Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Unnamed Waterfall - Buffalo River Area (Near Erbie)

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

Thunder Canyon Falls - Buffalo National River Area (near Erbie)

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

JW Farmer Homestead -- Hike via Goat Trail

I've mentioned it several times before, but one of my favorite things about the area around Erbie is the sense of history you get when you visit the area. While the "town" is now uninhabited, there still is an old church, several in-tact homesteads, old cemeteries, and the remains of old roads, old houses and a life that used to be. And because the area is unpopulated, you get a good sense for how it must have felt to be alive back at the turn of the century out in the wilderness, relatively isolated from your neighbors except for a long walk or ride by horseback down a road or at church on Sunday morning.

Another such place is the JW Farmer Homestead. 

As best I can tell (and the history of this area is not terribly well docemented online), this old homestead dates back to 1911, and has many original buildings that are mostly fairly well preserved.

To get to the spot, we generally take the Old Erbie Loop Trail. (directions at the link).  The trail starts at Erbie Church heading along the road South toward the River. You turn right at the old homestead, past a barn, and then up the hill to Goat Bluff (details at the link).

At the top of Goat Bluff, at 1.2 miles, you hit a 4 way intersection. To get to the JW Farmer Homestead, take the route that continues straight ahead along the bluff (the road to the harsh right takes you to the horse camp, the soft right continues on to the Old Erbie Trail).  

If you take the left-most trail (straight), you'll begin to decend down the fairly steep trail. This section of trail is very nice, as it has a lot of nice flat rocks that form natural stairs and there are usually quite an array of wildflowers.

As you head down you'll be veering to your right and a small creek will be below to your left. The trail then crosses over the creek (not a wet crossing) and then turns back left. At about .4 from the intersection (1.6 from the start of the Old Erbie Trail), the trail will connect with the Old River Trail. To the left heads down to the river, to the right is to the homestead. Shortly after taking the right you arrive at the homestead.

While the Homestead appears to be out in the middle of nowhere, it really is sitting right along the Old River Trail which was the old road through the area that connected all of the homesteads along the river bottom. If you think about the Old River Trail as the old road, it makes perfect sense. 

Take some time to explore the area. Most of the buildings are open to walk into. Just be smart and safe and respectful to this piece of history. 

After taking the time to explore, it's back out on the Old River Trail. Immediately across from the homestead is a trail that enters the woods. This is where the Cecil Cove Loop would joins the rest of the trails in the area. Going straight on the Old River Trail continues on the trail toward Kyles Landing.  

We followed the Old River Trail another about .3 miles to the next Buffalo River Crossing before heading back. 

Hike to JW Farmer Homestead

Distance: 4 miles round trip (if you come in from the Old Erbie Trail -- it's at the 6.2 mile mark of the Cecil Cove Loop)

Difficulty: Moderate

Kids: Yes

Footwear: Trail shoes or hiking boots are best

Star rating: 3.5 of 5

Paige Falls, and Broadwater Hollow Falls - From the Cecil Cove Trail

These two waterfalls quickly became two of my favorite waterfalls in the Buffalo Rivera area and are definitely worth checking out.

There is a short way to get there from near the community of Compton that at some point I'll take. However, today, we're heading back to them from the Cecil Cove Loop Trail. To get on the Cecil Cove Loop, check out this post. At 2.2 miles into the hike, there is an intersection (and a sign). While the Cecil Cove Loop heads straight at this interestion, there is a trail to your right and the sign points that direction and says "waterfall".  This trail is mostly unmarked, but this is the way to these two great waterfalls.

Note, this is not an official trail. Someday maybe it will be, but for now it takes a little willingness to bushwack and find your way. Just remember where the creek is, and it will lead you back to the staring point.

At the interestion, follow the trail to the RIGHT. The trail bends around a bluff, and then heads out with Cecil Creek to your right. 

The trail quickly goes down the hill and soon you arrive at a great, and popularly used campsite. At this campsite, the creek also forms a nice swimming hole for the folks spending the night there (not appropriate for my December hike though).

Once past the campsite, the trail will turn slightly away from the creek, and then, cross over the creek (this is pretty easy to cross at this point). 

Once across the creek you have a couple of options.

Option one involves staying on an old road trace and following it as it turns left and goes UP the hill. This is a steep climb, but somewhat easy to follow. You will lose the trace for awhile, then find it again. But always head UP, and always know that the creek is deep in the valley below to your left. When you get toward the top of the hill you'll start seeing "no tresspassing signs". You've hit private property and are at the National Park Boundary. 

No fears though, because this is where you want to be. At the "no tresspassing signs, turn left and following along the boundry and head toward the creek you will start to hear water. Follow the sound of water down the hill and you'll be greeted by the roaring water of the two falls.

The second option, and probably the preferred one, is that as soon as you cross the creek turn LEFT and follow the creek upstream. There is a volunteer trail here. It starts in the valley next to the creek, then goes up the hill in a small ravine and runs along above the creek. But generally, this route always keeps the creek in view.

After going by a series of fallen rocks, you get into Broadwater Hollow and to the inital waterfall -- this is Broadwater Hollow Falls.

Broadwater Hollow Falls is a 21 foot tall waterfall that also offers a small series of cascades. I don't think this picture does it justice - and the water is very powerful coming over the edge.

After spending some time at Broadwater Hollow Falls, follow the trail around to the right of the falls to the top. Just beyond this water fall, literally just 100 yards upstream, is another great waterfall, Paige Falls. 

Paige Falls is 8 feet tall, but what it lacks in height it makes up for in beauty as the water tumbles from a V-slot above into a prestine pool of water below. I just love this place.

Again, you can follow a volunteer trail around to the top of the falls, through a cool crack-in-the-rock walkway, and see the sloted water routes above, including another interesting cascade.

When you are done checking out these two waterfalls, you can find your way back to the main trail. Round trip distance is about 2 miles (but it will feel like more).

Distance: 2 miles (roundtrip) from the split at Cecil Cove Loop. The falls are a solid 3.2 miles from the Cecil Cove Loop trailhead (1 way).

Footwear: Hiking boots

Kids: probably no unless everyone is experienced in the backcountry together

Guidebook: Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cecil Cove Loop -- Erbie Area

The former community of Erbie offers a variety of hiking trails that can often be combined together for larger or shorter loops depending on what you plan for the day. Because it was a community, many of the trails feature a lot of historical sites that tell a story of the early settlers to the area.

The Cecil Cove Loop is the longest of these hikes. And as such, provides a wonderful assortment of spring-fed ponds, creeks, historic stone walls, an historic cemetary, former home sites, and a spur trail that leads to a couple of awesome waterfalls. This is a full day of nature, and historic sites that is well worth the trip. The trail is also shared by horses.

Getting there

The trailhead is in the community of Erbie -- just North of Erbie Church. The simplest way to get to the Erbie trailhead is by taking the Erbie Campground Road from Highway 7 (just South of Pruitt). This road takes you past the Koen Interpretive Trail, the Ponds Loop, The Erbie Campground (currently closed), the Parker Hickman Homestead and eventually crosses the Buffalo River before heading North to the Erbie Church. However, as a general rule, if the river is floatable from Ponca, the river is going to be too high to cross unless you have a 4-wheel drive -- and even then, it's dependent on the vehicle and the driver. 

The other two ways to get here are via the road from Compton that runs past the Compton Trailhead. This is a 4-wheel-drive only road after it gets past the trailheads up there and is VERY rough. 

The most consistent route is coming in from Marble Falls off Highway 7, just North of the former Dogpatch location. This route is long, and mostly gravel. But is generally passable with any vehicle.

Park at the trailhead just North of the Church. The Cecil Cove Loop starts just north of this parking area by the pit toilet there.

Cecil Cove Loop

The loop starts off on what appears to be an old road trace and heads into the woods and gradually down a hill. At about . 2 the trail gets pretty steep and at .3 you run into a small pond. This area is is formed by Van Dyke Spring (which comes out of the small bluff on your left just upstream a little) and some help from the local beaver population who have damned up this stream.  It's a beautiful area -- and also creates the first of two pretty challenging water crossings. 

There is not really a good way to cross here (unless you're on horseback), but if you go to the right (downstream) you can often find a combination of rocks and logs to find your way across and keep your feet dry. 

Once you cross, and this is IMPORTANT. Don't cross the second stream. You'll need to turn left and cross a few more rocks where the water from the pond area is flowing into the other stream (this should be a fairly easy crossing) and end up in a middle island area between the pond and the creek. You can pick up the trail here.

The trail will stay on the level and run along the edge of the pond you just crossed. The pond and the bluff opposite create a beautiful area to hike along.

At about 1.0 miles, the trail crosses the creek that has been running to your right. When the water is high, this is a tough little crossing (much easier on a horse it appears!). 

But, as with the other crossing, if you go downstream a bit, there are a bunch of rocks that make for some possible boulder hopping to get a cross. 

Just be careful. The rocks are often smooth from being worn by water over the centuries and sometimes wet and moss covered. If you feel like you need to bring a second pair of shoes or socks (I highly recommend extra socks) in cold weather just in case it may be a good idea. 

Once you cross the creek here, things get a little easier for awhile. The trail follows on that side of Cecil Creek for awhile. It is level here and runs through the woods and generally along the creek.

At 1.4 miles, the trail crosses the creek again -- at this point the creek  runs underground so this is a dry crossing. Once you cross the creek, the trail turns right and follows along the creekbed for a bit. At 1.8, it crosses the creek again (another dry crossing) and follows on the level again. 

At 2.0 the trail passes an old stone wall. This is the first of many historic things you'll see along this trail. It's a well-constructed stone wall and is, in its own right, very scenic.

Just past the wall, the trail crosses the creek one last time and begins to climb the hill on the other side.  At 2.2 (just a short walk up the hill), you will get to an intersection. To complete the loop, you will continue straight. However, there is a spur trail to the right that heads back to a great camp site and two amazing waterfalls. You can read about this spur trail here.

To continue on the Cecil Cove Loop continue on the trail that veers to the left and head UP the hill.  This part of the trail follows an old road trace and is a pretty steep climb with about 400 feet of elevation gain. 

At 2.7 miles, you'll reach Jones Cemetery. 

Jones Cemetery is one of many old, abandoned cemeteries that you'll come across on trails along the Buffalo. And like the others, reading the tombstones you get  feel for just how difficult life was in this area in at the turn of the last century. 

Many of the tombstones are of young women, and infants, that died during child birth. It was a tough time...and really, not all that long ago. 

After exploring the cemetery for awhile, continue on the trail and at 2.9 you'll see an old homestead. There isn't much left of it now except for a foundation and an old fireplace and chimney, but this is the former homesite of William Jones -- his tombstone is in the cemetery you just passed. 

From here, the trail turns sharply left and continues out on the level. Soon you'll pass a stone wall on your right -- this is the Faddis-Keaton Homesite.

The trail here continues and is following an old road that would have joined the several home sites that you  have passed, or will soon pass along the route, to the cemetery, and to the church that once existed at the bottom of the hill. The road follows a bench along the bluffline and is great hiking. 

During leaf-off you'll see a lot of scenic views to your left and a lot of areas with large boulders. During wet season, a lot of these rocky areas become really interesting with small waterfalls and water displays. 

The trail will pass another homesite -- this one includes a spring that is protected by rocks. This would have been a great source of water for the early settlers. 

The trail continues along the bench -- with a steep bluff to your right, and steep-downhill to your left.  Enjoy the views, and the trail.

At about 5 miles, a bluffline will begin to form on your right. At the top of that bluff is McFarrin Point.  To your left is more views.

At 5.2, the trail connects with the 4WD road that runs from Compton to Erbie.  Turn left on this road.  If you are continuing the hike, you'll go about 800 feet and turn RIGHT back into the woods and will go down to the JW Farmer Homestead, and then connect with the end of the Goat Bluff Trail and then back to Erbie.  

Because both times I've hiked this trail it has been winter with very short days, I've been chasing daylight (and a little tired from the uphill climb) and we've opted instead to follow the the road down the hill directly to the trailhead in Erbie. To do that, it is 1.2 miles back to the trailhead and the road is not often used and is actually a very nice hike. If you complete the route by taking the road, the entire loop is about 6.4 miles. 

Cecil Cove Loop Hike Details

Total Distance (if you take the road back to trailhead): 6.4 miles

Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult due to distance, water crossings and elevation change

Footwear: Hiking Boots

Kids: Older would be ok

Guidebook: Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Erbie Church

The Old Erbie Church is the undisputed center point of the historic center of Erbie. There is a parking lot near the church that serves as the trail head for the Cecil Cove Loop, the Old Erbie Loop, and a variety of other trail possibilities in Erbie.

According to the national parks service, the locals have said the church was built in 1896 and stands in great shape today, and is still frequently used for various services.

The church is definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.  It's a bit of a challenge to get to (recommended driving routes can be found here), but it is easily seen off the nearby gravel road with no hiking required.  The church is a great look into historic communities that developed along the Buffalo River. There used to be a school and a general store in the area too...but the church and a couple of old Homesteads (including the Parker-Hickman Homestead across the river) are all that remain of this historic community.