Richland Creek Waterfalls & Grinder's Ferry
Mid April to early May was a time for exceptionally nice weather. I had several chances to take some road trips with friends. One day a friend of mine and I decided to go eat at the Ozark Cafe in Jasper, but we thought we would come down on the old CCC road from Highway 74 and along Henson Creek then back to Jasper. We saw an old cabin along the road with hand hewn logs. Further on we went past the old Hudson Hotel. It was still standing but in need of some preservation. It was a nice drive on a beautiful day with an excellent meal at the end.
A different trip was over to the Gilbert access of the Buffalo National River. I had not been there for quite a few years. It seemed to me to be a bit more sand and a bit less river, but then the river does change from year to year. The big floods the past few years probably added to the existing access area. We saw only one lone canoeist, fishing and enjoying the peace and quiet.
While we were in the area we decided to continue down Highway 65 to Grinder's Ferry, another access point on the Buffalo National River. This area is very popular with local and visiting fishermen as there is easy access to the river for launching boats and canoes.
Our last trip was in early May. My friend had never been down to Falling Waters in the Richland Creek Wilderness area. The campground and northern access to this beautiful spot had been closed due to some big floods a year or so ago. We decided to come in from the south and travel along the dirt road which parallels Richland Creek. The first stop was Falling Waters Waterfall. The water was low but it was still beautiful and the access is easy...just park and walk about 100 ft. I have been here several times before and always enjoy this area. It is also a popular swimming hole for locals in the dog days of summer.
We then continued north along the road, crossing the creek and making our way to the second easily accessible waterfall, Six-Fingers Waterfall. Again the water was low but the area is quite nice. The access is a bit more difficult than Falling Waters but still, I could make it around fairly easily with my bad knee. The access might be a 100 yard walk, and a bit down. When the water is really running the waterfalls here are quite spectacular. The last cool feature we saw was a large bluff and what looked like caves into it. We could not get the truck up there, but access by foot or ATV is allowed. I could not make it up the hill so I settled for a picture.
I hope everyone who reads this can come and explore the Richland Creek Wilderness area and all the waterfalls along the road. There were four others I could not reach due to mobility issues with my knee, but you can get there! The Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas is a great place to vacation with your family. No matter what you enjoy, if it has to do with the outdoors, Arkansas has it in abundance. Come visit!! If you would like to see more of what Richland Creek has to offer click here or here. A very early trip to Falling Waters creek can be found here.