Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Leaning Log Falls & Adkins Canyon Falls Hike/Bushwhack

The Upper Buffalo Wilderness is one of the most remote areas of Arkansas -- but there is incredible beauty to be found for folks that are willing to explore this natural region. 

Middle & Upper Adkins Canyon Falls

One of the many great areas in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness area is the around Adkins Creek -- and a couple of area waterfalls. This hike isn't for beginners, but if you are comfortable exploring and bushwhacking, there is a lot to see and explore. While most of this can be seen in a single-day hike, we explored the area over back-to-back weekends in April 2020.

This hike is best done in winter or early spring when the water is high (for the waterfalls) but before the bushwhack part becomes so overgrown it's tough to explore. There is no trail in the area, and really not even much of a trace of one for most of the hike.

Getting there

The trail begins at the Dahl Memorial Trailhead in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness. To get there, take Highway 16/21 East from Fallsville and turn LEFT onto Newton County 9100. Travel 2 miles on this gravel road (with one possible exception - depending on weather conditions, this is passable by most 2 WD vehicles) and turn right onto a small road. There is a sign that points toward the Dahl Memorial Trailhead. Travel a very short distance down this road and there is a large campsite here that circles around a huge tree. Park here.

The Dahl Trailhead is named after Jerry Dahl -- the Ozark-St Francis National Forest Supervisor from 1956-1962. Thank you Jerry for your service.

The Hike

The trail leaves the campsite/parking are to the east (right) side of the open area. It starts off down an old jeep road and is a really pleasant hike. 

Upland Swamp

It dips down a bit -- and passes an upland swamp. There aren't many upland swamps in Northwest Arkansas, but this is one of them, and a fine one at that. There is an intersection of sorts right before the swamp -- stay STRAIGHT here so that you pass the swamp with the swamp on your left. 

The jeep road makes for a nice hiking trail. Just don't get too used to it.

The road goes back up the hill and at .8 hits a "T" intersection. Turn LEFT. The trail heads down the hill a bit into a nice little pine forest. This is as pleasant as hiking gets, but don't get too used to it. At 1.1, the trail ends up at a small open field that was probably formerly a food plot. The road continues into the woods on the far end of the small field. There are several really nice red bud trees in this area during spring.

One of many cascades along the first creek

From here, there are a couple of options. For navigational purposes, I find the easiest (and most scenic) route is to head down the road another 100 yards or so and then turn RIGHT off into the woods. At this point, head straight down the hill a few hundred yards until you reach a small creek. This is the start of what becomes some pretty serious bushwhacking and the forest is pretty thick with under-growth. It's steep and tough going from here on out.

More cascades

Once you reach the creek, turn LEFT, and follow the creek downstream to the first waterfall. It is probably faster to hike along the top of the ridge and just make your way down stream going downhill at an angle, but the creek has some nice little cascades and I think following near the creek makes this safer to navigate (no getting lost!) and more scenic and enjoyable. 

Cascade just upstream from Falling Log Falls

Follow the creek and its many cascades downstream -- staying on the left side most of the way down. As you get near the waterfall, there is a place where you're generally forced to hike up the hillside on the left and there is a large rock cairn here. Drop steeply back down the hill and there is a small trail of sorts here that crosses the creek across the top of Leaning Log Falls and in front of a beautiful cascade. If you followed the creek down, this is approximately 2 miles from your starting point (it's closer to 1.7 if you go the most direct, but less scenic route). 

There is a safe way to get to the bottom of the falls on the right (facing downstream) side of the falls. 

Leaning Log Falls

This is called Leaning Log Falls, even though the log has long-since washed away. 

Adkins Creek

From Leaning Log Falls, to get down to Adkins Creek, and Adkins Canyon Falls, find your way down to Adkins Creek. This is the large creek (almost looks like a small river) that is visible downstream from Leaning Log Falls. There is a safe-ish place to climb down near the spot that you used to get to the bottom of Leaning Log Falls. As with all situations in the wilderness, be careful. 

Grotto

One you get to Adkins Creek, be sure to check out the grotto below Leaning Log Falls. It's a beautiful spot. 

Small waterfall along Adkins Creek

Once on Adkins Creek, you'll need to cross to the other side. This will likely be a WET water crossing. Be careful, and with all water crossings in the Ozarks, if you can't see the bottom it is not safe to cross. But both days we went the water was only about mid-calf deep. Deep enough to get your feet wet, but not deep enough to be unsafe. 

Cascade along Adkins Creek

Once you cross Adkins Creek, you'll follow the creek downstream for about .3 miles. There are several amazing cascades and smaller waterfalls along this creek. Enjoy. There isn't a particular route I can recommend other than to stay near creek level, pick your way the best you can, and you might end up getting your feet wet. Getting high up on the hill to the right will keep your feet dry but is steep and slick, and not all that much fun in my opinion.

Neat waterfall area - I want to call this falls 12-Finger Falls...

There is a really neat waterfall through this area that has 12 different small pour-offs and deeply carved water paths that is worthy of checking out. 

My hiking companion along the waterfall area

At .3 (past Leaning Log Falls) the creek passes a really nice waterfall and then there is a creek that comes into Adkins Creek from the Right. There is a small waterfall right here that is also very scenic. And a quick look at this falls and you can see all the way up the canyon and see Upper and Lower Adkins Canyon Falls from here! Definite a scenic spot with waterfalls everywhere! 

Waterfall along Adkins Creek

The main creek also makes for some really nice scenery down stream from this spot as well that worth a look. 

Adkins Canyon Falls

Lower Adkins Canyon Falls

Once you get to the small creek and waterfall on the right, follow this creek upstream for a couple of hundred yards. There is another smaller waterfall about 100 yards upstream in a really nice, deep canyon. This is lower Adkins Canyon Falls. You can see the larger falls behind it. This canyon is beautiful in its own right and not to be overlooked. This small waterfall pours into a deep blue pool. 

Middle Adkins Canyon Falls (upper Falls in the background)

Once you have explored here, make your way up the hill around to the right to get to Upper Adkins Canyon Falls. This is a 42 foot tall water fall where the water falls and then hits the ground and cascades the rest of the way down into a nice pool. There is also a huge rock overhang here. 

Upper Adkins Canyon Falls

This is a really nice area to sit and joy nature at its finest. 

Once done exploring, retrace your steps back to your car. This is nearly a 1,000 foot climb back out from Adkins Creek, with dense underbrush and no sign of a trail, so you will feel it getting out. Just remember all of the amazing scenery you've seen that made it all worth it.

A small spring pours into the creek

Trail Details

Distance: 5 miles round trip. It's about 2 miles to Leaning Log Falls, and an extra .5 to Adkins Canyon. Tim Ernst lists this a 1.7 and .3 respectively, but with some additional exploring this came in at a solid 5 miles round trip for us. 

Difficulty: Very difficult. The first 1.1 miles is a very nice hike, but the remainder is steep and rugged. 

Kid Friendly: No

Footwear: Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Star Rating: 5 of 5

Other trails nearby: Glory Hole, Magnolia Falls, Dixons Ford

 

Hedges Pour Off; Overlook

The Buffalo River area is full of places with outstanding views of our natural landscapes.

One of those areas is the Hedges Pouroff. 

Hedges Pouroff is named due to the large waterfall that pours over this ridge during wet weather, and for the Hedges family that lived in a farmstead below the falls area.

However, even during the dry season, the pouroff area supplies amazing views of the undisturbed Upper Buffalo Wilderness area and is worth the visit.

Getting There

To get to Hedges Pouroff Overlook, if coming from Ponca, turn LEFT off of Hwy 43 onto Hwy 21 and go SOUTH on Hwy 21. You'll pass by the Boxley Church & cemetery. After 1.2 miles, turn right onto Cave Mountain Road - -which is a gravel road just before you cross the Buffalo River (which is usually fairly dry in this spot except during the high-water season. There is a relatively new sign in the area pointing toward Hawksbill Crag and the Buffalo Headwaters Biking Trails.

Cave Mountain Road is the road that goes to the very popular Hawksbill Crag and is a VERY steep and rough gravel road that goes straight up Cave Mountain. It is usually able to be navigated in a 2 wheel drive vehicle, but take your time, and a little extra clearance is your friend. 

At 1.4 miles up Cave Mountain Road, there is a small parking area (large enough for 2 or 3 cars) on your left. Park here. If you go past the parking spot, the road has bent a little to the right and then VERY sharply to the left and you'll know you missed the pull out. 

The Trail

There is a small, unmarked trail behind the parking area. Follow this trail down the hill a few hundred yards until you get to the bluff line. The creek will be to your right as you head down the hill.

When you get to bluff, you can meander a bit to one of the best views in all of the Ozarks and you can see nearly the entirety of the expansive Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area along with the old cedar trees along the bluff. (Be very careful in this area as it is 100 feet straight down and if you fall, almost certain death).

Trail Details

Distance: Approximately 500 yards round trip

Difficulty: Easy

Kid-Friendly: Due to the high, unprotected bluff, I don't recommend taking young children

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls Guidebook

Footwear: Trail shoes

Rating: 5 of 5

Other nearby places to visit: Hawksbill Crag, Boxley Valley, Buffalo Headwaters Biking Trails, Neil Compton's Double Falls

 

 

Paradise Falls - Upper Buffalo Wilderness

Paradise Falls has been on my radar for several years. I'm a fan of the big, cascading waterfalls and deep blue pools and from the pictures I've seen, it sure seemed like a falls I was going to like.

In fact, we made an attempt to hike down to Paradise Falls a couple of years ago, but because there is no official trail here, the route became confusing and we ended up turning back. 

So, this will be my attempt to help others find Paradise Falls. Because those that do find the falls will be greeted not just by Paradise Falls -- but by several smaller waterfalls, a cascading creek bed, and overall top-notch scenery. 

Getting there

The trail head is relatively easy to find. It is just off of Highway 21 South of Boxley. There is a very large parking are .8 miles south of the little community of Mossville (3.4 North or Edwards Junction). Pull into the U-shaped parking area. The trail takes off on the West side of the parking area and follows an old road trace that is easy to spot.

The Hike

The trail starts off down an old roadway that is fairly well maintained and wide and makes for some really nice hiking. The trail dips down the hill a ways. There is another road trace that goes off to the right but stay STRAIGHT on the main road. 

After maybe .25 miles (very rough estimate), the road comes to the bottom of the hill and turns pretty sharply left. Walk a short distance left and then leave the main road and turn RIGHT and head straight down the hill into the woods. Why would you leave the comfort of a nice walking trail and head into the thick woods without a trail?  You're just going to have to trust this.

Leave the road, and find you way straight down the hill the best way you can. There is really nothing resembling a trail, and it's pretty woolly in places with sticker bushes -- and I wouldn't recommend this one in May-September.  

After a relatively steep climb and at roughly .4 miles, you'll reach the bottom of the hill and there is a creek at the bottom of the hill. From here, there is a reasonably worn "trail" that follows the creek in both directions. 

So, to make this as easy as possible, follow the road until it turns left, then turn right and bushwhack through the woods to the bottom of the hill, then follow the creek to the left to get to Paradise Falls. If you try to make it any harder than this you are likely to get lost.

Once you arrive at the creek, there is much to see. Depending on where you actually arrive at the creek, there is a small, unnamed waterfall #1 that is in this general area. We arrived slightly downstream from unnamed waterfall #1 and went upstream to check in out (the second photo in this blog post).

The "trail" continues then downstream the rest of the way -- and is honestly, more pleasant hiking than I expected given the ruggedness of the area. After a short distance, there was another waterfall, Unnamed Waterfall #2 on the main creek.

This falls was a really nice cascading waterfall with a lot going on. I'd say that even if this was the destination waterfall I wouldn't have been disappointed. It's a great little place that like every waterfall in this area flows into a deep, beautiful blue pool. 

After some further hiking downstream, there are just more great views, cascades, and blue pools.

At 1 mile of hiking there is another drainage that comes in from the left. A few hundred yards up that drainage is a host of mossy rocks and Unnamed Waterfall #3.

The nice waterfall up this drainage is roughly 8 feet tall. 

There is also a nice cascade area just above this waterfall.

Back on the main creek, once the trail crosses the side drainage it starts to become much tougher hiking. It's rockier, steeper, and a lot of the rocks are more unstable that they would appear. The trail also runs a little higher up on the bank than it had before.

The trail passes another cascades area and small waterfall before arriving at the top of Paradise Falls at 1.2 miles.  There is even a signal tree above this last cascades area near the top of Paradise Falls.

Signal trees are believed to be a part of a Native American trail-marking system, and the area round Northwest Arkansas has one of the highest densities of these trees in the country.  Signal trees were also established by early settlers -- and this one is more likely to fit that criteria as it appears to be younger than a Native American signal tree.

To get to the bottom of the falls, follow the "trail" to the left (heading downstream) and there are a series of ropes that help hikers get down (and back up!).  As will all steep bluffs in the Ozarks, be VERY CAREFUL and don't go beyond your individual capacity as a fall could be fatal. 

Hikers that make it to the bottom will get to see a spectacular 32 foot tall, cascading waterfall that pours off into a beautiful blue pool. 

There is a rocky area at the bottom of the falls that is a great place to relax, enjoy a snack, and even take a quick nap in the sun while enjoying the splendor of the Ozarks.

After enjoying the area for awhile, including watching one of the resident bats come out for a light feeding, we headed back -- making sure to enjoy the cascades and pools along the way.

Trail Details

Distance: 2.4 miles round trip -- with all of the exploring, it felt like it was MUCH further than this

Difficulty: This is a difficult bushwhack with about 500 feet of elevation change, a fair amount of bushwhacking and a lot of unsteady ground to hike on.

Kid Friendly: No

Footwear: Sturdy hiking boots

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls book

Star rating: 5 of 5

Also nearby: Glory Hole Falls, QuiVaLa Elise Falls, Magnolia Falls,  Boxley Valley

Magnolia Falls, Woods Boys Falls and Stahl Falls -- Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area

Last month, the water was running really well and we took the opportunity to make another trip to the Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area to revisit a couple of waterfalls we've previously been to: Magnolia Falls, Woods Boys Falls and Stahl Falls.

You can get directions to the trail head at this post from 2013.

I'll note that while there isn't an official trail to this area, the path to get there is in extremely good shape and a lot of work has been done removing downed trees from the area. 

This area remains one of our favorite places -- and the more I get out, the more I've come to appreciate winter hiking. While the days are short, which requires slightly better planning, the sun angles are less severe, the lack of undergrowth makes for easier bushwhacking, no ticks and a surprising amount of color is provided by mossy rocks and beach trees.

We continued down the old jeep road and then doubled back to the bottom of Woods Boys Falls (you can get directions to it here). 

One of the primary reasons we made the trip was to go check out Stahl Falls. In Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls book he recommends following the ridge above Magnolia Falls to get to the top of Stahl Falls. However, we wanted to see Stahl Falls from the bottom. 

To get to the base of Stahl Falls, from Woods Boys Falls, cross the creek and follow along the base of the bluffline on the opposite side of the creek as how you arrived. The bluff will curve back around to your left and after about .25 miles you'll get to Stahl Falls. 

Stahl Falls is a 63 foot tall waterfall that begins as a cascade down the bluff and then pours off into a small pool below. There are some beautiful mossy rocks down below the falls and this area falls off sharply to the main creek drainage. 

I will warn that the entire area from Woods Boys Falls to Stahl Falls is steep and rocky so be VERY careful.  I also recommend staying up close to the bluff where it can be a little more flat (and further from the steep drop by the main creek area). 

This is a beautiful area and remains one of our favorites in the area with still much to be seen and explored.

Trail Notes

Distance: Roughly 2.5 miles round trip

Difficulty: Easy-moderate to Magnolia Falls, Moderate to Difficult to Woods Boys and Stahl Falls

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Footwear: Sturdy hiking boots recommended

 Star Rating: 5 out of 5

 Other places to visit nearby: The Glory Hole, QuiVaLa Elise Falls, the Boxley Valley. 

Neil Compton Double Falls, Owl Falls, Amber Falls - Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area

Hawksbill Crag/Whitaker Point is among the most popularly visited and photographed spots in all of Arkansas - and for good reason. However, deep in the valley below Whitaker Point lies a beautiful valley formed by Whitaker Creek, and during wet season, an abundance of waterfalls that are not visited nearly as often as the bluff above.

This area has been on my list for awhile, but awaiting the right weather conditions (times of high water and leaf-off are best) has been key -- and the area proved to be worth the wait.  There are no formal trails here, but we found everything we were looking for without much problem and without a GPS, but with the help of a guidebook. I suspect reaching these areas in the late spring or summer when the undergrowth has grown up would be a challenge.

Getting there

From the community of Ponca, take Highway 43 south through the Boxley Valley, then turn LEFT (South) onto highway 21. Just before you cross the Buffalo River bridge in Boxley, turn RIGHT onto Cave Mountain Road.  Cave Mountain Road is a VERY steep, very bumpy road -- although 4WD is not required during most weather conditions. Once you get to the top of the mountain, you'll pass Cave Mountain Church at 5.4 miles, the Hawksbill Crag trailhead at 6 milesand then go another 1.1 miles to the "Upper Buffalo Wilderness Boundary" sign. Park along the road here making sure to not block the road from passing traffic.   

The Hike

The "trail" starts off directly behind the sign and heads STRAIGHT down the hill. As noted before, there is no official trail here, so just pick your way down the hill as best you can -- if you are headed down, you are heading the right way. We hiked this on January 2nd, so there wasn't a lot of undergrowth and found it to be pleasurable enough hiking -- on the way down. The hike back up was a bit harder.

At about .3 miles, we reached a creek -- this is Whitaker Creek and it runs the length of the valley. The creek will be your "trail" the rest of the way. 

As soon as we got to the creek, we immediately saw a waterfall coming in from our left from a side drainage. We checked out unnamed waterfall #1. I was also glad to see this falls because it made for a nice marker for when we would need to go back up the hill to get to our car.

From here, Amber Falls was just a few 100 yards upstream. Amber Falls is a very nice 18 foot tall waterfall that tumbles into a nice pool below.

Amber Falls is named after Amber Ernst -- who's father Tim has spent a significant amount of his life exploring the wilderness of Northwest Arkansas and documenting it through a series of books that help most people explore and truly enjoy this area. The trail map to get to these falls is in his book "Arkansas Waterfalls". 

After enjoying some time at Amber Falls, we then turned and went back downstream past Unnamed Falls #1.  A short distance downstream from there we hit another drainage coming in from our left. Just up this drainage was another unnamed waterfall -- Unnamed Falls #2.

From here, we continued following Whitaker Creek downstream. As noted before, there is no official trail here, but we found following the creek to be pretty manageable and to be very scenic. The beach trees really were glistening off the reflections of the water on this beautiful winter day. 

After about 1 mile (from the car) we arrived at a series of cascades. These cascades are just upstream from Neil Compton Falls and are very scenic.

The second cascade even comes off at an angle forming an interesting diagonal cascade.

This point is essentially at the top of Neil Compton Falls. However, the best views are from the bottom so finding the way down will be important. From here, we went to LEFT of the creek as we went downstream. This path goes along the top of the ridge for about 300 yards or so high up on the bluff above the falls. Be VERY careful as the path here follows very close to the edge. Eventually the bluff line will start heading downward and then there was a be a break that allowed us to get to the bottom of the bluff line. Scurry down here (again, be careful, this is pretty slick) to get down around creek level.  Once you get to the bottom, you'll need to rock hop across Whitaker Creek and head back upstream 300 yards to get to the base of Neil Compton's Double Falls. 

Neil Compton's Double Falls only runs as a double when the water is pretty high, but it's a beautiful falls that pours 39 feet into a beautiful blue pool. It's a fabulous waterfall and canyon area that is very peaceful.  Neil Compton was one of the early advocates that fought to keep the Buffalo River as a natural, flowing river and it was his vision that helped preserve the river and wilderness that we all enjoy.

When you are done at Compton's Double Falls, as you head back, there is one more falls to check out. Literally 20 feet beyond where you came down the hill to get to the bottom of Compton Falls, there is another creek that flows in from the right side of the creek (when facing downstream). Follow this creek a hundred yards upstream and you'll get to Owl Falls. 

Owl Falls is a roughly 20 foot tall waterfall that is a fantastic cascading waterfall. I think this one is prettier than my photos indicate as the sun wasn't my friend at the time of day we were there (it was directly behind the falls). 

There are more waterfalls downstream -- but as daylight was running short we had to save those for another day. From here, we went back the way we came. 

Hike Details

Distance: .2.1 miles round trip to the top of Neil Compton's Double Falls, .75 miles if you only go to Amber Falls. Because there is no trail here, and the footing is iffy at times, it will feel longer than that (and, from a timing perspective, there is a LOT to enjoy here, so leave yourself plenty of time to explore).

Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult

Footwear: Hiking Boots 

Kid-Friendly: Because there is no trail and it's steep terrain, I'd not recommend this for young children. Amber Falls would be enjoyable for older children.

Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls

Rating: 5 out of 5

Nearby: Hawksbill Crag, Cave Mountain Cave, Hedges Pouroff

 

Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area - Boen Gulf Access - Part 3

The Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area is a beautiful, rugged area of land with a lot of beautiful landscape.

As I noted in previous posts, this is a wilderness area and not terribly well developed. There are a series of waterfalls here and an old jeep road that does provide close access to a lot of the sites that you can read about in Part 1 and Part 2 (Part 1 also has a description of how to get to the trailhead).

The trail to Magnolia Falls is well traveled, as is the route to the bottom of Woods Boys Falls. However, if you’re really adventurous, there is even more to see and do here.

To get even further into the wilderness, instead of turning left crossing the creek to get to Magnolia falls, or at the bottom of the bluff line to head to the base of Woods Boy’s Falls, stay on the jeep road and descend down the road pretty sharply to the bottom of the hill. After about 1.75 miles from the trialhead, you will hav reached the bottom of the hill.

Here, there are two creeks that join to form the Boen Gulf and there is a LOT to see and explore here in all directions as the water from the creeks have carved a lot of unique rock features, small waterfalls and cascades that make for some very interesting scenery.

There are no trails from this point, but if you stay close to the creeks you should be able to find your way back to the jeep road ok without a GPS (at least in the winter and early spring, heavy summer growth may make this a challenge when in full bloom).  Having a GPS would make it a little more fool-proof.

Without a lot of trail to describe, there isn't a lot to talk about other than showing some pictures and noting that we just bushwacked our way through the creek bottom.

We spent better than an hour exploring this creek bed area and saw many interesting cascades, including a great area where the creek that forms Stahle Falls merges with the creek that formed Magnolia Falls and Woods Boys Falls. There are some interesting features here.

So explore and find your own favorite little spot.

Distance: It’s about 3.5 miles round trip to get to the junction in the creeks. How much you explore from there is up to you. This can be done in conjunction with the other two waterfall hikes in the area.

Difficulty: The trail is moderate – but exploring the area without trails can be very difficult.

Kids: No

Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Footwear: Sturdy Hiking Boots

Upper Buffalo Wilderness - Boen Gulf Access - Part 2 - Woods Boys Falls and Don Hadlock Cascade

This is Part 2 in our series in this area. To get to these falls, you’ll start off on the same trail that I describe in part 1, same parking access, same first mile of beautiful hiking trail.

At about 1 mile, after you cross a small stream, the spur trail to the left takes you down to Magnolia Falls and the top of Woods Boys Falls. It's a short hike over, and you should definitely check out Magnolia Falls if you're going to do this hike.

However, to get to the bottom of Woods Boys Falls, stay straight on the jeep road. The road is still pretty easy to follow and goes up hill a little, and then starts to go downhill pretty quickly and eventually passes under some really scenic bluffs (pictured) on your left.  I always try to imagine actually driving on this road – and just can’t imagine it. It’s a wonderful hike though.

Just past these bluffs, the road will continue downhill, but to get to the top of the falls you’ll turn left off the road and follow the bluff line back around to the base of the falls. There’s no real trail here, but with the bluff to your left and the creek far down to your right, it will be pretty hard to venture too far from where you need to go.

Eventually you’ll get to the base of Woods Boys Falls (above)– named after some kids that grew up in the area. The falls is about 33 feet high.

After exploring that area for a bit, you can head back the way you came. About 100 yards back on the trail from Woods Boys Falls, there is a really rocky area on the “trail”. At this point, scramble down to the creek and you’ll see the 27 foot tall David Hadlock Cascade (above and below). This Cascade was named after a man who re-discovered this falls in 2010 (to give you an indication about how unexplored this area is). Unfortunately, Hadlock visited the falls on an icy day and slipped here and fell to his death.  He did so from the other side though, it’s not THAT dangerous coming in from this side, but still, be careful.

After exploring this falls, scurry back up the way you came, and then head back along the bluff line to the jeep road. You can actually get to the base of Stahle Falls from here as well, if you follow the bluff line on the South side of the creek around. For today’s hike, we just followed the trail bluff line to the jeep trail and headed back to the trailhead.

This is a really pretty hike and very scenic area, that when combined with Magnolia Falls, makes this a fantastic day-hike.

For a complete overview of Part 1 of this hike, click here.

For Part 3, Click here

Distance: 4.1 miles round trip.

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult

Kids: This will be fine for older kids, although the scamper down to Hadlock Cascade will be a challenge.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Footwear: I’d recommend Hiking boots for this one.

Magnolia Falls - in Winter

In all my years of going down to the Buffalo River area, I've never met anyone who has been to Magnolia Falls, or for that matter, ever heard of anyone even mention this falls. And let me just say that this may be the best kept secret in the Buffalo River area.

The falls is in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness and has very easy vehicle access to the trail head, a well-maintained trail that is relatively easy to follow.

To get to the trailhead, just turn west onto Forest Road 1462/County Road 6. This road is about 2.5 miles south of the Mossville Church on Hwy 21 south of Boxley.  The road isn't marked, but it's a pretty significant gravel road and if you're following your odometer you'll know it when you see it. Once you turn west onto CR6, about .3 miles down the road is a pull-off area for parking (there is a sign on the left side of the road noting "Wilderness Access". Park here, and  enter on the trailhead to your right.

The trail itself mostly follows an old jeep road. You'll pass a couple of campsites, then several trees that have fallen over the trail that you'll have to climb over/duck under to continue on your way. I was a bit concerned about the trail maintenance at this point, but now think they just left these in the way to prevent people driving jeeps down the trail. (Update 1/1/16: The trail is now in VERY good shape and many of the downed trees have been removed from the trail making for some really nice hiking in the area).

After a short stretch you'll see a trailhead register -- sign in here before continuing. You'll cross a creek bed, and then a place where the trail seems to split -- take the spur to the left.

Soon you'll pass by a stone wall that was built by early settlers in the area. Eventually that wall turns into some interesting rock formations that if you look closely, have more rocks on top of them as a continuence of the stone wall. It's an interesting stretch of trail.

The road descends a little, but not steeply, and then at about 1 mile the trail crosses another little creek bed. As soon as you cross the creek bed, the trail splits. The main trail continues on straight here (and if you follow it, it can eventually lead you down into the valley and back up to Woods Boys Falls). If your hope is to go to Magnolia Falls, you'll turn left here along the spur trail that follows the creek bed. Someone has nicely formed an arrow out of rocks on the ground to point you in that direction.

As you turn left on the spur trail, you'll follow the creek bed gently down. Shortly, the creek hits another larger creek - at this point, to your left will be Magnolia Falls. You can view it from above or scramble down into the valley for a lower-level view of it. To the right is Woods Boys Falls. It's a tough angle to photograph from up top, so I'll have to make a return trip this spring to get some of it from below.

The area around Magnolia Falls is very scenic beyond just the falls itself with some great bluffs and rock features. There was quite a fair amount of water flowing this day in spite of it not being terribly wet up to this point this winter. Plus, the cold and snow had created a lot of great ice features for our viewing. 

If you venture around the top of the bluff above Woods Boys Falls you'll also get a great look into the Boen Gulf area and it's spectacular bluff lines -- especially in winter when  the leaves are off the trees. There is a volunteer trail along here that is also easy to follow -- but be safe, it travels the bluff line and it's a sharp drop down in many places. If you go far enough (maybe another .25 miles) there will be a way to scramble down through the rocks to get to the base of the valley below.

This is just a great little area and we're so happy to have found it.  

Distance: 2.1 miles roundtrip to Magnolia Falls -- but plan on spending some time and energy exporing around the area.

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.

Footwear: I always recommend hiking boots in winter weather conditions

Kids: Suitable for most kids, although be careful near some of the ledges

Trail Guide: This is covered in the Boen Gulf Access in Tim Ernst's Buffalo River Hiking Trails book, but the better guide here is Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls book.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5