bottom, you'll need to rock hop across Whitaker Creek and head back upstream 300 yards to get to the base of Neil Compton's Double Falls.
Neil Compton's Double Falls only runs as a double when the water is pretty high, but it's a beautiful falls that pours 39 feet into a beautiful blue pool. It's a fabulous waterfall and canyon area that is very peaceful. Neil Compton was one of the early advocates that fought to keep the Buffalo River as a natural, flowing river and it was his vision that helped preserve the river and wilderness that we all enjoy.
When you are done at Compton's Double Falls, as you head back, there is one more falls to check out. Literally 20 feet beyond where you came down the hill to get to the bottom of Compton Falls, there is another creek that flows in from the right side of the creek (when facing downstream). Follow this creek a hundred yards upstream and you'll get to Owl Falls.
Owl Falls is a roughly 20 foot tall waterfall that is a fantastic cascading waterfall. I think this one is prettier than my photos indicate as the sun wasn't my friend at the time of day we were there (it was directly behind the falls).
There are more waterfalls downstream -- but as daylight was running short we had to save those for another day. From here, we went back the way we came.
Hike Details
Distance: .2.1 miles round trip to the top of Neil Compton's Double Falls, .75 miles if you only go to Amber Falls. Because there is no trail here, and the footing is iffy at times, it will feel longer than that (and, from a timing perspective, there is a LOT to enjoy here, so leave yourself plenty of time to explore).
Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
Footwear: Hiking Boots
Kid-Friendly: Because there is no trail and it's steep terrain, I'd not recommend this for young children. Amber Falls would be enjoyable for older children.
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls
Rating: 5 out of 5
Nearby: Hawksbill Crag, Cave Mountain Cave, Hedges Pouroff
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