The Sneeds Creek Trail is a trail that a lot of folks know about, but it seems few actually hike. I seldom see photos of the area on social media or online elsewhere. Sneeds Creek is a beautiful hike that includes a lot of natural beauty and old Ozarks history. I suspect the length of the hike (we netted 11.5 miles on our hike) along with the fact that there are 6 wet water crossings keep a lot of folks away. This is also a horse trail, so it can be a little bit rough hiking in places but not too bad. But the trail is worth it, wet feet and all.
The best way to hike the trail is to hike it in conjunction with the Hemmed in Hollow Trail and create a loop. It could certainly be done as an out-and-back, or in a loop with the Centerpoint Trail if you have a shuttle to get back to your car. But in looping it with the Hemmed In Hollow Trail you get two great trails, and end up right back where you started.
Getting There
The hike starts at the Compton Trail head near the community of Compton. To get there, go to the community of Compton (8.3 miles north of Ponca on Highway 43) and turn EAST on the gravel road immediately across from the JB Trading Post. After .1 miles, turn RIGHT onto the gravel road. Take that .8 miles and turn RIGHT on another gravel road and the parking area and trail head are just at the top of the hill. There is a sign pointing to the Compton Trailhead off Highway 43 and at the 2nd turn on the gravel road.
The Hemmed-in-Hollow trail starts here. If you look just to the right of the Hemmed in Hollow Trail head there is another trail -- the Sneeds Creek Trail. This is the path that you'll return on.
The Hike
Start hiking down the Hemmed-in Hollow Trail. I won't go into a lot of detail for a bit because it's the same route you take to get to Hemmed in Hollow Waterfall.
At 1.8 miles, you hit an intersection. The trail to the left takes you to Hemmed in Hollow waterfall. The trail to the right takes you toward Sneeds Creek. If you've come this far, you should absolutely check out the waterfall and return back to this spot. If you go see the waterfall, add 1.5 miles onto all of the mileage markers that follow. For the sake of his post, we're going to turn RIGHT here and head toward Sneeds Creek. And excluding the hike to the falls, this intersection is at 1.8 miles.
From here, the trail follows along the top of a small bluff for awhile and then at 2.3, the trail turns sharply left and goes to the bottom of the bluff. There isn't a sign here, and it's fairly easy to miss, but there is a rock slab with steps notched out of it that help you get to the bottom. At the bottom, the trail turns to the left again and down the hill. It then veers right and crosses over a really nice glade area. I always love these little glade areas because the colors are always so vibrant.
The trail then goes down some more and turns to the left and heads down to Sneeds Creek. The trail runs along Sneeds Creek for a bit until it turns right and crosses the creek. This is the first of 6 crossing of Sneeds Creek -- expect that during wet season that all of these will be wet crossings. Most seemed to be about a foot to 18 inches deep on the day we visited. As with any water crossings, be smart, and know your limits. And if you can't see the bottom, don't cross!
Once you've navigate the creek, the trail turns to the left a bit (there are a few other volunteer trails on the opposite side of the creek that lead to different camp sites, so stay left). The trail then leads down to the Buffalo River. This is the best place to get a good view of the river on the entire trail.
The trail follows an old road bed along the river for a couple of hundred yards and then turns right and starts heading steeply back up the hill again. At 3.0, the trail hits another intersection. To the LEFT is the Centerpoint trail that leads up to Big Bluff and the Centerpoint Trail Head. Big Bluff is about 1 mile up the hill from this spot. For our purposes, stay to the right. And about 100 yards, you'll arrive at Granny Henderson's Cabin.
Granny Henderson's cabin is a beautiful old cabin and was home to one of the last people to live in the wilderness area. You can read more about the triumph and tragedy of Granny Henderson here. Remember, this is a national historic site, so please respect this amazing spot.
The trail heads past the cabin and then back down the hill again and crosses Sneeds Creek again at 3.3.
Once you cross the creek, the trail turns left and heads upstream a bit and at 3.4 you hit one of the most amazing features in all of the Ozarks. At 3.4, the wilderness opens up to a HUGE rock slab that is larger than a football field. It's a bit hard to describe, but the openness of the area is a stark contrast to the dense wilderness that surrounds it. Sneeds Creek runs across this huge rock slab forming a variety of amazing cascades and waterfalls. There is also a smaller waterfall that comes in from the right. This entire areas is called "Rocky Bottom".
Take some time to enjoy the area.
The trail then enters the woods again near the top of the rock slab on the right side of the creek (when facing upstream).
The trail goes back into the woods. It runs pretty close to the creek here with a lot of nice views. There are also a few old fields here. There are a few times that the wear of the trail (from people, water and horses) has cause the trail to erode to a couple of feet below ground level.
At 4.0, the trail turns sharply left and crosses Sneeds Creek again. This is the 3rd wet crossing of the hike. This turn is pretty easy to miss, but essentially the trail dips sharpley down and to the left to the creek. You can just see the trail continue on the other side. If you don't cross here, there are remnants of a trail on the side you were on that continues for a bit but then sort of peters out as it hits a bluff area. Turn LEFT and cross the creek.
The trail runs along the left side of the creek now for a bit and then goes back down the hill and crosses the creek for a fourth time. Every time the creek is in view it's another amazing, peaceful view.
The trail continues on the right side of the creek for a bit, and then crosses over for a 5th time at 4.4.
After the creek crossing the trail heads up the hill a bit and for the first time in awhile there is a sign of civilization -- in the form a couple of old car bodies that have been laid to rest in the area.
Just past the car bodies, as if the beauty and cascades that you've already seen aren't enough, at 4.7 the trail reaches a place often referred to as the "Place of Quiet Cascades". It does not disappoint.
In this area there are multiple shorter waterfalls that expand the width of the entire creek -- each is definitely photo-worthy, and so peaceful. It's a great place to stop and have a sandwich.
On upstream, are even more cascades and waterfalls.
And it just keeps going. It's such an amazing stretch of trail along this beautiful Creek.
This place is simply amazing.
At around 4.9 the trail crosses the creek for the 6th and final time. The trail then, sadly turns to the right and away from the creek and you see the creek for the last time.
The trail follows an old road and switchbacks UP the hill. And I do mean up folks. The rest of the hike is about a 1,000 foot climb out of this beautiful canyon. The road is rocky and rough hiking, but easy enough to follow. The trail turns right and straightens out a bit, and then turns back left and on up the hill.
As you make your way toward the top of the hill, the trail levels out a bit and passes through a couple of open fields that are now overgrown with cedars and past the remnants of an old rock quarry.
After 1.4 miles of climbing at 6.4, the trail passes and intersection. To the right is the bench trail that would head back down the hill and connect with the Hemmed In Hollow trail and on over to Wild Vic's Cabin. Stay straight on the main road and up and continue on up the hill.
At 6.5, the trail leaves the road and heads on a flatter and softer trail in the woods. The trail runs along the base of a steep ridge and stays mostly flat for awhile, then gradually climbs. At 7.2, the trail comes out at the parking lot, just a bit east of where you started, completing the 7.2 mile loop.
Note, I am using the mileages from Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails book. But while his book says this is a 7.2 mile loop (8.7 if you take the side trip to Hemmed In Hollow), my fitbit said we'd gone 11.5 miles on this hike. Admittedly we do a bit of exploring that adds mileage (and we took a wrong turn when we missed the 3rd creek crossing the first time), even so this doesn't make up for the nearly 3 mile difference in mileage. I guess what I'm saying is that while this is at 7.2 mile loop, be prepared for something a bit longer. If nothing else, with the steep climb out, and the wet shoes, it will feel like more than 7.2!
Trail Details:
Mileage: 7.2 mile loop, 8.7 if we include the side trip to Hemmed in Hollow
Difficulty: Difficult -- the length, elevation change and wet water crossings make this a pretty challenging trail.
Footwear: Sturdy Hiking boots are required, and bring an extra pair of socks to change into after the final water crossing
Kid Friendly: No
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails
Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Other trails nearby: Big Bluff, Hemmed in Hollow, Hideout Hollow, McFerrin Point
Photos from our hike October 28th, 2019
