A couple of weeks ago, Michelle and I set out to find Thunder Canyon Falls along the Cecil Cove Loop trail near Erbie.
However, there is another very impressive waterfall in the general area that we found quite by accident.
To get to this waterfall, start at the Cecil Cove Loop Trail and follow the directions to Thunder Canyon as directed here.
However, instead of turning left off the main trail to go back to Thunder Canyon after the second (or fourth) water crossing, keep hiking on the main trail. The trail will cross Cecil Cove Creek and then pass a very nice, historic stone wall and then cross the creek again.
After the second creek crossing from the Thunder Canyon turnoff (the 4th or 6th total creek crossing), we turned LEFT and hiked upstream a bit until we found a rocky (but dry) creek bed. This turn is about 2 miles from the trail head. We then followed this creek upstream for about 3/4 of a mile.
There is no trail here, and nothing resembling a trail - -and it doesn't appear many people travel this way. It was very rocky, and a bit overgrown, and it made for a rugged 3/4 of a mile bushwhack up to the falls. Find your way as best you can. We found it usually preferable to be on the ridge above the creek on the right side of the creek (heading upstream).
The creek bed appears dry virtually the entire way up to the falls -- but the water is simply flowing underground at this point. In spite of the dry creek bed, the falls was rolling really nicely on this day after a couple of days of pretty solid rain.
In full disclosure, we found this area when we missed the turnoff to Thunder Canyon Falls and hiked up this creek bed instead. While Thunder Canyon is a slot canyon creek, this doesn't resemble that type of creek in the slightest -- and our instincts were telling us that this was wrong, but the faint sound of water kept us trekking up the hillside. Fortunately, we were rewarded for our efforts.
This is a really nice waterfall with a great flow. I believe the creek that feeds this is the same creek that makes up Hideout Hollow Falls about a mile upstream.
I've done a bit of asking around, and it doesn't appear that this waterfall has a name. If someone knows of a name for this, please let me know. If not, I wouldn't be so bold as to think I am in a position to name one, but if I could provide a recommendation, I'd call this one Faith Falls -- I think it takes a good amount of faith to follow a dry creek through rocky rugged terrain looking for a waterfall. "Don't Turn Back Yet Falls" might also be appropriate based on the number of times we checked our map and discussed not being where we thought we were.
This is a really challenging bushwhack to the falls after a fairly easy hike to the place where you leave the trail. Note that there are multiple creek crossings to get to this point, so the likelihood of doing this bushwhack with wet feet is pretty strong.
From this falls, we made the executive decision to hike UP to the upper part of the Cecil Cove Loop to hike back to our car on the upper trail. This would be a pretty viable option. Just follow the creek that feeds the waterfall up hill until it crosses the trail. You can also go back down to the original trail the way you came.
The option I don't recommend is hiking up to the upper part of the Cecil Cove Loop, hiking for about 3/4 of a mile, and then following another creek back down looking for more waterfalls to find out it leads back to the unnamed waterfall we were just at. Michelle and I would like to not discuss why we know this isn't a recommended route.
Trail Notes
Distance: Approximately 5.5 miles round trip (if you go out and back the way you came). Add another mile if you include Thunder Canyon Falls into the trip. Add another three miles if you take the not-recommended route above.
Difficulty: Difficult - the 4 miles of trail are a relatively easy hike, but the 1.5 miles of bushwhacking is pretty challenging, although not the most difficult place to navigate in the Ozarks.
Trail Guide: I've not seen this falls noted anywhere else and have only found a handful of people who have been to it
Kids: No
Footwear: Very sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support recommended
Also Nearby: Thunder Canyon Falls, Cecil Cove Loop, Old Erbie Church, Paige Falls & Broadwater Hollow Falls, Goat Bluff/Old Erbie Area Loop, Hideout Hollow Falls, McFerrin Point
Star Rating: 4.5 of 5
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