The Upper Buffalo Wilderness is one of the most remote areas of Arkansas -- but there is incredible beauty to be found for folks that are willing to explore this natural region.
One of the many great areas in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness area is the around Adkins Creek -- and a couple of area waterfalls. This hike isn't for beginners, but if you are comfortable exploring and bushwhacking, there is a lot to see and explore. While most of this can be seen in a single-day hike, we explored the area over back-to-back weekends in April 2020.
This hike is best done in winter or early spring when the water is high (for the waterfalls) but before the bushwhack part becomes so overgrown it's tough to explore. There is no trail in the area, and really not even much of a trace of one for most of the hike.
Getting there
The trail begins at the Dahl Memorial Trailhead in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness. To get there, take Highway 16/21 East from Fallsville and turn LEFT onto Newton County 9100. Travel 2 miles on this gravel road (with one possible exception - depending on weather conditions, this is passable by most 2 WD vehicles) and turn right onto a small road. There is a sign that points toward the Dahl Memorial Trailhead. Travel a very short distance down this road and there is a large campsite here that circles around a huge tree. Park here.
The Dahl Trailhead is named after Jerry Dahl -- the Ozark-St Francis National Forest Supervisor from 1956-1962. Thank you Jerry for your service.
The Hike
The trail leaves the campsite/parking are to the east (right) side of the open area. It starts off down an old jeep road and is a really pleasant hike.
It dips down a bit -- and passes an upland swamp. There aren't many upland swamps in Northwest Arkansas, but this is one of them, and a fine one at that. There is an intersection of sorts right before the swamp -- stay STRAIGHT here so that you pass the swamp with the swamp on your left.
The road goes back up the hill and at .8 hits a "T" intersection. Turn LEFT. The trail heads down the hill a bit into a nice little pine forest. This is as pleasant as hiking gets, but don't get too used to it. At 1.1, the trail ends up at a small open field that was probably formerly a food plot. The road continues into the woods on the far end of the small field. There are several really nice red bud trees in this area during spring.
From here, there are a couple of options. For navigational purposes, I find the easiest (and most scenic) route is to head down the road another 100 yards or so and then turn RIGHT off into the woods. At this point, head straight down the hill a few hundred yards until you reach a small creek. This is the start of what becomes some pretty serious bushwhacking and the forest is pretty thick with under-growth. It's steep and tough going from here on out.
Once you reach the creek, turn LEFT, and follow the creek downstream to the first waterfall. It is probably faster to hike along the top of the ridge and just make your way down stream going downhill at an angle, but the creek has some nice little cascades and I think following near the creek makes this safer to navigate (no getting lost!) and more scenic and enjoyable.
Follow the creek and its many cascades downstream -- staying on the left side most of the way down. As you get near the waterfall, there is a place where you're generally forced to hike up the hillside on the left and there is a large rock cairn here. Drop steeply back down the hill and there is a small trail of sorts here that crosses the creek across the top of Leaning Log Falls and in front of a beautiful cascade. If you followed the creek down, this is approximately 2 miles from your starting point (it's closer to 1.7 if you go the most direct, but less scenic route).
There is a safe way to get to the bottom of the falls on the right (facing downstream) side of the falls.
This is called Leaning Log Falls, even though the log has long-since washed away.
Adkins Creek
From Leaning Log Falls, to get down to Adkins Creek, and Adkins Canyon Falls, find your way down to Adkins Creek. This is the large creek (almost looks like a small river) that is visible downstream from Leaning Log Falls. There is a safe-ish place to climb down near the spot that you used to get to the bottom of Leaning Log Falls. As with all situations in the wilderness, be careful.
One you get to Adkins Creek, be sure to check out the grotto below Leaning Log Falls. It's a beautiful spot.
Once on Adkins Creek, you'll need to cross to the other side. This will likely be a WET water crossing. Be careful, and with all water crossings in the Ozarks, if you can't see the bottom it is not safe to cross. But both days we went the water was only about mid-calf deep. Deep enough to get your feet wet, but not deep enough to be unsafe.
Once you cross Adkins Creek, you'll follow the creek downstream for about .3 miles. There are several amazing cascades and smaller waterfalls along this creek. Enjoy. There isn't a particular route I can recommend other than to stay near creek level, pick your way the best you can, and you might end up getting your feet wet. Getting high up on the hill to the right will keep your feet dry but is steep and slick, and not all that much fun in my opinion.
There is a really neat waterfall through this area that has 12 different small pour-offs and deeply carved water paths that is worthy of checking out.
At .3 (past Leaning Log Falls) the creek passes a really nice waterfall and then there is a creek that comes into Adkins Creek from the Right. There is a small waterfall right here that is also very scenic. And a quick look at this falls and you can see all the way up the canyon and see Upper and Lower Adkins Canyon Falls from here! Definite a scenic spot with waterfalls everywhere!
The main creek also makes for some really nice scenery down stream from this spot as well that worth a look.
Adkins Canyon Falls
Once you get to the small creek and waterfall on the right, follow this creek upstream for a couple of hundred yards. There is another smaller waterfall about 100 yards upstream in a really nice, deep canyon. This is lower Adkins Canyon Falls. You can see the larger falls behind it. This canyon is beautiful in its own right and not to be overlooked. This small waterfall pours into a deep blue pool.
Once you have explored here, make your way up the hill around to the right to get to Upper Adkins Canyon Falls. This is a 42 foot tall water fall where the water falls and then hits the ground and cascades the rest of the way down into a nice pool. There is also a huge rock overhang here.
This is a really nice area to sit and joy nature at its finest.
Once done exploring, retrace your steps back to your car. This is nearly a 1,000 foot climb back out from Adkins Creek, with dense underbrush and no sign of a trail, so you will feel it getting out. Just remember all of the amazing scenery you've seen that made it all worth it.
Trail Details
Distance: 5 miles round trip. It's about 2 miles to Leaning Log Falls, and an extra .5 to Adkins Canyon. Tim Ernst lists this a 1.7 and .3 respectively, but with some additional exploring this came in at a solid 5 miles round trip for us.
Difficulty: Very difficult. The first 1.1 miles is a very nice hike, but the remainder is steep and rugged.
Kid Friendly: No
Footwear: Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls
Star Rating: 5 of 5
Other trails nearby: Glory Hole, Magnolia Falls, Dixons Ford
