Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Hudson Shelter/Hudson Shelter Falls

Hudson Shelter & Hudson Shelter Falls is an area you don't hear a lot of folks in hiking/waterfall-hunting circles. It's is many of the major guide books, but I just don't hear of a lot of folks going there very often.

Lower Hudson Shelter Falls

So back in May, we decided to check it out. It turns out that the area is pretty well traveled -but is apparently much more popular among the rock climbing circuit than the waterfall folks. This is primarily because the waterfall is served by a pretty small drainage so it takes a recent rain to get it flowing. That said, even if the water is minimal, there is a lot to see here as it is also home to many great bluffs (the rock-climbers know!) and one of the largest natural shelters in the state - Hudson Shelter. I'm looking forward to coming back here again when the leaves are off for better views of the bluffs and valley below.

Getting there

Hudson Shelter is not far off of Highway 7 south of Jasper. Head south of Jasper about 14 miles (2.9 from the junction of Highway 16) to the community of Cowell. Turn LEFT (EAST) on FR 1204. This is a gravel road just across from the Northern turnoff toward Cowell Cemetery. There are two roads here, neither is well marked, be sure to take the one to the north. Travel on FR 1204 for 4.2 miles and turn RIGHT onto FR 1204-B. Go 100 yards or so and there is a parking area on the right -- and an old logging road that is your trail. 

Old logging road that serves as the trail has several downed pined trees

The Trail

Start hiking along the old logging road. It's a nice trail but becomes a mess pretty quickly as many tall pines have fallen blocking the road. But never fear, because of the popularity of this area among climbers, there is a nicely-worn, and easy-to-follow trail just to the right of the main road. 

After a bit, the trails turns to the left and weaves its way down hill (again, the trail is pretty easy to follow) and eventually finds its way to small creek. This is the creek that feeds Hudson Shelter Falls. The trail then turns RIGHT and follows the creek down toward the falls. After about .5 miles, you'll reach the top of Hudson Shelter Falls. There is a small cascade here as well.

Small Cascade above Hudson Shelter Falls

To get to the bottom of the Upper Hudson Shelter Falls, go to the left (looking downstream) and trail finds its way to the bottom of the waterfall. There wasn't a lot of water on the day I was here (even after a pretty good rain the night before). 

Upper Hudson Shelter Falls

The trail crosses in front of the upper falls (note, it gets somewhat close to the edge here, and can be a little slick, so watch you step!). On the opposite side (right side when looking downstream), there is a rock jumble of sorts that you can work your way down to the base of the lower falls and Hudson Shelter. Be careful on this as well as the rocks are often slick. 

Lower Hudson Shelter Falls (from inside Hudson Shelter). The rock jumble to get to the bottom can be seen behind the falls.

Hudson Shelter is about 75 feet deep and an impressive rock shelter and worth some time to explore.

Inside Hudson Shelter

Beyond the lower falls -- to the right (again looking downstream) are some really nice rock bluffs that are popular with climbers. I highly recommend exploring along the base of these bluffs a bit.

One of the many bluffs beyond Hudson Shelter

Overall, this is a really nice area and definitely one I look forward to checking out more in future visits.

Trail Details

Distance: 1 mile round trip (plus more for exploring the bluffs)

Difficulty: Easy hike to the falls, but probably easy-to-moderate in total because it takes some scrambling to get to the base of the lower falls and Hudson Shelter.

Kid Friendly: Due to the slick and high bluffs, leave the littles at home

Footwear: Trail shoes 

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Trail Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Other trails nearby: Fern Falls, Lonesome Hollow Falls, Round Top Mountain Trail

Shooting Stars along the trail. Shooting Stars are among my favorite Arkansas wildflowers

Stepp Creek Falls - Ozark National Forest

Stepp Creek is a fantastic area in the Ozark National Forest in an area that is part of the Buffalo River watershed. While it is best known for it's name-sake waterfalls, there are several secondary waterfalls and water features in the area that make this fantastic polyfoss area with 6 named waterfalls & cascades, and several other smaller cascades. And at about 3.2 mile round trip hike, that's a lot of enjoyment for fairly minimal hiking. 

Stepp Creek is a tributary of the Little Buffalo River (which eventually flows into the Buffalo River). The trail here is mostly bushwhack, and unmarked, although some of the trail follows an old logging road for easier hiking.

The week between Christmas and New Years featured a lot of rain, and Michelle and I used the time off around the holidays, and rainy weather, to visit some of our favorite waterfalls in the area. We had been to Stepp Creek before, but it had been awhile. And I'd actually never gotten an opportunity to write a blog post about the -- so I thought a return visit to brush up on directions would be helpful. And with the water flowing really well, it made for some really (in my opinion) good photos of the area.

Getting there

From Edwards Junction (which is the Junction of Highway 16 and Highway 21, 11 miles SOUTH of Boxley), turn EAST on Highway 16 (toward Deer). Drive 4 miles (this is 1.5 miles west of the community of Nail), and turn LEFT (north) onto Forest Road 1227. Drive .8 miles and turn LEFT at the fork, staying on FR 1227). After .25 miles, you'll pass a couple of cattle pens (one on each side of the road) and enter a wooded area. The parking area is almost immediately on your left in the wooded area. 

The Trail

From the parking area, begin by following the old logging road in front of the parking area down the hill. This road is closed off to auto traffic (by some big rocks and a large berm) but makes for very nice hiking.

After about .4 miles on the logging road, turn LEFT and start heading down the hill. Essentially, you'll then head down the hill approximately .25 miles until you get to the bottom of the hill. Stepp Creek is at the bottom of the hill.

I don't have a lot of advice here as there isn't much for even volunteer trails down the hill, just make your way down as best you can. There also isn't really a right or wrong time to head down, as you'll eventually hit the creek. However, at .4 there is a small drainage that I like to follow down because I don't hike with a GPS and following the drainage makes it easier for me to find my way back up. But once you get to the bottom of the hill, the hike becomes magnificent!  

Once you arrive at Stepp Creek, turn RIGHT and follow the creek downstream. Again, there isn't much of a trail here, so just find your own way. There are a lot of amazing water features the entire way so I prefer to follow as close the creek as possible the entire way. 

After approximately .8 miles from the car, you'll arrive at the top of the first waterfall. This is the 25 foot tall Upper Stepp Creek Falls. This is a really interesting waterfall with multiple tiers. 

The best way to the bottom is on the right side of the falls while looking downstream. Enjoy the falls, but there's a lot more to come! From here, continue to follow the creek downstream. When there is a lot of water, there's another small waterfall that comes in from the opposite side of the creek.

Continue on down the hill, and after about 100 yards, you'll get to the next waterfall -- which is the 12 foot tall Lower Stepp Creek Falls. From here, you can see both waterfalls from the same spot!

This is just a magical area. 

Continue downstream. There are a lot of great cascades in this next stretch. 

After about 100 yards downstream, there is another waterfall: Intersection Falls. 

Intersection Falls is aptly named as just downstream from here, there is another creek, Upper End Creek, that pours into Stepp Creek. 

From this intersection, we'll turn LEFT and follow Upper End Creek back upstream where several other waterfalls await. 

After a couple of hundred yards, you'll first get to Upper End Creek Falls.

A bit beyond this waterfall is Upper End Creek Cascade:

At the top of the cascade, you can just barely see another waterfall -- this is Upper End Creek Tier Falls -- which is also worth the hike up.

The entire area is just amazing. 

From here, I generally retrace my steps back to the car. There is a "shortcut" across the top ridge that can get you back to Stepp Creek Falls more directly, but I find there to be a lot of thicket and not all that pretty of a hike, so I prefer to hike along the creek to get back. 

In total, we hiked about 3.2 miles to see all 6 waterfalls. About a mile of that (.4 each way) is on the old logging road and easy hiking; the rest is pretty serious bushwhack. First, down the hill (and back up!). But then the area along the creeks is slick and rocky. And during leaf-off, it's really easy to step on some leaves thinking they are on a rock and fall into a hole up to your knee or thigh. So it's pretty rough hiking, but worth every bit of it in my opinion. 

Total elevation gain is about 750 feet climbing out.

Trail Details

Distance: 3.2 miles

Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult Bushwhack

Kid Friendly: This trail isn't suitable for younger children

Footwear: Sturdy hiking boots strongly recommended 

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Rating: 5 of 5

Nearby: Dismal Hollow, Glory Hole Falls, Boen Gulf Area, Smith Creek Nature Preserve

Arkansas Sphinx

In 10 years of reading about, and exploring Northwest Arkansas, I had never heard of the Arkansas Sphinx. However, when Danny Hale published his book, Takahik, Hiking the Arkansas Ozarks, I decided I need to check it out.

This isn't really so much of a hike as a "thing to see". The "hike", as it were, is short, but difficult.

Getting There

From Hwy 7, take Hwy 123 WEST from Pelsor. Travel 16.3 miles and turn LEFT onto JC 4840 (this is 3.7 miles past the Haw Creek Campground entrance). Travel on 4840 for .5 miles, the road takes a hard right, and then turns left. Find a place to park along the road. There are two trees with an S in a circle painted on them on the left side of the road at the spot.

The Trail

The trail isn't regularly maintained (although some maintenance had been done recently prior to my visit) and heads STRAIGHT up the hill. It's not a long hike, but it is straight up - nearly 900 feet straight up. The "trail" goes through a lot of sumac and then gets to a few rocky spots where you can stop to catch your breath and take in the views of the Ozarks below.  Those who make the climb will be reward with a huge view and one of the more unique rock formations in the region. 

It's worth noting that in Hale's trail guide, he references a second, longer route to get to the Sphinx. I attempted this route, and found the old road easy enough to travel -- however, beyond the food plot, the trail got very thick and over-grown to the point where I eventually turned around and decided to come in from the closer route. It wouldn't be the first time I've wandered off the trail ended up at the wrong spot, but at this point, I can't recommend taking the longer route.

Trail Details

Distance: About 1/2 mile round trip

Difficulty: Moderate -- it's short, but steep

Footwear: Trail shoes or Hiking boot preferred

Kid-Friendly: If they can make the climb, they should be fine

Trail Guide: Takahik: Hiking the Ozarks

Rating: 3 out of 5

Nearby: Haw Creek Falls, Highway 123 Falls, Pam's Grotto, Buzzard Roost Scenic Area

Big Creek -- and Big Creek Cave Falls

The hike back to Big Creek Cave Falls, and along Big Creek is one of the best surprise hikes in the Ozarks. This is a spectacular area and immediately has become one of our favorite places in Northwest Arkansas. It's surprising that in 12 years of coming to the area I've never heard anyone even mention this great hike and unique waterfall other than pulling it out of Tim Ernst's Waterfall Book and thinking "that looks cool, we should check it out."

The setting is beautiful. The Creek itself has a lot of spectacular water features, and the grand finale does not disappoint.

There is no official trail here. However, 1/2 of the trail is very easy to naviagate. The other 1/2 will require some imagination and bushwacking. The best time to check out the trail is probably in early spring when the water is up, but before the growth in the woods becomes too challenging to navigate.

Getting there

To get to the trail head, from the intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 7 near Dear, go north on Highway 7 1.3 miles and turn RIGHT on NC 6840 (This is also FR 1224/CR 59 if using guidebooks or maps. But the new sign reads NC 6840). The road sort of looks like the driveway to a 1 story brick house, but take the road past the house and it eventually begins to look more like a road than a driveway. 

Take NC 6840 for 2.8 miles.  The road is actually not as bad as it seems like it would be when you start, but it is fairly narrow and very steep. If conditions are wet, you may want to have a 4WD to be sure you can navigate out.  At about 2.8 miles, l you are nearly at the bottom of the hill and you will see a parking area and a gate on your right of what used to be an old home site. Park here. 

The trail begins on the other side of the gate by following the old driveway. The homesite is on your right.

The Trail

The driveway is very easy to follow and makes for some good hiking. Eventually, the path passes an old barn that has fallen down and then crosses the Right Fork of Big Creek. You'll most likely have to wade the creek (it was about calf deep when we were there. The stones on the bottom were smooth so we were able to take off our boots and wade barefoot, but you may want to bring a pair of watershoes with you for the crossing).

Once on the other side of the creek, you'll follow the big pasture to the left and then turn right up the hill. At the top of the hill at the back of the pasture there will be a couple of trees that are taped that tell you where the trail begins in the woods.

This pasture is beautiful -- with Left Fork of Big Creek to your left, and several several big mountains all around. It would have been a peaceful place to call home.

Once you enter the woods, the trail becomes a little tricky. There are trees marked with tape throughout, and sometimes the trail is easy to follow and sometimes you'll just find your way into some sticker bushes wondering where the trail went.  Follow along as best you can in the woods along Big Creek knowing that you can't get lost if you just follow the creek.  We were there April 12 -- and there were white, yellow and purple wildflowers everywhere.

It's also worth noting that all along Big Creek, there are a ton of amazing water features, beautiful blue pools. Big Creek (like Richland Creek) that really reminds me of the big mountainous streams in many of our Rocky Mountain national parks. 

One of the features here is an 8 foot tall waterfall that I think was pretty amazing in its own right -- and completely understated in the guidebook.

At about 1.3, there is a creek that joins in from the right. Follow this creek up the hill to the bluff line. 

Here, you will see a very nice cascade coming right out of the cave in the bluff. This is a very cool place to hang out and watch the water cascading over moss-covered rocks. 

Then, cross the creek inside the cave, and follow the bluff line around to your left. After a few hundred yards you'll get to the highlight of the hike -  Big Creek Cave Falls.  This is a 29 foot tall waterfall that is pretty powerful and flows right out of a cave. It immediately became one of our favorite places in the Ozarks.

When you are done, it's time to head back the way you came.

I really do hope they make an official trail here someday. This is an amazing hike and one I highly recommend.

Edit: Be sure to check out Wolf Creek Falls while you are in the area. It is another waterfall that comes out of a cave just .25 miles away. Directions are here. 

Distance: 2.9 miles

Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult

Footwear: Hiking shoes, and maybe some water shoes for water crossings. 

Kids: Older will probably be fine

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Star Rating: 5 of 5

Fern Falls -- Hike

Fern Falls is a quick hike just off of Highway 7 South of Jasper. There is not an official trail here, but the trail generally follows some old road traces to it tends to be fairly easy to follow.  The hike is a little bit of a mess after a lot of trees and branches fell during the 2009 ice storm, but we found our way without problem and got to view a nice waterfall as our reward. (Updated): In our more recent visit in 2020 there has been a lot of work done to the trail and it is actually in very nice condition.

Fern Falls - 2014

 

Getting there

The trail head begins 11.4 miles south of the Jasper square on Highway 7. At 11.4 miles, there will be "Historic Highway 7" sign on the west side of the highway. There is no official parking area, but if you can pull off the side of the highway here and make a pace to park, that's the spot. The trail begins just behind the sign.

Scenic Highway 7 -- park near here

The Trail

The trail starts off along an old road and heads down the hill a bit. It's a fairly well-defined road, so easy enough to follow. 

At approximately .25 miles, the trail leaves this road trace to follow another -- turning sharply to your right (there is pink tape tied to trees and a rock cairn here to note the spot). Turn onto this old road trace (definitely less defined than the one that continues straight, and continue down the hill. 

Eventually you hit the old road trace again and continue down the hill. When you get to the bottom of the hill (roughly .5), you'll see a small stream in front of you, turn right here and follow the road trace along the side of the creek. After about another .25 of level and nice hiking along the creek, you'll get to the top of the waterfall. 

To make your way to the bottom of the falls, cross the creek upstream from the falls and follow the ridge around until there is a gap in the rock line and head down to the falls. To get the best photos, follow the ridge around behind the falls to the other size for a great view of the falls, and the water hole down below. 

Fern Falls - 2014

Fern Falls (named for the Ferns that grow up around it in late April and May) is a 42 foot waterfall with two streams that fall and hit a rock bed below to spread into a nice secondary falls. 

Fern Falls - May, 2020

When you are done exploring, you can head back the way you came -- this time back UP the hill you came down.

Updated 2020:

There is another waterfall near Fern Falls that was relatively recently documented. To get to Scaresdale Falls, go to the top of Fern Falls and take a small volunteer trail to the RIGHT (when facing downstream). This trail follows along the top of the bluff line for a bit and then curves to the right (away from the creek). After a few hundred yards a new drainage comes into view. Scarsdale Falls is a short waterfall and cascade in this secondary drainage. 

Scarsdale Falls - taken May of 2020

 

Trail Details

Total Distance: 1.5 miles

Difficulty: Moderate 

Footwear: Hiking Boots preferred

Children: Older children would be ok

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls. Danny Lee Hale's TakaHike (East & Central) has Scarsdale Falls

Star Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Nearby: Lonesome Hollow Falls, Hudson Shelter Falls, Round Top Mountain Trail 

Buzzard Roost Scenic Area

I don't really know how to describe Buzzard Bluff -- other than, it's just a cool place to explore. We hadn't heard a lot about this place, but had seen mention of it, so we decided to head out and take a look for ourselves. The trail is unmaked, but with some good directions, you should have no problem finding it.

Getting there

To get to the trailhead, take highway 7 to the small community of Pelsor (about 1/2 way between Jasper and Dover) and turn WEST onto highway 123. Take highway 123 4.7 miles and turn LEFT onto FR1802/1805, CR 14/61, Treat Road. (Yes, this road has 5 different road names depending on what map you're using -- it's a prominent gravel road on your left and had a white sign noting it as Treat Road). 

Once on Treat Road, go 6.5 miles down the dirt road (set your odometer, it will seem like forever) and you will come across a white house on your right, and a barn on your left. Find a place to park along the road here. The road is fairly well maintained at this point and can be handled by any type of vehicle. The trail takes off right next to the barn. Try to not block any of the driveways. 

The Trail

The trail takes off just North of the old barn and heads into the woods away from Treat Road. It's not marked, but it's pretty obvious. The trail follows a 4-wheeler road the entire way -- so it is relatively wide and easy to follow (although big mud holes on the trail are a bit troublesome).

The path is pretty flat for awhile, and then turns left and runs along a ridge. There are great views of the valley below on your right when the leaves are off the trees. The trail then turns back righ, and starts to decend a little. And passes a small pond on your left. Keep going. Past the pond, the trail gets steeper down.

At 1.8 miles, there is another four-wheeler road that joins from the left. Ignore it. Shortly after, is another four wheeler road on the left. Make note of this one, because we'll come back to it later. For now, stay on the main trail (which is to the right).

After about another .2 miles, you'll get to a big, roundabout that seems to be a popular camping site and turnaround for four-wheelers. From here, you'll go down the hill on a small trail that is marked with orange paint on the trees. After a hundred yards or so, you'll get to Buzzard's Bluff.

The area is pretty cool -- with a lot of round-topped rocks that look out over a huge valley. We didn't see any actual buzzards, but it sure seems like it would be a fitting place for them.

You'll probably spend a fair amount of time jumping from rock to rock getting some different views and exploring. Just BE CAREFUL. Some of the drops between the rocks are a LONG way down. Explore for awhile.

Once done exploring the rounded rocks, there are other cool things to see here. To your left (as you look out at the bluff) is a small natural bridge that you can scurry down to check out.

To the right of the bluff is a little trail down to the area below Buzzard Roost. Below the Roost is a maze of caves, tunnels and narrow passageways to explore. It appears to be a popular area for camping as well.

There are a lot of neat routes to explore.

Just take your time and explore.

Here, a huge chunk of rock has fallen off the side.

 And some of the openings are quite narrow.

The Large Natural Bridge

After you're done exploring Buzzard Roose, there is one more place in the area to visit. Head back up to the top of the Roost, and start to head back to the trail head. After about .2, you'll note the ATV trail that comes in from the right. Turn right here at the first ATV trail.

After another about .2, the trail will split. Take the trail to the RIGHT. When the trail starts to turn back left (to join the other trail), there will be a small spur of a walking trail to the right that goes straight down the hill. Take it. After about a hundred yards, you'll come to the larger of two natural bridges in the area.

This apparently one of the larger natural bridges in the area. It's a great spot, with a great view of the valley below.

When you are finished here, it's time to head back to the trailhead.

Trail Notes:

Distance: 4 miles (round trip) + some mileage for exploring

Difficulty: Moderate

Children: Yes, but keep a close hand on them when on the bluff areas

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Nature Lover's Guide

Footwear: Rocky conditions make hiking boots preferrable

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

The Glory Hole

The Glory Hole  is one of the most unique waterfalls in the Ozarks -- and when the water is really flowing, the hike to it adds to the spectacular appeal of this short trail.

The trail is in the Ozark National Forest -- and the trail head is off of Highway 16 about 5 .7 miles East of Fallsville. 

The trail starts off down an old road for a stretch, and then drops off to the right down a pretty good slope. Eventually, you cross the stream that leads to the falls -- if the stream is really moving here, you're in for a real treat at the falls.

The main trail stays up high from the creek, but there is a place where you can venture down and follow along the main creek to the falls itself. This is a bit rougher, but there are some simply gordeous smaller waterfalls and cascades along this stretch that would be worth the hike if they were the highlight themselves (the first 3 pictures are of these areas.

After about a mile you get to the top of the Glory Hole.  Be VERY careful here. You can get pretty close to the hole itself, but the rocks around the area are really slick and falling through the whole would be a bad idea. (The 4th picture on this page is of the top of the waterfall).

After taking a few pictures here, you can loop around and venture down to the bottom of the falls.

When the water is high there is a pretty nice little waterfall here  in its own right (picture #5 on this page -- that's my wife Michelle squatting down next to the top of that falls).

As you loop back around, you get to the base of the Glory Hole and can see the water simply pouring out of the hole -- and it really is one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the area with a fall of about 30 feet -- the last three pictures on this page are of the Glory Hole from the bottom of the falls.

Plan to spend a little time in the area -- we usually like to pack a picnic lunch and hang out here for a bit before heading back up the hill to the car. The hike out is a lot tougher (and more uphill) than the hike down, but it's not too bad and it is certainly worth the 2 mile roundtrip to see this amazing and unique waterfall area.

The day these pictures was taken was after a solid day of rain in May -- so we had very high water for these pictures. I'd strongly recommend checking out this falls area during the rainy season (winter and Spring) for the best water flow.

Distance: 2 miles

Footwear: I recommend some trail shoes, although tennis shoes would be fine

Difficulty: Easy/moderate

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Children: I think this is pretty child-proof, but the uphill hike on the way out, plus the scramble back up to the top of the falls may be a little tough for the really young ones.

Trail Book: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Here's someone else's view of the trail