Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Springtime at Sweden Creek Falls, Sweden Creek Natural Area

I made my first trip to Sweden Creek Falls a couple of years ago. I made the trip during a winter hiking trip -- which is usually a great time for catching waterfalls.

However, like most places in Arkansas, Sweden Creek Falls take on a completely different feel as the seasons change -- and springtime is a magnificent time to catch this falls. We've now made a couple of different trips in the springtime and we have been amazed by the abundance and variety of wildflowers along the trail.  Also, when we were there over Memorial Day weekend, after a lot of rain the week prior, the water was roaring off of this 81 foot tall falls.

Directions to the trail head and trail notes are here. 

The trail remains well maintained and easy to follow, even during the late spring -- so it makes for a great and rewarding hike.

One note of caution, please be cautious and courteous to snakes in the area. We have seen several snakes along the trail, most of which are completely harmless. We saw this green snake in the spring of 2015 on the trail, as well as rat snakes both spring trips we've taken.  One group we met did see a rattlesnake among the rocky areas on the lower trail. As always, be alert and be safe. And don't harm the snakes if you can avoid it. 

The waterfalls along the side drainage were also running well -- creating a nice double falls. 

The upper trail was loaded with different varieties and colors of wildflowers for both our April 2015 hike and our May 2016 hike. It was a nice treat, and very different from our winter trip.

And the areas along the trail were lush and green.

But the highlight of the trail continues to be the 81 foot tall Sweden Creek Falls. On this day there was a really nice flow and is was extremely impressive. 

And, of course, don't forget to take in the really cool area at the top of the falls -- that has an amazing assortment of rocks carved out by the stone.

The Sweden Creek Natural Area, and Sweden Creek Falls remains one of our favorite places. It's a relatively easy hike to one of the taller and more impressive waterfalls in the Buffalo River Area. And the Spring wildflowers definitely add a lot to the display.

Astute observers might note that not all of these pictures were taken on the same hiking trip. The snake, and a couple of the wildflower pics are from a hike we took in April of 2015. The rest, including the waterfall pics, were taken on May 27 of 2016. I've combined them here just to show how amazing the area is and the abundance of wildflower activity in the area.

This is truly a remarkable area. Trail and hiking notes are here.

Sweden Creek Falls - Sweden Creek Natural Area

The Sweden Creek Natural Area is a relatively small natural area that is protected by the Natural Heritage Commission.

While small in geographic size, there are a couple of great trails here, several small waterfalls, many great bluffs, and a large, 81 foot tall waterfall that serves as the focal point for this Natural Area. In spite of its amazing scenery, accessibility and  great location near Ponca and the Boxley Valley, I don't hear a lot of people talk about the area and it's well worth checking out.

Getting There

To get to the Natural Area, take Highway 21 North out of Boxley (or South out of Kingston). If heading North from Boxley, travel 3.9 miles North and LEFT onto a gravel road (this is 5.2 miles south of Kingston). The highway sign marks the road as the route to Red Star. The map marks the road as Highway 9, and the road sign marks the road as Madison County 3260 -- but if you look for the sign pointing to Red Star you should find it easily enough.

Travel 3.1 miles on the well maintained gravel road and look for the Sweden Creek Sign on your right. There is a small parking area by the sign. 

The Trail

The trail starts off behind the gate that is just behind the Natural Area sign (this is different than most of trail guides have listed). The trail is very nicely maintained and follows an old road trace for about .4 miles.

At .4, you will arrive at an old home site with a full-sized home and separate garage. 

At the home sight, the trail veers downhill and to the left. After a few hundred yards, the trail reaches a series of smaller waterfalls and splits. 

There are two trails here -- both marked with dark blue blazes. One trail heads off to the left and runs along the top of the bluff line. The other goes through a break in the bluff line and then follows along the bottom of the bluff line. Both head to Sweden Creek Falls. 

I took the lower route first.

The lower route goes through an opening in the bluff line and immediately turns LEFT along the lower edge of the bluff. To the right is a series of 3 smaller waterfalls ranging in height from about 30 feet to about 15 feet (the middle falls is featured above, the lower is featured below).

The lower trail run beside, and sometimes under, the large bluff to your left. It is blazed, so easy enough to follow, but is often rocky with some unsure footing at times. 

I hiked this trail in late December and there was a signficant amount of ice buildup from water that was falling from the bluff, and wet leaves probably aided in my footing challenges. Just take your time and watch your step!

At about .9 miles (.5 of hiking along the bluff), you'll come to Sweden Creek Falls. 

Sweden Creek Falls is an 81 foot tall seasonal waterfall that flows into a deep canyon surrounded by bluffs on three sides. While it will eventually dry out during the dry season, it will run for most of the wet season.

Enjoy the time in this wonderful natural area and enjoy the falls.  When you are finished, hike back the way you came and back toward the homesite and then turn RIGHT onto the upper trail.

The upper trail is a wonderfully maintained trail and much easier hiking than the lower trail. 

As  you hike, you'll get great views of the Sweden Creek Valley down below.

After about .4 miles of hiking on the upper trail, you'll be greeted with a view of Sweden Creek Falls from above.

Unlike a lot of waterfalls, the view of the falls from the top is actually great and well worth the trip. A note of caution here, the bluff is VERY steep down, so be very careful if you get close to the edges because a fall here would certainly be deadly.

As you venture around to the very top of the falls, you will get a look at Sweden Creek upstream from the falls and see the very neat stone area at the top, including a V-slot, that the water has formed over the centuries. 

After you are done exploring, you can head back along the bluff line to the old home site and then back up the old road to the parking area. 

Details Sweden Creek Falls

Date Hiked: December 29, 2014

Distance: 1.8 miles round trip to the Falls. Add approximately another 1 mile if you take both the upper and lower trails.

Difficulty: Moderate

Footwear: Hiking boots due to the footing on the lower trail. I always recommend hiking books for winter hiking as well.

Kids: This trail is not particularly kid-friendly due to footing on the lower trail and the danger of being along the high bluffs

Rating: 4 stars  out of 5

Guidebook: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls, or Tim Ernst's Arkansas Nature Lovers Guide