Jeff's Arkansas Hiking Blog: Upper Horsehead Creek Waterfalls - Arkansas Ozarks

4/28/2017 - Upper Horsehead Creek Waterfalls (WF)

GPS Coordinates: (Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)

Parking Area 1: 35.58618, -93.64988

Parking Area 2: 35.58662, -93.64775

ATV Trail starts: 35.58614, -93.64686

WF 1: 35.58758, -93.64516

Allervern Falls: 35.58785, -93.64495

Cascade 1: 35.58817, -93.64437

WF 3: 35.58997, -93.64251

Casbalt Falls: 35.59027, -93.64241

WF 5: 35.59148, -93.63856

Emergar Falls: 35.59156, -93.63836

Meribourg Falls: 35.59158, -93.63569

Phantom Falls: 35.59971, -93.63691

Feature 1: 35.60018, -93.63489

Feature 2: 35.60001, -93.63497

Rock Formation: 35.59980, -93.63536

WF 9: 35.59969, -93.63542

Lamb Falls: 35.59951, -93.63577

Upper Part of Lamb Falls 1: 35.59958, -93.63618

Upper Part of Lamb Falls 2: 35.59936, -93.63606

Markers

Blue Waypoint = Named WF

Black Waypoint = Unnamed WF

Orange Waypoint = Cascade

Binoculars symbol = Feature

Stone symbol = Rock formation

Running Person symbol = Access point

Hiker symbol = ATV trail

Car symbol = Parking area

Level of Difficulty: Hiking along the atv trail is easy to moderate. More than half the hike is along the atv trail. Hiking down the hills to get to the waterfalls and back up is moderate to a little strenuous because you don't go down far at the first 4 of the 5 drainages. The hills to get lower after you have to get down lower and away from the atv trail to be near the top of Lamb falls are steep. The hills to get down below Lamb falls and back up are steep and strenuous.

Hiking Statistics: 4.60 miles roundtrip / Ascent is 605 ft / Descent is 614 ft /

To get to the parking area for me coming from NWA, I take Hwy 103 south from Hwy 215. I turned onto 4160 from Hwy 103 and headed west to Batson. I reached CR 4101 on my left when I reached Batson. I took a left and drove on that gravel road a long ways to the parking area. I parked at parking area 2. The Maroon track on my maps that I provide here is the track for this hike. I hiked a little ways further down the gravel road to reach the atv trail on my left. I took the left and hiked along the atv trail a ways until I could see I was close to the first drainage to go down to see a couple of wf's. I left the atv trail at coordinates 35.58766, -93.64609 to get down into the drainage to see Allervern Falls. There was another WF before it along the bluff. I spent some time there enjoying it while taking photo's and marking it on my gps. When I was ready to move on and get back onto the atv trail, I headed up the hill to my right rather than going back to the left the way I came down. I got above that falls and followed the drainage back up and came across a nice cascade. I marked it and then continued on. When I got back onto the atv trail, I took a right and continued on. Eventually I looked at my gps and could see that I was getting close to the second drainage. I left the atv trail at coordinates 35.58964, -93.64304 to get down into the drainage. I worked my way down to Casbalt Falls using the access point at coordinates 35.58986, -93.64257 and spent some time there again enjoying it while taking photo's and marking it on my gps. WF 3 is down here before Casbalt Falls. When I was done there, I decided to go back up the same way I came down this time because the bluff was taller. After I went back up the access point and got myself back to the atv trail, I took a right and continued hiking along the atv trail. I looked at my gps and kept watching it too see when I was getting close to the third drainage. I left the atv trail to get down into the third drainage at coordinates 35.59172, -93.63938 and used the access point at coordinates 35.59147, -93.63863 to get down in front of Emergar Falls. There is another wf down there. I spent some time there taking photo's and marking the 2 wf's on my gps. I again used the same access point to get back up the hill and back to the atv trail. I then took a right onto the atv trail and continued hiking on. I could see on my gps that I was quickly approaching the fourth drainage and left the atv trail at coordinates 35.59159, -93.63684. This hill was easier to get down than the other 3. I soon got down below Meribourg Falls. I spent time there and did the same things before moving on. I went back up the same first hill but then took a right to be right above the falls and hiked at an angle to get back onto the atv trail. I reached the atv trail at coordinates 35.59279, -93.63554. I again took a right onto the atv trail and continued hiking on to get to the fifth drainage where Phantom and Lamb falls both are. The atv trail comes to an end at coordinates 35.59775, -93.63459. I had to bushwhack hike a little further ways at that level and then hike down hill to my right to get 4 contour lines lower to coordinates 35.59881, -93.63548. After I got down to that level, I took a left and I bushwhacked at that level to get over to the tip of the fifth drainage and around it to the other side. At the tip is where Phantom Falls is. I spent some time there again before continuing my way to the other side of the drainage. I worked my way around to the other side to access point 35.60024, -93.63549 before reaching access point 35.60040, -93.63511. These hills are steep to get down below Lamb Falls. As I was working my way slowly down the steep hills to coordinates 35.59995, -93.63499, I passed by a couple of features. From those coordinates, I headed down at an angle to the right to get into the drainage and below Lamb falls. After I got into the drainage and took a right to hike up to Lamb Falls, I passed by wf 9. I took some photo's and marked it on my gps before hiking up to Lamb falls. I reached Lamb Falls finally and took a long break enjoying the area but also thinking about my friend who I named it after. She died tragically and I remember the one time I lead her to that falls and her standing next to it and enjoying it. I remember the photo's I took of her standing in front of it. After I was done there and seen that it was getting late, I headed back to where I first dropped down into the drainage. I thought about that I've been way down below the falls 4 times before but I had never been right under the 2 upper parts so I decided to try and work my way where I would be right under the 2 upper parts of the falls. I headed up the hills to coordinates 35.59980, -93.63536 first and then worked my way up these steep hills to coordinates 35.59973, -93.63590. I was able to hike at that level around the hillside to get just below the first of the 2 Upper Lamb Falls. I took photo's and maked it and then worked my way slowly along the bluff and get to the 2nd of Upper Lamb falls. I did the same there and then worked my way back to coordinates 35.59973, -93.63590 because it was getting late. I then took a left and started hiking up the steep hills to coordinates 35.60000, -93.63615 where I was earlier before I started working my way down the hills. I then took a left and hiked at that level and followed my track around the drainage back to the other side of it to where I came down the hills earlier from the level the atv trail is at. I took a right and headed back up the hills where I originally came down at coordinates 35.59881, -93.63548. I just followed my track to get up the four contour lines and then took a left and stayed at that level back to the atv trail, which is at coordinates 35.59775, -93.63459. I took a little break after I got back onto the atv trail after hiking up and down those steep hills. After a 5 minute break, I started hiking fast along the atv trail and hiked along that all the way back to the road I parked on. I took a right onto that road and hiked back to my car.