Waterfalls in Arkansas

Arkansas waterfalls: the Ozarks, the Ouachitas and what's between them

Arkansas's waterfalls fall into two mountain belts on either side of the Arkansas River Valley. In the north, the Ozark Plateau is cut into a maze of hollows, where sandstone caps over softer shale and dolomite let creeks drop off ledges into narrow canyons; the deepest of these, along the Buffalo National River, hold the state's tallest falls. In the west-central and southwest corner, the folded, east-west ridges of the Ouachita Mountains tend to step streams down in a series of shorter drops rather than one tall plunge. Between the two ranges, mesa mountains including Petit Jean and Mount Magazine add a few more. In all, 291 named falls are recorded here across 25 counties, most of them in the Ozarks.

Where the waterfalls are

The Ozark National Forest holds the largest concentration, in the Big Piney and Mulberry river country of Pope County and Johnson County, with more in Franklin County and Crawford County to the west. Newton County, inside the Buffalo National River and the Upper Buffalo Wilderness, has the deepest hollows and the tallest drops. East of there, dolomite bluffs above the White River hold dozens of small falls and "pouroffs" in Baxter County, Stone County and Searcy County. In the Ouachita Mountains, Montgomery County, Polk County and Howard County hold falls inside national forest wilderness areas, while Garland County and Saline County add smaller ones near Hot Springs. Conway County has the falls of Petit Jean Mountain, and Logan County has a few on Mount Magazine, the state's highest point.

Waterfalls worth the trip

• Hemmed In Hollow Falls, at 209 feet the tallest waterfall in the state, drops off a sandstone bluff in the Buffalo National River. The Compton Trailhead route is 5 miles round trip with nearly 1,400 feet of descent to regain on the way back.
• Cedar Falls in Petit Jean State Park drops 80 feet into Cedar Creek Canyon; the state park itself gives 90. The base trail from Mather Lodge is 2 miles round trip and strenuous, descending more than 200 feet of rock steps, while a separate quarter-mile stroll reaches an overlook.
• Eden Falls, 53 feet on Clark Creek, is 1.2 miles from the Lost Valley trailhead south of Ponca, past a natural bridge and a rock shelter; a spur climbs to a second, smaller fall inside a cave.
• Glory Hole Falls pours 31 feet through a hole worn in the roof of a rock shelter. The two-mile round trip from a pull-off near Ozone gains close to 500 feet and crosses the creek more than once.
• Little Missouri Falls steps down 20 feet over three tiers in the Ouachita National Forest, reached by an all-weather gravel road to a paved trail and observation points, with a picnic area at the lot.
• Katy Falls, a 10-foot drop tucked in the Caney Creek Wilderness, sits beside a trail junction on unmarked wilderness paths; heavy rain can flash-flood the creek crossings.
• Bridal Veil Falls near Heber Springs drops 45 feet a short walk from a city parking area off AR 25, with an overlook close to the lot and steep steps to the base.
• Twin Falls on Shop Creek runs about 50 feet in two strands, or three after rain, a short walk from a signed public parking area near Camp Orr; stay on the marked route and respect the camp's posted boundary.

When to go

Ozark and Ouachita falls run strongest in winter and spring, when rain and snowmelt fill the creeks; several of the smaller drops, including Cedar Falls and Twin Falls, thin out or nearly stop by mid-to-late summer without recent rain.

Fees, permits and closures

Arkansas State Parks, including Petit Jean, charge no general admission, with day-use areas open from sunrise to an hour after sunset. Buffalo National River charges no entrance, day-use or backcountry fee; check its current alerts before a trip. The Haw Creek Falls day-use area in the Ozark National Forest is open all year at no cost. A January 2026 exemption keeps Eden Falls Cave and Natural Bridge at Lost Valley open despite the park's wider cave closure. One former attraction is off-limits: Marble Falls, on the old Dogpatch USA property, sits behind the current owner's gates as a private nature park still unopened as of mid-2026.

Safety

Sandstone ledges and pouroffs across both ranges are wet, uneven and higher than they look from below. A 16-year-old died leaving the trail near the cave at Lost Valley in 2021, and a teenager died in 2012 after climbing rocks off the Cedar Falls Trail at Petit Jean. Swimming is banned in the pool at Cedar Falls, and rangers note frequent rescues on the Hemmed In Hollow trail. Stay on marked paths, keep back from bluff edges, and treat wilderness creek crossings with caution after rain, when they can flash-flood without warning.