Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Paradise Falls - Upper Buffalo Wilderness

Paradise Falls has been on my radar for several years. I'm a fan of the big, cascading waterfalls and deep blue pools and from the pictures I've seen, it sure seemed like a falls I was going to like.

In fact, we made an attempt to hike down to Paradise Falls a couple of years ago, but because there is no official trail here, the route became confusing and we ended up turning back. 

So, this will be my attempt to help others find Paradise Falls. Because those that do find the falls will be greeted not just by Paradise Falls -- but by several smaller waterfalls, a cascading creek bed, and overall top-notch scenery. 

Getting there

The trail head is relatively easy to find. It is just off of Highway 21 South of Boxley. There is a very large parking are .8 miles south of the little community of Mossville (3.4 North or Edwards Junction). Pull into the U-shaped parking area. The trail takes off on the West side of the parking area and follows an old road trace that is easy to spot.

The Hike

The trail starts off down an old roadway that is fairly well maintained and wide and makes for some really nice hiking. The trail dips down the hill a ways. There is another road trace that goes off to the right but stay STRAIGHT on the main road. 

After maybe .25 miles (very rough estimate), the road comes to the bottom of the hill and turns pretty sharply left. Walk a short distance left and then leave the main road and turn RIGHT and head straight down the hill into the woods. Why would you leave the comfort of a nice walking trail and head into the thick woods without a trail?  You're just going to have to trust this.

Leave the road, and find you way straight down the hill the best way you can. There is really nothing resembling a trail, and it's pretty woolly in places with sticker bushes -- and I wouldn't recommend this one in May-September.  

After a relatively steep climb and at roughly .4 miles, you'll reach the bottom of the hill and there is a creek at the bottom of the hill. From here, there is a reasonably worn "trail" that follows the creek in both directions. 

So, to make this as easy as possible, follow the road until it turns left, then turn right and bushwhack through the woods to the bottom of the hill, then follow the creek to the left to get to Paradise Falls. If you try to make it any harder than this you are likely to get lost.

Once you arrive at the creek, there is much to see. Depending on where you actually arrive at the creek, there is a small, unnamed waterfall #1 that is in this general area. We arrived slightly downstream from unnamed waterfall #1 and went upstream to check in out (the second photo in this blog post).

The "trail" continues then downstream the rest of the way -- and is honestly, more pleasant hiking than I expected given the ruggedness of the area. After a short distance, there was another waterfall, Unnamed Waterfall #2 on the main creek.

This falls was a really nice cascading waterfall with a lot going on. I'd say that even if this was the destination waterfall I wouldn't have been disappointed. It's a great little place that like every waterfall in this area flows into a deep, beautiful blue pool. 

After some further hiking downstream, there are just more great views, cascades, and blue pools.

At 1 mile of hiking there is another drainage that comes in from the left. A few hundred yards up that drainage is a host of mossy rocks and Unnamed Waterfall #3.

The nice waterfall up this drainage is roughly 8 feet tall. 

There is also a nice cascade area just above this waterfall.

Back on the main creek, once the trail crosses the side drainage it starts to become much tougher hiking. It's rockier, steeper, and a lot of the rocks are more unstable that they would appear. The trail also runs a little higher up on the bank than it had before.

The trail passes another cascades area and small waterfall before arriving at the top of Paradise Falls at 1.2 miles.  There is even a signal tree above this last cascades area near the top of Paradise Falls.

Signal trees are believed to be a part of a Native American trail-marking system, and the area round Northwest Arkansas has one of the highest densities of these trees in the country.  Signal trees were also established by early settlers -- and this one is more likely to fit that criteria as it appears to be younger than a Native American signal tree.

To get to the bottom of the falls, follow the "trail" to the left (heading downstream) and there are a series of ropes that help hikers get down (and back up!).  As will all steep bluffs in the Ozarks, be VERY CAREFUL and don't go beyond your individual capacity as a fall could be fatal. 

Hikers that make it to the bottom will get to see a spectacular 32 foot tall, cascading waterfall that pours off into a beautiful blue pool. 

There is a rocky area at the bottom of the falls that is a great place to relax, enjoy a snack, and even take a quick nap in the sun while enjoying the splendor of the Ozarks.

After enjoying the area for awhile, including watching one of the resident bats come out for a light feeding, we headed back -- making sure to enjoy the cascades and pools along the way.

Trail Details

Distance: 2.4 miles round trip -- with all of the exploring, it felt like it was MUCH further than this

Difficulty: This is a difficult bushwhack with about 500 feet of elevation change, a fair amount of bushwhacking and a lot of unsteady ground to hike on.

Kid Friendly: No

Footwear: Sturdy hiking boots

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls book

Star rating: 5 of 5

Also nearby: Glory Hole Falls, QuiVaLa Elise Falls, Magnolia Falls,  Boxley Valley

Exploring Utah - Zion National Park: Weeping Rocks and Hidden Canyon

In our final day at Zion National Park we had about a half day to hike and decided to check out Hidden Canyon, which was recommended to us by some nice folks we met on the park shuttle system a couple of days prior.  

The Hidden Canyon trail starts at the Weeping Rock Trail head and shuttle stop -- and I'd recommend hiking Hidden Canyon and Weeping Rocks in the same hike. In full disclosure, we actually hiked Weeping Rocks a couple of days prior so astute observers will notice the time of day differences in the photos.

And one other note on the photos. I found hiking and photographing Zion National Park to be quite a challenge. We visited in late September and the days were still very hot -- so hiking was better in the early mornings. And while the park is BEAUTIFUL early in the morning before the big crowds arrive, the high canyon walls cast very dark shadows that make photography a huge challenge until mid-day. 

Because of this, you'll likely note that some of these photos appear a little out of sequence - -and that's because I took some photos on the way down the mountain that I'm using to describe the hike up. 

The trail begins at the Weeping Rock shuttle stop and heads up the hill and to the right from the old parking lot. As noted previously, during most of the key season, auto traffic is not allowed in Zion Canyon and you must take the shuttles to the destinations. While this at first seems like it would be a hassle, the shuttles are efficient and timely, and really make the park more enjoyable than if there were hoards of automobiles. It also makes some of the old parking areas be completely empty when they would otherwise be completely crowded  and adds sort of a surreal feel to some areas.

A few hundred yards up the trail and the trail splits. The trail to the left leads to Weeping Rock. 

Weeping Rock is a unique and popular attraction in Zion. Essentially, water has seeped into the ground high above this spot in Echo Canyon. However, the water hits a very dense rock layer and has to find a way to escape and it does here at Weeping Rock causing a slow and steady trickling of water from the rock surface.

The view from Weeping Rock is also quite nice. 

Weeping Rock is only .2 miles from the parking area and a 100 foot elevation change -- so it's a common destination (for good reason!) for families with young children and those who don't have the ability to hike long distances. 

Back down to the main trail, begins the hike up to Hidden Canyon. The early part of this trail is actually a part of three trails: Hidden Canyon, Observation Point and the East Rim Trail -- and is a steep climb and heads up more than 850 feet in total elevation. Take your time and again note that the early morning shade makes for more pleasant hiking.

After a fair amount of climbing, there is another trail intersection. Hidden Canyon is to the right. The other two trails go left.

From here, the trail curves around the side of the mountain and continues up (but at a more leisurely pace than before). 

The trail turns to the right here and continues up the side of the next bluff. This section of trail is VERY interesting. It mostly follows a relatively thin ridge along the bluff that has a VERY steep and deadly drop to the right. There are chains along the left hand side that help provide support. 

This section of trail somewhat resembles the adrenaline of the climb at Angel's Landing, except that it is less traveled, maybe a little smoother, and the trail itself is more photogenic. 

After the trail follows some pretty challenging sections for about .2 miles, it eventually arrives at the canyon level -- allowing you to breath a bit more normally for awhile.  This section is very cool and has amazing views of the canyon below.

From here, the trail heads back into hidden canyon.

It's a really pretty area, and if you keep your eyes peeled,  you never quite know what you'll find. 

From here, the trail mostly follows in between two canyon walls and is mostly on the level -- although, at times, there are obstacles that you have to climb over to continue.

The trail continues on the level for quite awhile. It includes a lot of really interesting high canyon walls, and and occasional glimpse of more mountains in the distance. 

There is also a really interesting 12 foot tall natural arch in the middle of the canyon.

Eventually, the maintained part of the trail ends and the hiking becomes more challenging. At one point the boulder-hopping became a bit too much for us (along with having many miles of hikes under our belt for the week and we were tired), so we used this as an excuse to turn back; although several others continued on from here. 

The trail then follows back the way it came. As noted previously, the lighting for photography was a lot better on the way back which allowed for some better photo ops. 

This is a beautiful trail and I greatly enjoyed the views of the steep drop-offs and the valley below.

And this comes with a major disclaimer. This is a national park. They've put in a LOT of precautions to help people remain safe. And most people remain safe on these trails. But they are wild areas and one slip would almost assuredly mean death -- so make smart decisions accordingly, including watching your step, being sure your feet are set before taking a photo and don't shuffle your feet while looking through a camera lens and holding onto the chain when it is available to you. 

Hidden Canyon Trail Overview

Distance: 2.4 miles round trip

Difficulty: Strenuous

Kid-Friendly: No -- if you have kids, just go to Weeping Rocks

Footwear: Trail Shoes are fine

Star Rating: 4 out of 5

Exploring Utah - Zion National Park Wildlife

Zion National Park is known for its amazing sheer bluffs and canyons. And unlike many of the more popular National Parks like Rocky Mountain, Glacier and Yellowstone, Zion is not necessarily known for its wildlife viewing.  That doesn't mean there aren't amazing opportunities to see wildlife there though.

Michelle and I had spent the day at Bryce Canyon and were coming into Zion for the night. We were entering on Highway 9 from East of the park -- right around dusk.

This is an amazing drive for a lot of reason -- including the beautiful views and an incredible 1.1 mile tunnel that was build through the mountain wall back in the 1920s -- an amazing engineering feet for the time.

But as we came out from the tunnel, the evening wildlife had emerged - -and served as our welcoming committee to the park. 

The Bighorn Sheep in Zion are desert bighorns -- while smaller than the kind we are used to seeing in Glacier National Park, they are no less impressive. Previously and sadly, these native sheep were nearly killed off in the middle of the previous century -- but they were reintroduced into the park in 1973 and have since grown to a population of nearly 500 sheep.

The sheep frequent this area in the evenings. There are huge "beehive" rock formations around and they seem to make there way along these amazing rock formations very easily.  

If you look at the picture above, we tried to take the picture of the sheep in the middle. However, if you click on the picture to get a bigger version of it, you'll see nearly a dozen bighorns in the top part of the pic that we didn't even see at the time.

We very much were looking forward to checking out this area again but overnight, a large boulder fell onto the highway blocking it entirely for the duration of our trip. So while I'm sad that we weren't able to go see the bighorns again, I'm happy my car wasn't under the boulder when it fell. 

Exploring Utah - Emerald Pool Trails, Zion National Park

While this blog generally features articles about different hiking excursions, waterfalls and places to see in Northwest Arkansas, I thought readers might also enjoy some pictures from our hikes in Southern Utah last fall. Southern Utah was a bucket list destination for us and it was an amazing trip. 

Four days from our trip were spent in Zion National Park. Zion has more than its share of epic hikes, but also has a few good short hikes that are good for families and and those that aren't able to make long hikes with high elevation changes and sheer cliffs. One of those hikes is the Emerald Pools area. Because of the short distance and the relative ease of the trail, it is a VERY popular trail, so just go in knowing there will be a lot of people around. 

This hike is actually two hikes combined into one lower hike. The first 1/2 mile of the trail goes to the Lower Emerald Pools and the 2nd half mile to the Upper Emerald Pool. While the Upper Pool is a bit more challenging to get to, both are pretty accessible.

The hike starts off from the Zion Lodge and heads out across Zion Canyon Road and the Virgin River. 

The trail turns right and heads along the Virgin River for awhile and then turns LEFT. The canyon and the River provide beautiful scenery along the way.

At .5 miles, a tall waterfall with a light flow comes into view. The trail continues into the bluff and turns right -- essentially the trail goes right into the bluff line that causes the waterfall and continues back behind (and under!) the waterfall. At .6 you are directly behind the falls and this is the Lower Emerald Pool area. 

The trail continues around the corner and up the hill slightly -- looking back gives you some great views of the waterfall and the trail below it.

The trail then turns left and goes through a narrow opening between two large rocks and turns left again to the Middle and Upper Emerald Pools.  After about .8 miles  the trail arrives at the Middle Emerald Pool.

This area is the top of the waterfall you just walked under and has magnificent views of the valley below.

The trail continues for another .2 miles to the Upper Emerald Pool. From this part of the trail you get expansive views of the valley and a lot of amazing wildflowers growing along the rocky sides of the trail.

After another .2 miles, the trail arrives to the Upper Emerald Pool. The Upper Pool sits in a very large canyon and is very peaceful. It was definitely our favorite of the three pools. 

From here, the only option is to turn around and come back the way you came. At the point where the trail turns back toward the Lower Emerald Pool you can alternately turn LEFT and take the Kenyenta Trail which travels 1 mile to The Grotto and catch the shuttle there. We went back via the Lower Emerald Pool Trail and back to Zion Lodge where we grabbed a beer at the lodge to end our first day in the park.

Trail Notes

Distance: 2.2 Miles round trip to visit all three pools. 1.2 miles round trip to the Lower Emerald Pool and waterfall only

Elevation Change: 200 feet to the Upper Pool. 69 to the Lower Pool

Footwear:  Tennis Shoes will be fine for the Lower Pool, I would recommend trail shoes to get to the upper falls

Difficulty: Easy to the Lower Pool, Moderate to the Upper.

Kid Friendly: Yes

Star Rating: 3.5 of 5