• Falling Beauty

Whether you capture the beauty of Ozark Mountain waterfalls in your mind or on film, the spectacular falls that come to full life in the spring and winter in the Ozarks are worth seeking out in their wilderness homes. Directions to each of the dramatically beautiful falls in the Ozark Mountain Region are provided below.

Twin Falls

A rugged one mile hike from Richland Creek Campground takes you to this beautiful site. To reach the falls, from U.S. Hwy. 65 north of Marshall, take Hwy. 74 west to Snowball; then take Hwy. 37 south to Witts Springs. At Witts Springs, take Hwy. 16 west ½ mile to Forest Service Road 265, then Forest Service Road 1205; turn right to Richland Creek Campground. At Ponca, ask one of the local outfitters for directions. You'll have to hike in anywhere from 3.5 to 5 miles (one way) depending on your choice of trailhead.

Falling Water Falls

No hiking is required to view this Ozark vision. To reach Falling Water Falls, follow the same directions as Twin Falls except turn left on Forest Service Road 1205.

Both Forest Service Roads 265 and 1205 are gravel surfaced, steep, winding and narrow. Low clearance vehicles may have difficulty. A map to these falls is available at the Searcy County chamber office on Hwy. 65 at Marhshall.

Lost Valley

Part of a 3.5 mile round trip hike, your visit to the Lost Valley falls begins just off Hwy. 43 between Boxley and Ponca at the Lost Valley Campground. Eden Falls and a magnificent 35 foot underground waterfall make the hike worth the effort. Visitors to the Lost Valley Cave must have three sources of light.

Hemmed-In-Hollow

This 225 foot waterfall on the Buffalo National River is located between Steel Creek and Kyles Landing. Not accessible by car, the falls can be reached from the Buffalo river or by trail through the Ponca Wilderness Area. Check with park rangers or canoe outfitters in the area for specific directions.

Tips for Photographing Waterfalls

• Use a single-lens reflex camera
• A slow shutter speed should be used. A soft streaming effect, common in professional waterfall photography, can be achieved with a shutter speed of 1/8 second or slower
• Use a tripod. A cable release for the shutter will also prevent any unnecessary shaking of the camera as it takes the photograph
• Good, low ISO (spped) film is recommended. An Iso of 100 or lower can be used in many light conditions and will allow you to take photographs with a shutter speed of 1/8 second or slower. This low ISO will provide fine grain in your pictures, allowing for higher quality enlargements. For slower spped film, ISO 50 slide film.
• Overcast skies the worse the weather the better the pictures. The sun will give your pictures an extra spark but will also make it harder to get a slow shutter speed because of the extra light.
• The white water in a waterfall can cause your camera's light meter to register a value that will make the water look gray rather than white. So, overexpose a stop or two or take pictures at several different exposure settings. This also helps when including people in the photograph.
• Use of a polarizing and/or warming filter will eliminate a lot of the glare on the rocks in the waterfall, creating a more attractive picture. A warming filter will also eliminate the blush tint water can take in lower light conditions.
• Don't waste shots on very low volume waterfalls or shots with a great deal of surrounding terrain. Avoid shots between noon and 2 o'clock on a sunny day when the sun is directly overhead. In the first two instances, the waterfall will look overshadowed by surrounding terrain. It's a good idea not to take a picture if you can't fill 30% to 40% of the frame with water. The sunny day, high noon shot will almost always result in a bad picture. Wait until the waterfall is in complete shade.