A Forgotten Memory

Bluff Near Sam's Throne

A Hidden Waterfall Along The Way

I was searching through some old files and found some pictures of a trip David and I took to Falling Waters Creek. My friend David passed away in December of 2018. I do miss him, so when I ran across this hike I was grateful for the memory. This hike took place on March 9 of 2017. I could have sworn I did a review of this hike but for the life of me I can't find it in the list of hikes and photos, so I thought I would show it again. I don't remember this trip as well as I should, but I have added quite a few extra pictures to make up for the poor story. I hope you enjoy it.
We started from the south and worked our way up along Falling Waters creek, stopping many times along the way to check out things we saw that we thought were interesting. Several caves that we saw looked like old Indian shelters. We also came across a copperhead who didn't seem too interested in us. We finally arrived at the first waterfall Falling Waters Waterfall. It is easily accessible from the dirt road. We could see, as we scramble down to the waterfall, that a debris pile up in the tree line showed how high this creek could really get. We decided to spend a little time here and have a snack break. It was a beautiful morning with a blue sky and white clouds and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We wandered up and down the creek from here before heading out towards our next destination
It took quite a while to get to the second waterfall because there are so many cool spots to pull over and checkout. Many are simply an easy walk down to the creek while others are a bit more difficult. I really enjoy the freedom that we have here in Arkansas to be able to just go walking, without having to pay a fee, without having to explain to anybody, just enjoying nature. It's quite a treat nowadays when everything has to be a revenue producer. In need of another snack break we finally arrived at 6 Fingers Waterfall. This waterfall is also accessible from the dirt road. A bit more challenging when the water level is up a tad but even then it's worth the effort. I have always marveled at the emerald green color of the waters in northwest Arkansas. I am told it is due to the limestone formations that riddle this area. It is also the reason why we have several very nice caves in the area. Unfortunately the public can't get in them at the moment due to the bat disease. My friends were fortunately one of the last groups of people to get into Fitton  Cave before they closed it. After spending some time here we decided to head over to the Richland creek campground before heading home.
Falling Waters Creek,  Richland Creek, and  The Richland Creek Wilderness Area make up a wonderful trifecta of regions for those folks wanting to get out and explore nature in it's finest. Richland Creek campground is a primitive site with a vault toilet, picnic tables, and fire rings for a small number of campers. When my friend Bill and I first came to Richland Creek we decided to hike along the trail. But the trail lead high above the creek so we decided to just walk down along the creek instead. It was a much better hike and we had a much better time. You can read about it here and a different hike with another friend here. On the way home we passed a deer who wished us a safe drive and a wonderful looking little weekender snuggled into the woods. After an amazing morning and early afternoon out David and I decided to head over to the Western Sizzler for their wonderful senior buffet.

The Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas  is an area you can spend a few days in, a few weeks in, or the rest of your life. The Ozarks and the Richland Creek Wilderness Area have the type of public recreation that everyone enjoys. It has camping, hiking, rock climbing, nature watching and just plain relaxing. Over the years I have probably visited it seven or eight times. I never get tired of this spot, and neither will you!