The hike to Thunder Canyon Falls has increased in popularity in the past couple of years with good reason. It's a FANTASTIC waterfall that flows into a very nice slot canyon that makes it somewhat unique from most other Ozarks waterfalls.
I'd failed in a previous attempt to find this waterfall (more on that in a bit) so was looking forward to heading back to the area to check it out. The Falls is named for it's "thundering" sound as the water comes over the edge into a slot canyon. So with a name and story like that, it's gotta be cool. .
There is a LOT to see and do in this area, so I do recommend you plan to spend plenty of time.
Getting there
The trail to Thunder Canyon Falls starts at the Cecil Cove Loop Trail head in the fomer community of Erbie in the Buffalo River area. There are several ways to get to Erbie -- some are easy, and some not quite so easy. The easiest way is often coming in from Erbie Campground Road -- which is off Highway 7 about 3.3 miles North of Jasper. However, this route requires crossing a low water bridge at the Buffalo River, which, if the water is high, will be unwise or impossible. There is also a route taking CR-19 from Compton - which is down a STEEP, unmaintained gravel road that is completely not advised unless you have a high clearance 4WD vehicle.
So, given the recent rains, we came in the most consistent route (and the one I recommend if you're here during waterfall season). To get there this way, go North on Highway 7 from Jasper and go 4.1 miles north of where you cross the Buffalo River and turn LEFT onto NC-2800 (Old CR 125). This is about a mile SOUTH of Mystic Caverns if you're coming from the North.
Take NC 2800 7.5 miles (all reasonalbly maintained gravel) to the Community of Erbie. At some point you'll also see signs calling this CR-19 which is the old name of the road before Newton County converted the road names to convert to a 911 system a couple of years ago. There are a lot of country roads in here that intertwine and it can get a bit confusing -- but if you consistently stay on what seems to be the main road and look for CR 19 or NC 2800 road signs, you should be able to find it. A map will obviously help. The GPS on your phone may or may not help depending on your cell service provider.
Shortly before you get to the trail head, you will have to cross Cecil Cove Creek. We crossed it without 4WD without a problem, but during VERY high water this could be treacherous and you may be out of luck. This was a wet day, but a couple of days after steady rains and it was no problem.
When you get to Erbie, there will be a big intersection with multiple roads all coming in at one point -- there is an old church down the hill, a sign to a horse camp, and the trail head parking on your RIGHT with a sign and a pit toilet. Park wherever you can here.
If you want a lot of details on all the possible routes to the trail head, Rick Henry has a really nice, detailed overview.
The Trail
The trail starts off on the Cecil Cove Loop Trail behind the sign and toilets. The trail is shared with horses (so be alert) and is pretty wide and easy to follow -- and the trail descends gently downhill.
At .4 miles, the trail reaches a nice little pool of water. This is a pool that is formed by Van Dyke Spring and has a nice rock bluff behind it. It's a nice little spot. The trail then crosses this pool of water. There is sometimes a beaver damn here you can cross, or some rocks in the water, or sometimes it's simply a wet-water crossing. Find your way across as best you can.
This is where things get a little tricky.
After crossing the water at Van Dyke Spring, the trail then hits another larger creek -- this is Cecil Cove Creek. This is the creek that the trail will follow back toward the falls.
I THINK the main trail crosses Cecil Cove Creek here, however, there is another trail that heads off to the LEFT before crossing Cecil Cove Creek and this is the route I've consistently taken here since it's a wet crossing and, because I can never seem to find the trail on the other side. Since this is the route I go, I'm going to recommend you turn LEFT onto this trail BEFORE crossing Cecil Cove Creek.
This trail is nice and flat and works its way through the woods with the creek off to the right. After about .4 miles the trail then comes to a crossing on Cecil Cove Creek -- and you must cross here.
This is a wet crossing when the water levels are high (which you'll need for there to be water at Thunder Canyon when you get there). Michelle chose to change into water shoes for the crossings. I didn't bring mine (which was a bit regrettable) and so I spent the rest of the day hiking in wet boots. Plan to get your feet wet here during high water season because bolder-hopping is a bit treacherous and probably impossible for most people.
The trail then picks up on the other side of the creek and follows along the opposite side of the creek for awhile before coming to yet another water crossing to cross back to the other side Again, cross here (and plan to get wet).
And don't forget to check out the beauty all around -- the creek itself makes for some very nice scenes.
After crossing here, the main trail will turn RIGHT at about 1.4 miles at the bank and continue on. However, the trip to Thunder Canyon Falls, turns LEFT.
This is where we got a bit confused. In Tim Ernst's waterfall book, it says you cross the creek four times and before leaving the main trail. Rick Henry has noted the same thing. However, since we didn't cross the creek at Van Dyke Spring, this was only our second water crossing. But since I was counting, and not checking mileage, we went too far and missed this the first time. If you get to the stone wall, you've gone too far if you're planning to go to Thunder Canyon Falls.
When the trail turns right at the bank, there is a volunteer trail that turns LEFT here. It's a pretty worn volunteer trail and follows along the creek for a bit and then up a hill -- then, there is a beautiful creek inside a slot canyon to the left. Follow this trail to Thunder Canyon Falls.
The trail follows along the slot creek for about .5 more miles upstream to get to Thunder Canyon Falls. The trail crosses the creek a couple of times and offers some really neat slots, swimming holes and water features. The trail will also go from next to the water to up on some small bluffs above the water as it navigates the many trail obstacles that are out there.
I would be remiss if I didn't offer a bit of warning here. The rocks and mud along this creek are SLICK. Think of it a bit like trying to walk across your garage floor while using ice cubes for shoes. Or, walking up hill on a slip and slide. We've been to a lot of waterfalls in Arkansas and there's been nothing that compares to this.
At one point I did completely slip and slide down a rock into about a 2 foot pool of water. Fortunately all my camera gear remained dry, but I did have a solid bruise for a couple of weeks and thankfully it was a warm day so the water was refreshing. Really, everyone talks about it being slick -- and they aren't exaggerating, so be careful. The good news is that most of the drops are short ones so getting wet and banged up are your biggest concerns.
After about 2 miles of total hiking, the sound of roaring water will become evident and the trail leads into Thunder Canyon. It's a good sized canyon -- with 100 foot tall walls on either side and a creek flowing down the middle -- and in the back, the 71 foot tall Thunder Canyon Falls.
This is just a fantastic waterfall -- and is worth all the buzz. After spending some time, we headed back out the way we came.
Trail Detail
Distance: 4 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderately difficult. Much of the way here follows a relatively flat, maintained trail. However, the fact that there are multiple wet water crossings add to the challenge. The last 1/2 mile of very slick terrain are very difficult and will challenge even the most sure-footed of hikers.
Kid-Friendly: This trail isn't suitable for young children
Footwear: The trail is slick, rocky, and wet. So if you have a game plan for that, go with it. I wore hiking boots, which became wet and heavy with the water crossings, but were mostly grippy which was nice. Michelle changed shoes multiple times and ended up wearing Keens back to the falls. I'm not sure some moisture wicking trail shoes might not be the right choice. But whatever helps you get the most sure-footed gripping shoe, that you don't mind getting wet will be your best option here.
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls includes the route to the falls, his Buffalo River Hiking Trails book covers the Cecil Cove Loop Hike in more detail.
Star Rating: 5 of 5
There is a ton of stuff also near by and more than enough to spend several days in the area. But some nearby attractions include: Cecil Cove Loop Trail, An Unnamed Waterfall, Old Erbie Church, JW Farmer Homestead, Paige Falls and Broadwater Hollow Falls, Goat Bluff/Old Erbie Trail.
Hiked: May 28, 2016
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