A Tale of Two Waters

After a week of torrential rains in Oklahoma, the Arkansas River. which cuts through Oklahoma before entering Arkansas, is higher than it has been in decades. Numerous bridges spanning the Arkansas River are closed, even as riverside towns sandbag to protect themselves against the ever rising waters.

As is, local floods do not always connected to local rain.

I am looking for a sharper illustration, but I have yet to find anything better than this Facebook Meme.

Buffalo River, Arkansas

On May 27 Memorial Day, 2019 I joined a group for a float trip on the Buffalo River.  I was concerned we might be working with dangerous water. I found instead that the river was on the low side for a great float.   The Buffalo River is situated in a "somewhat" parallel track to the Arkansas river. but gets its its source water from a different drainage system about 60 miles to the north, and pours down a separate sweep.   The Buffalo in turn joins into the White River, which turns south, meeting the Mississippi just miles above the confluence of the Arkansas River and Mississippi.


I am looking at a map. (above)  I am astonished by all the massive geography that feeds the Arkansas river. I am also surprised to see (but shouldn't be) that our Ozark, Boston, and Ouachita mountains form strong divides that split and funnel waters.  Waters channeled from the northern flanks of the Boston Mountains (North of the Arkansas River Valley) may yet find the Mississippi, but do so along the corridor of the White River, and not the Arkansas River.

White River,drainage system

White River Drainage. Credit By Pfly - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1527351
So there we have it.  Two rivers in close proximity, each showcasing a very different water story.

Lost Valley - Found

After nearly a six month hiatus, Lost Valley Trail in Boxley Valley, Arkansas is open to the public, and ready for your family wonderfest.

As a photographer for the State of Arkansas, people often ask me “What is your favorite spot in Arkansas?"  To which I reply, "Would you ask me to name my favorite kid!"

That said, If were given one day to show off Arkansas -- and knew that one of the hikers has a bum leg:) I know exactly where I’d take them. Boxley Valley and Lost Valley Trail.

Lost Valley Trail, near the metropolis of Ponca and ajecnt the Buffalo River, affords numerous glories in short order, There is Boxley Valley, the setting for Lost Valley which feels like the land that time forgot. the valley sports a telephone cable, but the area is so free of development and commercial clutter, that it feels like we’ve stepped back a hundred years.  The place is studded with old wood barn, ginormous hills, and field for viewing elk. As for the trail itself, Lost Valley features 2.2 mile round trip up a gurgling creek bed* and featuring tall-tree forest, nooks, waterfalls,bluffs and caves, most of which can be seen by a person in moderate health. Beyond that, nearly half the of the refurbished trail is open to wheelchair exploration.

*gurgling.

Clark Creek is most certainly affected by seasons. If flows strongly in the winter-spring season, then retreats to a trickle in the heat of summer, Most odd: When I went in early May, the creek was less than I hoped for… then I found as I walked upstream, ever more water. It turns out that as the creek descends portions go underground. So it is possible to see a dry creek bed at entry, and a nicely flowing Eden Falls upstream!

Lost Valley is not quite a secret. The Buffalo Outdoor Center reports that in 2018, nearly 77,000 people hiked Lost Valley Trail. Then stopped. Abruptly. As is, the tail closed for a significant upgrade from December of 2018 and did not reopen until late April 2019. Over the preceding years the heavily traveled foot path “cracked.” A deep rut akin to a stream bed split the path. Portions went muddy. Parking, on weekends was hard to find. The road to get there bounced the family sedan.


And now --The packed gravel entry has been graded, and rerouted to new enlarged parking area. The packed dirt trail leading up to the natural bridge (approx ½ mle one way) is smooth, wide, reinforced and able to support wheelchair travel. Benches stud the way. The trail rises ever so slowly, and makes for a relaxing stroll, until -- the Y.



Midway up the trail, hikers can decide stop and take a look see… Or to take one of several ways up into the heart of the canyon. They can dip down to the natural bridge falls, then (if hey choose) tunnel with the creek through a bluff and then up a boulder strewn canyon, or take the sane, stair-studded path to the left. I didn’t count actual steps, but over the next half half mile my knees counted hundreds, albeit, nice clean rock stairs, meticulously placed. I do not know if the rock work was altered or added to, but I can say that apart from just muscle work, this is a great path for kids and elders alike.

My favorite spot in the tail happens at the convergence of Cobb's Cave and Eden Falls. The ground seems to flow every which way at once. Up, over, down and winding. Add heavy rains and the bluffs erupt in a chorus a pour.

The extra vigorous can decide if they want to push more vertically, up from Eden falls to Eden Falls cave.  I will be honest, I have never been. I have seen pictures. The cave is wet and dark.

How long the entire trail  takes depends on your pace.  Fast folk may do the trail in an hour. I prefer the three or five… Exiting in the golden glow of hill hum and fading day.

Mount Magazine Cascade and Falls

Before the Tumble.   Mount Magazine Cascade  KSJ 

On May 9, Arkansas Tourism photographer Casey Crocker and I set out to explore several waterfalls in and about Mount Magazine.

I have concluded that dynamic waterfalls form when 1) terrain showcases a rapid descent in elevation, 2) waters are gathered together -- and 3) there are sufficient headwaters to feed the Fall.

The very tops of mountains often challenge part #3.  A mountain-scape may feature rapid plunges and grooves, but if the descending geography is too near the top of a given apex, rain lacks room to collect. That said, Mount Magazine and Mount Nebo both feature near-the-top waterfalls that draw from high, rounded acreage and which come alive after heavy rains.  

After days of steady May rain, we thought we might try our luck with several of Mount Magazine’s seasonal cascades. Casey took one trail, I took the other:

Mount Magazine Cascade.
(Tim Ernst Waterfall Guide 2nd Edition, p 268)


Consider this one highly seasonal, easy to get to and somewhat challenging once you arrive. MM Cascade forms almost directly from the top of Mount Magazine and can be found by traveling from the back of the Brown Spring Picnic Area. Signage points the way. The walk to the to of the cascaded is level and and less than a mile round trip. That part is easy. Once you hit the head, the cascade - listed as over 100 feet in length plunges quickly. It so happens that the weather conditions that make for a great cascade, also make for a challenging descent. I walked down a steep muddy trail, parallel to the cascade. There are places where you can cut over to the cascade itself, but better sense told me to watch my step and keep to the flat spots and perimeters. It wouldn't take much of slip then take a tumble down the entire yardage. 

Photographing the cascade in is pretty much impossible from ground level. The cascade's channel is long and narrow and flanked by heavy vegetation. There is simply no way to back up to get the whole thing, so I snagged pictures of several segments.  I wonder if this may be an easier winter capture.

Part 2: Mount Magazine Falls. (images by Casey Crocker) (Tim Ernst Waterfall Guide 2nd Edition, p 268)

The 28 foot long cascade-style Mount Magazine Falls is accessed from the final pull-off on the one-way = Cameron Loop Like the Mount Magazine Cascade, the Mount Magazine Waterfall forms pretty close to the mountain's top. The unmarked trail is short, but rigorousness, and quickly becomes downright steep. As is, Mount Magazine Falls is not suggested for folks who haven't gone rogue before. There are reasons some trails aren't marked.

Mount Magazine Falls: Casey Crocker

James Hardy Falls (Mount Magazine Part 2)

James Hardy Culvert and Falls

(See Ernst, Waterfall Guide 2nd Ed, p262)

Folks often ask us: What waterfalls can I see if I have limited mobility?   One of those answers is James Hardy Falls, located on the Backside of Mount Magazine, highway 309.

Apart from the fact that you can see it from you car -- the 8 foot Hardy Falls is not in itself, deeply impressive. the setting is. Hardy falls feeds into a double barreled rock tunnel (designed by James Hardy in the 1930's) that itself is a work of art. Two headwater creeks meet in the vicinity of 309, then tunnel under the road, unseen. Jestice Creek, drops quickly down a cascading rut,  Waters spit in the Spring. (There are actually three tubes, but you have to search for the third one a half a block away.)

We discovered the Falls on a lark.  We saw a car pulled to the side of tight curve, and looked to see what they were looking at.  Turns out they were parked right in front of Hardy Falls, a stop we had marked for survey just the the day before.  There is no clear sign for Hardy Falls or the culvert into which it drains. Apart from driving with your windows down and listening for rushing water, Hardy Falls is found 6.3 miles downhill (Southish) from the visitor center at the intersection of Mount Magazine Road and Highway 309, or is found 4 miles north on 309 when driving north from Havana up the mountain.

Lacey Creek Falls, Mount Magazine part 3

Lacey Creek Falls
Ernst, Arkansas Waterfalls 2nd edition, p. 266

I so appreciate the Tim Ernst Waterfall Guide that I hate to pick a bone with anything he says. Tim describes this as .8 Mile Medium bushwhack. -- Which may be true --we didn't have to repel, but it's a tad bit more challenging than that sounds. It may be that I was taken in by the short mileage. The guidebook map does not show that most of the ¼ mile to the Falls is a diagonal cut across a generously sloped, brier choked, unmarked wild. Add to that present mud. This is one calls for a compass, maybe even a machete. We used the key horn to point us back to the car, parked on an extended curve. Beyond that, the road to the Fall met the limit of our all wheel drive. Consider this a Jeep road.








As for the Falls: Glorious. All forty-five feet of stalwart pour, with multiple lesser falls downstream. Most worthy of our effort, in part to count waterfall coup. The terrain is rugged, the kind that stirs the passion for less seen places. I like the idea that some wild things remain elusive.

Lacey Creek Falls, Casey Crocker

Photo Buff stuff: hat a difference clouds make. In the case of waterfall photography, thick cloud cover is a great good, bright sky a challenge. Passing clouds simply meant we waited for some shots.

Lessons learned: I wore shorts and short socks which may be fine for splashing through water. Not so good for briers. Ouch. Next time, long pants, long socks.