Escape To Paradise Falls For A Beautiful Arkansas Nature Scene
By Carol Ann Carson|Published January 29, 2021
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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.
A just-off-the-highway adventure is hiding in the brush just south of Ponca. All you need to do is park and get ready to chase some gorgeous waterfalls! If you prefer to stick to well-worn trails you may need to jump over to Lost Valley; but, with a little bit of bushwhacking, today’s trip is quite the treat! Let’s head to falls and find Paradise:
Most Arkansans know you don't need a state park sign to find a beautiful waterfall.
This is the Natural State after all! The majority of the waterfalls clustered within the Ozark National Forest can be best reached by backroads and bushwhack. Paradise Falls, and its neighbors, are no exception. The pull-off for Paradise is a little south of Mossville, see the parking coordinates here.
Now, we don't recommend this trail for first-time hikers but is one that's well worth the trouble.
As far as bushwhacks go, Paradise Falls is rated as medium (this also depends on the season). First, the "trail" follows an old trace road down the hill. Follow this road as it turns left. From this a little ways you'll bushwhack from the trace road further downhill to reach the creek. See the GPS coordinates for the waterfall right here.
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Following the creek will reward you with numerous cascades.
Many of the cascades large enough to be classified as waterfalls are unnamed. However, Hargfarger Falls, Chumfarger Falls, and Twisted Knee Falls are all in this Boen Gulf Branch area.
The waterslide of a fall is 40-ft. tall and empties into a sizable pool. Please take caution as you climb to reach the base of the fall, slippery rocks are no joke!
And this a trip you'll want to take during different seasons.
Any leaf-off season is a great time to visit (a summer bushwhack in Arkansas is sweltering to say the least) but keep tabs on this trip for winter. The frozen icicles are simply mesmerizing!
Fall, winter, or early spring, this is a paradise worth seeing!
A straight there-and-back again hike to Paradise Falls is about 2.4 miles long. Good boots, reliable GPS, and water are all necessities for this trip. Be sure to Leave No Trace and research this area further before heading out. We recommend Rick's Hiking Blog for detailed directions.
If a bushwhack is out of your skillset feel free to tag along with these hikers for a virtual trip to the falls:
Have you escaped to Paradise Falls before? We’d love to hear about your adventures in the comments below! You can also add your waterfall pics to our Facebook group, Arkansas Nature Lovers. You should join for your chance to be featured and to discover why there’s nothing better than Arkansas’ stunning nature.
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