Jeff's Arkansas Hiking Blog: West Dismal Creek Waterfalls - Arkansas Ozarks - by Edwards Junction

2/15/2022 - West Dismal Creek Waterfalls (WF)

GPS Coordinates: (Latitude, Longitude, Elevation)

Parking Area: 35.79810, -93.41594

Cascade 1: 35.79332, -93.40870

Cascade 2: 35.79359, -93.40859

WF 1: 35.79368, -93.40846

Cascade 3: 35.79461, -93.40836

Cascade 4: 35.79578, -93.40777

Cascade 5: 35.79588, -93.40779

Cascade 6: 35.79801, -93.40927

Cascade 7: 35.79802, -93.40927

Cascade 8: 35.79846, -93.40825

Cascade 9: 35.79868, -93.40843

WF 2: 35.79901, -93.40845

Cascade 10: 35.79907, -93.40845

Cascade 11: 35.79922, -93.40846

Cascade 12: 35.79959, -93.40844

WF 3: 35.79983, -93.40830

Rogers Double Story Falls: 35.79997, -93.40852

WF 5: 35. 80039, -93.40872

WF 6: 35.80086, -93.40813

Cascade 13: 35.80221, -93.40816

Cascade 14: 35.80225, -93.40819

Cascade 15: 35.80232, -93.40819

Cascade 16: 35.80267, -93.40820

WF 7: 35.80315, -93.41226

Cascade 17: 35.80344, -93.41330

WF 8: 35.80358, -93.40680

Cascade 18: 35.80418, -93.40755

Cascade 19: 35.80485, -93.40796

Cascade 20: 35.80497, -93.40799

WF 9: 35.80649, -93.40911

WF 10: 35.80660, -93.40928

Cascade 21: 35.80682, -93.40949

Cascade 22: 35.80700, -93.40967

Cascade 23: 35.80728, -93.40976

WF 11: 35.80730, -93.40988

Cascade 24: 35.80799, -93.40992

Cascade 25: 35.80848, -93.40041

cascade 26: 35.80833, -93.40003

Cascade 27: 35.80745, -93.39790

Cascade 28: 35.80519, -93.39782

Cascade 29: 35.80504, -93.39778

West Dismal Creek Falls: 35.80468, -93.39771

WF 13: 35.80467, -93.39776

Shelter: 35.80401, -93.40012

WF 14: 35.80428, -93.40094

Gundersen Shelter Falls: 35.80466, -93.40305

WF 16: 35.80453, -93.40298

Markers

Blue waypoints = Named WF

Black waypoints = Unnamed WF

Orange waypoints = Cascade

Hiker Symbol = Old Road

Shelter Symbol = Shelter

Rock Symbol = Rock Formation

Running Person Symbol = Access Point

Car Symbol = Parking Area

Level of Difficulty: Hiking along the old road is easy. The hills down to the drainage is moderate to strenuous. The hike down the drainage is mostly moderate except for the times that you have to either go over, under or around downed tree's. There is the steep hill you have to go down to get below Rogers Double Story Falls. It's the same story with getting below Dismal Creek falls. The hike along the main creek and the bluff line is moderate. The hike up the drainage gets tight and is strenuous at times. You have to go up some steep hills at first before you reach more gradual hills to cut over to the other drainage to go down. When you are hiking down hill to the other drainage, the hills start out moderate but get more steep as you get closer to the drainage. The hike in the drainage and long it is moderate except again for when you have to go over, under or around downed tree's. The hike to get out after you cross the creek back to the side you came in on starts off strenuous because you have to climb up 2 parts to get up above the bluffs. The hills start off steep as you are working your way up but then they get more gradual as you get higher and reach the old road. The hike out along the old road is easy.

Hiking Statistics of Loop: 6.28 miles / Ascent is 892 ft / Descent is 891 ft /

The Green track on my maps I provided at the bottom is the West Dismal Creek track. You have to drive a little ways along the CR that is at coordinates 35.80931, -93.41795 off of Hwy 21 to reach the parking area. This road is off of Hwy 21 just down the road south from the Glory Hole parking area. At the parking area, there is an old road on the left side that Dismal Creek is on to hike along to the drainage. I hiked along the old road until I was just about at the tip of the drainage and then started bushwhacking to my left down the hill at coordinates 35.79384, -93.41149. After I got down into the drainage, I took a left and started heading down the drainage. I came across a couple of cascades before reaching the first waterfall. I took some photo's of the waterfall and marked it and then continued hiking down the drainage. I then came across 6 more cascades before reaching waterfall 2. The hike was moderate so far down in the drainage except for the times of having to climb over or going up and around some downed tree's. After I took my photo's of that waterfall, I continued hiking down the drainage and came across another couple of cascades. I then seen a small waterfall to my right and went over to that. After I was done there, I went back to the drainage and looked down the drainage and could see that there was a drop off coming up so I knew I was about to be at the top of a decent size waterfall. I used the hillside to the left of the top of the waterfall to get down below Rogers Double Story Falls. I went in the middle of the falls with there being multiple levels and took photo's and a video before I worked my way down to the bottom of the falls. I took many photo's and marked the waterfall and then took a break there for awhile. After I was done with my break, I continued hiking down the drainage and quickly seen another waterfall to me left. I went up to it and took photo's and then headed back in the drainage and continued down it and them came across waterfall 6. After I was done there, I could see on my gps that I was getting close to the bottom and the creek. I came across 3 more cascades before reaching the creek. I had been here once before with a couple of friends and we took a left in the main creek and went a ways. There is another waterfall and cascade up that way but this time, I decided to just take a right into the main creek and skip that part because of the area I wanted to cover. I hiked downstream in the creek until I reached the drainage on my left that I had planned to hike up and explore for the first time. I didn't do this part the first time. There is a natural spring falls just to the right of the drainage before you start heading up it. I took some photo's of it and marked it. As I was hiking up the drainage, I came across 3 cascades before reaching a neat rock formation up to my right. I went up to the rock formation and took pictures and marked it. I then went back to the drainage and continued my way up the drainage. I then reached waterfalls 9 and 10 in the drainage before passing by 3 more cascades. I marked them all and took photo's. I looked at my gps to see how far up the drainage I was and decided to go up it a little further before working my way up the hill. I them came across waterfall 11 and then another cascade. At that point, I decided that it was time to work my way up the hill to my right and cut over to the other drainage that I will be going down and back to the main creek. I started heading up hill at coordinates 35.80797, -93.40984. I worked my way up the steeper hills to coordinates 35.80831, -93.40770. I then took a left to get up the more gradual hills to where the terrain was level. I went along the more level terrain until I reached coordinates 35.81010, -93.40673 and then headed all the way down to the drainage, whjch is at coordinates 35.80916, -93.40365. After I reached the drainage, I started heading down it. I came across just 5 cascades while working my way down it back to the main creek. Once, I was close to the main creek, I was at the top of Dismal Creek Falls. I used the hill on the left side of the top of the falls to get down below the waterfall. The access point to get down below it is at coordinates 35.80476, -93.39756. After I got below, I took many photo's and marked the waterfall and then took a break there for awhile. There is a smaller waterfall just below Dismal Creek Falls. When I was done taking my break, I decided to hike along the bluffs to the left to see what was there and came across both waterfalls 14 and 15. After I was done there, I looked at the time and realized that I should start heading back towards where I started. I hiked along the bluff line back to Dismal Creek falls and then went across the drainage to continue hiking along the bluff line instead of going down to the main creek and hiking along that since I had hiked in the main creek before. There was some nice features along the bluff line and I eventually reached a shelter. I stopped there and took some photo's and marked it. After I was done there, I continued hiking along the bluff line and came across waterfall 14 and another feature before I reached the small drainage where I knew Gundersen Shelter Falls would be. I spent a lot of time there enjoying it and taking photo's as well as marking it. When I was done there, I just hiked down that drainage to the main creek. There is a smaller waterfall in that drainage before you reach the main creek. Once I got down to the main creek, I had to decide which way I was going to go to get myself back to my vehicle. I decided to just cross the creek and start heading up hill. I got myself above the bluffs at coordinates 35.80357, -93.40238 and 35.80337, -93.40179. After I got up those parts, I took a right and started hiking up the hill at an angle towards the top and towards the drainage on that side I first went down from the old road. I eventually reached the old road at coordinates 35.79754, -93.40517. I followed the old road all the way from there back to my car.