After an incredibly successful first day of waterfall hunting in the Richland Creek Wilderness area, we decided to pack another day full of waterfalls, this time in the Upper Buffalo area. We thought this hike would be trickier, but these waterfalls were all so close to one another, it was actually easier than day 1. The first waterfall we found was the easiest because it’s enormous and can be easily seen from the road. It’s called Falling Water Falls.
This was the biggest waterfall we saw on the trip and it was incredible! It’s actually in the Richland Creek area. I really want to come back in the summer and see if the water is still high enough for swimming. I’m sure there’s a lot more people here when the weather’s warm. The other three waterfalls were easy to find because they were all so close to one another. We took a short drive to the Upper Buffalo area near Ponca and followed the trail to Magnolia Falls, Woods Boys, and Stahle.
The trail to these falls was about a mile hike through the woods until you reach the creek. From there you follow the creek down and there’s Magnolia! It’s a fun waterfall to sit by, and you can get a good view from up top.
Just a short distance from Magnolia is Woods Boys. The hike to the bottom looked a little treacherous, so we stayed on top. Be careful not to get too close to the edge. That’s quite a drop off!
After admiring Woods Boys we hiked back up over the top of Magnolia and followed the trail through the woods along the bluff’s edge. The view from this high up is incredible. Arkansas really is a beautiful state. Again, we found ourselves at the top of the falls and we decided against the trek down. I’m sure we could’ve gotten a better view of Stahle Falls from the bottom, but we were pretty content picnicking atop it.
I’d like to come back someday and take the trail down to get the full view. Fortunately, these falls are just 2 hours or so from my hometown. I’m so fortunate to live so close to such beautiful scenery!