Jeff's Arkansas Hiking Blog: Upper Rock Creek Rock Formations and Waterfalls - Arkansas Ozarks

2/2/2023 - Upper Rock Creek Rock Formations and Waterfalls (WF) - On Google Earth also

GPS Coordinates: (Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)

Parking area: 35.73163, -93.24396

WF 1: 35.73370, -93.24023

WF 2: 35.73375, -93.24039

WF 3: 35.73386, -93.24047

Cascade 1: 35.73397, -93.24061

Cascade 2: 35.73421, -93.24085

Cascade 3: 35.73441, -93.24113

Cascade 4: 35.73489, -93.24134

Cascade 5: 35.73495, -93.24136

Cascade 6: 35.73512, -93.24130

WF 4: 35.73510, -93.24144

Cascade 7: 35.73517, -93.24151

WF 5: 35.73545, -93.24200

Cascade 8: 35.73655, -93.24472

Cascade 9: 35.73674, -93.24496

Cascade 10: 35.73680, -93.24512

Cascade 11: 35.73789, -93.24640

Cascade 12: 35.73913, -93.24771

WF 6: 35.73944, -93.24770

Cascade 13: 35.73961, -93.24684

WF 7: 35.73998, -93.24591

Cascade 14: 35.74048, -93.24512

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Rock Formation 1: 35.74039, -93.24538

Feature 1: 35.74089, -93.24632

Feature 2: 35.74102, -93.24643

Feature 3: 35.74177, -93.24703

Rock Formation 2: 35.74217, -93.24734

Feature 4: 35.74226, -93.24738

Shelter 1: 35.74233, -93.24746

Shelter 2: 35.74227, -93.24765

Shelter 3: 35.74246, -93.24748

Rock Formation 3: 35.74270, -93.24801

Shelter 4: 35.74386, -93.24888

Shelter 5: 35.74394, -93.24867

Rock Formation 4: 35.74467, -93.24809

Shelter 6: 35.74484, -93.24795

Turtle Head Rock Formation 5: 35.74505, -93.24790

Feature 5: 35.74515, -93.24768

Feature 6: 35.74534, -93.24756

Feature 7: 35.74551, -93.24733

Rock Formation 6: 35.74567, -93.24736

Feature 8: 35.74564, -93.24719

Feature 9: 35.74556, -93.24722

Rock Formation 7: 35.74557, -93.24708

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Ignoto Falls: 35.74520, -93.24511

Cascade 15: 35.74567, -93.24571

WF 9: 35.74601, -93.24617

Cascade 16: 35.74674, -93.24693

Feature 8: 35.74884, -93.24762

Cascade 17: 35.74950, -93.24749

Cascade 18: 35.75079, -93.24441

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Cascade 19: 35.75088, -93.24325

Cascade 20: 35.75073, -93.24308

Cascade 21: 35.74999, -93.24035

WF 10: 35.74927, -93.23895

Cascade 22: 35.74687, -93.23603

Upper Rock Creek Falls 2: 35.74691, -93.23581

Upper Rock Creek Falls 1: 35.74688, -93.23571

WF 13: 35.74541, -93.23550

Bluff Line Falls: 35.74513, -93.23519

Cascade 23: 35.74504, -93.23495

Rock Creek Split Falls: 35.74498, -93.23455

WF 16: 35.74391, -93.23223

WF 17: 35.74397, -93.23221

Cascade 24: 35.74378, -93.23190

WF 18: 35.74378, -93.23170

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Cascade 25: 35.75162, -93.23430

Cascade 26: 35.75175, -93.23560

Cascade 27: 35.75177, -93.23585

Cascade 28: 35.75169, -93.23658

Cascade 29: 35.75167, -93.23685

WF 19: 35.75156, -93.23710

Cascade 30: 35.75155, -93.23725

Cascade 31: 35.75149, -93.23913

Cascade 32: 35.75359, -93.24176

Cascade 33: 35.75433, -93.24102

WF 20: 35.75597, -93.23969

Delto Falls: 35.75911, -93.23658

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Cascade 34: 35.76018, -93.23113

Cascade 35: 35.75990, -93.23103

Cascade 36: 35.75960, -93.23080

WF 22: 35.75930, -93.23071

Cascade 37: 35.75919, -93.23067

WF 23: 35.75907, -93.23051

Cascade 38: 35.75879, -93.23040

Cascade 39: 35.75848, -93.23020

Cascade 40: 35.75767, -93.22983

WF 24: 35.75690, -93.22922

WF 25: 35.75564, -93.22858

Markers

Blue Waypoint = Named WF

Black Waypoint = Unnamed WF

Orange Waypoint = Cascade

Stone symbol = Rock formation

Binoculars symbol = Feature

Sleep symbol = Shelter

Car symbol = Parking area

Hiker symbol = Old road

Running Person symbol = Access point

Level of Difficulty: Hiking along the atv trail up high and down along Rock Creek is easy. When bushwhacking along the main creek, it is moderate along it since it's mostly level terrain down there. The atv trail crosses Rock creek multiple times. The crosses are bigger along the creek than they are in the drainages. The hills along the upper parts of the hollows and drainages are steep but the hills along them in the lower half and closer to the creek are moderate. There are many downed tree's that you have to climb over or go up hills and down to get around in the drainages which makes the hike tougher. I had to cross the water in the drainages every time I didn't want to hike uphill and had the option to cross instead. The first hill I went down was moderate for the first half and then was strenuous when I got closer to the drainage. The hills I used to get out and back to the road were moderate at times where the hills were gradual and then some steep hills at times that made it strenuous at times.

Statistics of Loop: 9.62 miles / Ascent is 1,647 ft and Descent is 1,476

I drove to the town of Deer, which is along Hwy 16. I turned onto Parker Ridge rd, which is a gravel road and drove a ways on that to the parking area. I started hiking into the woods on the right since rock creek was to the right of the road from the parking area and tried to find the easiest hills to get down into the big drainage follow my gps. I planned on getting down right at the tip of the drainage but I ended up in it a little ways down so I hiked up the drainage to see if there was any wf's or cascades. Water was not running as good as I was hoping it would be. I ended up down by the drainage at coordinates 35.73440, -93.24125. I passed by 3 cascades before reaching 3 small wf's. I took photo's and marked them all and then turned around and started hiking down the drainage. I passed by where I originally came down and passed by 3 more cascades before I reached the next wf. I marked them all and took photo's. Tree's were down at times so I had to work my way over, under or around them at times. After I was done at the last wf, I came across another cascade and another WF while working my way down the drainage. By the next wf, I could see that there was an old road on the left side of the drainage heading down the drainage so I got on that and hiked along that. I was on that for a little awhile and came across 5 more cascades and a wf before I reached a small drainage on my right at coordinates 35.73913, -93.24771. I could see some neat rock formations up there so I crossed the big drainage and followed the small drainage up the hill. I came across 2 more wf's and cascades while working my way up before I left the drainage and started hiking along the bluff line and by the rock formations at coordinates 35.74046, -93.24529. I hiked along the bluff line and came across many rock formations, features and shelters. I spent time inside the shelters, taking photo's and marking all the features. I ended up following the bluff line all the way until the hillside came to the next drainage. I'd seen a nice waterfall coming off the bluff and into the drainage. This falls is Ignoto Falls. I took a snack break there and took many photo's and marked the falls. After I was done there, I looked at my gps and decided to hike down that drainage and back to Rock Creek. While working my way down the drainage, I came across 2 more cascades and wf 9. I ended up on another old road while working my way down that drainage. When I reached Rock Creek, I took a right and seen that the old road continued in the direction I was going so I hiked along since it went along the creek. I passed by a couple of wide cascades in rock creek while hiking along the old road. I eventually reached the big drainage on my right that I was planning to go up and explore. I took the right and it was wide at first and the hike up it wasn't bad for the first 3rd of the way up it. I came across 3 more cascades while working my way up the drainage before reaching wf 10. I took photo's and marked them all. The hills started getting steeper and the drainage was narrower past wf 10. I had to again go over, under and around downed tree's. I eventually reached this big bluff to my left that had water coming off of it in 2 parts. Water was coming off to the left and then water was coming off of it straight in front of me. Water was coming off more straight in front so I named that one Upper Rock Creek Falls 1 and the one to the left Upper Rock Creek Falls 2. I spent awhile there taking photo's and a lunch break. After I was done there, I continued hiking up the drainage. Thankfully this bluff was to the left of the drainage and not right in the middle of the drainage because then I would have had to find a way to get above it to continue up the drainage but I didn't have to do that. As I was working my way up the drainage, I came across wf 13 before reaching another big bluff to my right this time but this bluff was right along the water and curved with it. Again, water was coming off it in 2 places. I named the first falls Bluff Line Falls. I took some photo's of that and marked it. I then kept hiking by the water along the bluff and seen even a better wf up ahead coming off the bluff. Part of the bluff here is sticking out making the water coming off split into 2 parts so I named it Rock Creek Split Falls. I took photo's and marked it as as spending about 20 minutes there enjoying the area. The bluff curved around to the left so I did have to work my way up the hill to get above Rock Creek Split falls. After I got above it, I continued working my way up the drainage. The hills are getting even steeper now and the drainage is narrower. I came across 3 more wf's and another cascade before I looked at my gps. I'd seen where I was on my gps map and decided that it was time to cut over along the hillside to the next drainage that I was planning to hike down and back to Rock Creek. I started heading up hill at coordinates 35.74381, -93.23105 and the first few hills were steep but then they got more gradual up higher. I worked my way up and along the hills to coordinates 35.74776, -93.23176 and then seen on my gps that I could start heading down hill to the other drainage. The last couple of hills were steep getting down into the drainage. After I got down into the drainage, I started hiking downstream and came across 1 wf and 7 more cascades while working my way back down to Rock creek. There were downed tree's again that I had to deal with. The drainage got wider halfway down it. Once I reached Rock creek, I was back on the old road again and hiking along the creek. I passed by 2 more cascades and another wf before reaching Delto Falls on the left. I spent some time there taking photo's and marking it. When I was done there, I looked at my gps to see how much further I had to go to reach the drainage I was planning to hike up to get back up high and back to my vehicle. It was getting close to 5:00 pm at that time. I kept hiking along the old road by the creek until I reached the big drainage on my right that I had to hike up. While working my way up the drainage, I came across 7 more cascades and 4 more wf's. I took photo's and marked them all. The drainage got narrower half the way up it and the hills got steeper. I went a little ways further up the drainage past wf 25 and didn't see much more so I decided to start hiking up the hills and back to Parker Ridge Rd at coordinates 35.75386, -93.22818. I reached an old road while working my way up the hills at coordinates 35.75156, -93.22816 and hiked along that back to Parker Ridge Rd. I took a right onto Parker Ridge Rd when I reached it and hiked along it back to my vehicle. Hopefully water will be running better the next time I hike around this area.