Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Smith Creek Preserve Hiking Trails - Lower Trail Loop

Smith Creek Nature Preserve is a beautiful hiking area managed by the Nature Conservancy. The preserve sits atop Sherfield Cave -- which houses the largest colony of endangered Indiana Bats in the state. But above ground, there is beautiful scenery.

Smith Creek

This is an area that we've hiked many times and just keep coming back to due to the peaceful charm and beauty. I've previously covered the Main Trail through the preserve (that post also includes a longer overview of the area) and the hike to Elise Falls, but today I want to talk about a loop hike that has become my preferred route exploring the area. 

Getting there

The parking area for the Smith Creek Nature Preserve is on Highway 21 south of the community of Boxley -- it's 3 miles south of the Boxley Baptist Church and 1.2 miles south of the Boxley Trailhead to the Buffalo River Trail. Parking is on the east side of the road and there is a large sign indicating the spot. The trail starts off beyond the gate at the back of the parking area. There is trail signage here with a map of the area and usually paper maps as well. 

The Hike

Start off by hiking the main trail beyond the gate. The trail follows an old road and heads somewhat steeply down the hill. 

At .2, the trail splits. The Main Trail curves off to the right, but for this loop hike, we will take the trail that breaks off to the LEFT toward Elise Falls (there is a sign here noting the direction). 

Elise Falls Trail - March, 2019

The trail to Elise Falls continues steeply down a different old road. This is a nicely wooded area and it's a steep but nice stroll. The trail then turns to the left (there are a few places where the trail has washed out pretty badly) and remain heading down the hill. 

Eventually, at .8, the trail reaches Smith Creek. The creek is almost always dry here as it runs underground in this spot. There are nice little bluff areas both up and down stream at this crossing.

Bluff along Smith Creek, March 2019

From here, we'll take a short detour to Elise Falls. 

To get to Elise Falls, head downstream (to your left) and follow the creek bed a couple of hundred yards past a bluff and there will be a small creek on the left that flows into Smith Creek from the left. Follow this creek upstream another 100 yards or so and you'll reach Elise Falls (sometimes calls QueVaLa Elise Falls). This is a nice, 21 foot tall waterfall in a slot canyon and worth the visit during the wet season).

Elise Falls - March, 2019

When done here, return to when the trail first crossed Smith Creek.  From here, cross Smith Creek and continue on downstream a bit.

Shale Flat

At 1.1, the trail then turns right and proceeds STEEPLY up the hillside. It's a bit of a climb but doesn't last too long. Eventually the trail passes through a shale flat and at 1.5 miles the there is a fork in the trail that is very well marked. To the left is the upper trail, and to the right is the lower trail. I usually take the Lower Trail here and turn RIGHT (although both eventually end up in the same place). 

Fork in the trail, March, 2019

The Lower Trail stays out on level for awhile and then starts dropping down the hill at 1.75 in and area called "BAD" on the map. This area was hit pretty badly by an ice storm several years ago so there are a lot of downed trees in the area. The trail workers have done a nice job of reworking the trail to make it passable.

At 2.1 the trail turns right into a valley and then at 2.2 turns left and crosses a small creek. Smith Creek is now visible down on your right. 

Smith Creek, December 2020

The trail then goes through a ravine and then up the hill. At 2.4 there are a couple of large boulders on the right. Just down the hill from this spot is a canyon area that is incredibly scenic. I definitely recommend going down and checking this area out. It will be dry during dry season, but will have water during the wetter months.

Canyon area along Smith Creek, December 2020

Back on the lower trail, at 2.5 there is a trail intersection -- this is the upper trail connecting back with the lower trail. Stay right. 

Canyon area along Smith Creek, December 2020

The trail crosses a small creek bed (during wet season there is a small waterfall just upstream here) and then at 2.7 the trail reaches Smith Creek. It is beautiful both up and down stream from this spot. 

Smith Creek, December 2020

You'll have to find a way across Smith Creek here. During wet season, this will be a wet crossing but will be dry during dry months. 

On the other side of the creek, you will hit the Main Trail -- essentially at the picnic area and small footbridge. From here, you can either turn right -- and go one mile up the hill back to your car. Or, I highly recommend turning left and exploring Smith Creek along the main trail and the wonderful emerald pools, rock jumbles and cascades it has to offer. You can find more details on the Main Trail here.

A rocky Smith Creek, December, 2020

This is about a 4 mile loop - counting going to Elise Falls but not including exploring further up the Main Trail. If you explore all the way up the Main Trail, you can add about 2.5 miles to the total distance.

Trail Details

Distance - 4 - 6.5 miles in mostly a loop

Footwear - hiking boots recommended

Difficulty - Moderate+. There are a couple of climbs of 250 feet or more and potentially a wet water crossing. 

Kid Friendly - Yes, as long as they can handle the distance and the climbing

Trail Guide - Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails Volume 5 (not in early volumes)

Rating - 4 stars out of 5

Most of the pictures on this post are from hikes in March, 2019 or December 2020.

Other Trails Nearby:

Buffalo River Trail - Boxley to Ponca

Hedges Historical Hike

Paradise Falls

The Glory Hole

 

Smith Creek Preserve Hiking Trails - Main Trail

The Smith Creek Nature Preserve is an amazing little spot I keep coming back to again and again. It is a beautiful little area, with several good trails that can be looped together. However, it often seems to get overlooked a bit as it's adjacent to the Buffalo National River and Upper Buffalo Wilderness Areas. And even when people visit, it is often to visit Elise Falls and then they leave, missing the amazing areas in the rest of the preserve. 

Boulder jumbles and emerald pools are a hallmark of the Main Trail in Smith Creek

The Smith Creek Preserve is an area managed by the Nature Conservancy and its volunteers. The Nature Conservancy is a great organization that is dedicated to protecting important habitats that feed important water sources and threatened species. The Smith Creek Preserves is an example of that purpose. The Preserve covers 1,316 acres - -with Smith Creek essentially running down the center. While what you and I see is above ground, below ground is Sherfield Cave -- which houses the largest colony of the endangered Indiana Bat in Arkansas. While the cave is below ground and not accessible by the public, the above ground is accessible for day use hiking/picnics. 

Earlier this spring, Michelle and I were hiking in an area nearby and got the pleasure of seeing one of the bats who had recently woken up from hibernation out feeding along the Buffalo River and it was an incredible experience.

The signboard at the trail head has a map of the area

Getting There

The Smith Creek Preserve parking are sits right off Highway 21 south of Boxley (which is about 5 miles west of Ponca). The parking area is 3 miles south on Highway 21 from the Boxley Baptist Church, or 1.2 miles up the hill from the Boxley Trailhead to the Buffalo River Trail. The parking area in on the east side of the road and is well marked. 

All of the trails are accessible beyond the gate at the back end of the parking area. There is a sign here that contains a map of the trail (I always take a picture of it) and often paper trail maps as well.  Today we're going to talk about the Main Trail through the area, and later I'll talk about my favorite way to loop the hikes in the Preserve.

The Main Trail

The Main Trail is really an old road that runs through the middle of the preserve. It is closed off to cars now but makes for a very nice, wide trail for hiking. The trail starts off steeply downhill. Then. at about .2, there is a trail that splits off to the left. That is the trail to Elise Falls (or sometimes called QuiVaLa Elise Falls) -- and is well marked. Stay straight as the main trail veers a bit to the right.  The trail levels out a bit, then goes down more, and does this a few times until at 1 mile (and about 250 feet of decline) you reach a small footbridge over a small drainage that comes in from the right. Just past the bridge is a seldom use picnic table.

The Main Trail at Smith Creek is well maintained and easy to follow

Smith Creek is the creek on your left -- will have water here during most of the wet season. This is when the trail starts getting really good. 

The trail stays on the level and follows along Smith Creek. It passes a couple of larger sinkholes. During the wet season, the creek is really beautiful and peaceful here and there are amazing wildflowers here in Spring.

Smith Creek

The trail crosses over another small stream coming in from the right. There is no bridge here but generally you can cross without getting your feet wet (although the rocks are SLICK here, so be careful). 

Past the crossing the trail starts going up the hill a bit and this is where things will get a bit weird (and REALLY beautiful). 

Small bluff along Smith Creek

The Main Trail continues on the old road bed and gradually makes its way up the hill to a large spring at 2.5 -- where you can turn around and head back. However, there are many marked off-shoot trails that make for easy passage down to to Smith Creek and the wonders down there. 

Smith Creek itself is a little paradise: small waterfalls, cascades, huge rock jumbles with emerald pools, just new beauty with every step.

Twin Falls along Smith Creek

My best advice here is to take one of the marked trails down to the creek. Follow the trails along the creek until huge boulders/rock jumbles block your path. Then, make your way back to the Main Trail (it never gets more than a 100 yards or so away) until you have a clear path down to the creek and then repeat this process as you make your way back up the hill. 

Beautiful emerald pools and huge boulder jumbles are a hallmark of the trail

Take your time. Explore. Enjoy the beautiful emerald pools. Take a nap on a large boulder in a boulder jumble. I've visited this place probably half dozen times over the past 2 years and always see something new or differently depending on the seasons and where the exploring takes us. 

Large boulders and small cascades everywhere

When you get to the big spring (or really, whenever you feel like stopping), you can turn around and head back the way you came. 

Note, the spring and the gate sit at approximately the same elevation -- with the footbridge below being about 250 feet below them. So there will be a bit of climbing on the way back to your car -- especially that last .2 miles from the intersection to Elise Falls. 

One of many emerald pools

This is an amazing area with a ton of natural beauty -- that not only preserves the area above the ground for you and I to explore, but also serves an important purpose of protecting the native bat species. Please enjoy and protect it.

Smith Creek in November, 2021. It's beautiful in every season

Trail Notes

Distance: Approximately 4.5 miles round trip (depends on the amount of exploring you do)

Footwear: Trail shoes or hiking boots - you'll want sturdy footwear with good traction on the rocks by the creek.

Difficulty: Moderate - mostly due to the climb out

Kid Friendly: Yes

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails Volume 5 (it's not in earlier versions)

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Most of the pictures from this hike were taken in April of 2021 unless otherwise noted.

Waterfall between two huge boulders

QuiVaLa Elise Falls - Smith Falls Nature Preserve

This waterfall is tucked away in the Smith Creek Nature Preserve just south of Boxley.

The Preserve is a 1,226 acre preserve that contains Smith Creek (which flows into the Buffalo near Boxley), and sits atop Sherfield Cave, which contains the largest colony of Indiana bats in the state. Last week was my first ever visit to this area, and I was pleasantly surprised. The parking area and trailhead are tucked away just off of highway 21, and in previous drive-bys didn't look terribly well developed or maintained. But once you get to the parking area, there are several well-developed trails -- more than we were expecting -  so we're already planning our next trip back to the area.

QuiVaLa Elise Falls is one of the highlights of the area for photographers and nature lovers (the cave, which is not accessible, is the reason for the preserve). The falls name is literally translated from French-Indian and translates to mean "Who goes there Elise?" Elise is Elise Roenigk, who, along were husband, owned the land and made it available to the Nature Conservency in 2005.

To get to the falls, start at the trailhead at the main gate. There are generally maps in a box at the main gate to help guide you. Start directly down the road past the gate. As you get to the bottom of the first hill at about .2 miles the main road will veer right, while a smaller trail will take off directly to your left. Turn LEFT here (there was a sign here last week that pointed you to "Elise Falls").

You will follow this trail (which also follows an old, less-traveled road) the rest of the way down the hill. It will be steep at times, but was well maintained and easy to follow. We also hiked in Spring and there were a lot of purple, white, yellow and red wildflowers all along the trail.

At .7, the road will run into Smith Creek. Smith Creek is usually dry here (I believe it runs mostly underground at this point) and you will want to walk out into the creek bed. There are more trails that pick up on the other side of the creek that we'll hike some other day.

However, to get to the falls, you'll follow the creek bed to the left (downstream) for a a couple hundred yards past a small bluff. Just past the bluff, you'll see a small creek come in from your left that spills into Smith Creek. Follow this creek upstream 100 yards and you'll get to the falls.

The falls is 21 feet high and tumbles through a slot in the rocks in the bluff line. It's a pretty neat little falls. When you're done here, it's time to turn around and head back OUT of the creek area. You'll follow the same track you came in on, but you'll have 500 feet of elevation gain getting back out, which makes the hike out much tougher than the hike in.

Getting to the trailhead:

The Trailhead is just off Highway 21 just south of the Boxley Valley. Look for a two track road with a red gate on the left (east) side of the road. The gate sits about 100 feet back from the road. The entrance is exactly 3 miles form the Boxley Baptist Church This is 3.2 miles North of the Mossville Church. There is a sign there highlighting the Smith Creek Nature Preserve. Drive down this dirt road to the the parking area by the gate (there is room here for 6 cars or so). The trail begins on the other side of the gate.

Distance: 1.7 miles round trip

Footwear: Trail shoes or hiking books

Difficulty: Moderate

Kid Friendly: It's safe to travel on, so if they can make the 500 foot climb back out, then it's a good trail for them.

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Waterfall Book. Or, pick up a map at the trailhead.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.