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
