This Underrated Trail In Arkansas Leads To A Hidden Turquoise Waterfall
By Carol Ann Carson|Published February 08, 2019
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Carol Ann Carson
Author
Arkansas native, Carol Ann Carson, has written for OnlyInYourState for three years now. She resides in Western Arkansas' Mountain Frontier but calls NWA home as well. The graduate of University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, Carol Ann earned her B.A. in English and will soon be pursing her M.A. in Library Science. She loves exploring the trails around the Buffalo National River and has yet to find a waterfall that wasn't her favorite.
Just off the Ozark Highlands Trail is a rather gorgeous gem: Punchbowl Falls. The hike isn’t the easiest but the turquoise waters of Punchbowl Falls is a stunning reward for taking on its challenging three miles. Let’s lace up our boots and head out to this gorgeous area in the Richland Creek Wilderness.
The Ozark Highlands Trail certainly isn't a secret in Arkansas but it is easy to miss some beautiful spots along this massive trail.
You'll know you're going the right way as long as you follow the white tags nailed on the trees along the trail. There are other waterfalls along this portion of the trail such as Stack Rock Homestead Falls and Orange Rock Falls but we'll focus on the gorgeous Punchbowl Falls.
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After the bushwhack to reach the not-so-well-named Dry Creek, we'll follow that down to the stunningly turquoise Punchbowl Falls.
To see where the OHT turns into this bushwhack, use these coordinates. Dry Creek is always flowing so do be careful around the slippery rocks. The "punchbowl" canyon of this waterfall takes caution to traverse but you can capture some truly beautiful shots by climbing up the right side of the bluff and then heading down to creek level.
Like this cool cave on the right side of the falls. This is the perfect place to take a snack break before heading back to your car. Just be sure to always leave no trace.
Springtime is the best season to capture the aqua-colored beauty of this waterfall but the green tones can be seen any time of year.
This particular shot was taken in January which does make for a less difficult hike. The leaf-on season in spring will make the bushwhacking more of a workout but the beautiful blue-green colors of the water are simply breathtaking.
We'll go ahead and warn you now: whenever you decide to take this side trek along the OHT, you may never want to leave.
This beautiful area is simply a gorgeous paradise in the Ozarks. We absolutely recommend researching the area further before heading out (which you can do by reading this blog).
Have you trekked to Punchbowl Falls? We would love to hear about your hike and see your pictures in our Facebook Group, Arkansas Nature Lovers! You should join for your chance to be featured (like Brennan Duffield Photography today) and to discover why there’s nothing better than Arkansas’ stunning nature
