Living in the south you have to take advantage of nice weather while you can. The summer heat and humidity can make the outdoors miserable and it gets cold enough in the winter to limit outdoor activity. So as soon as it was nice enough we were eager to go on another hike and enjoy some fresh air. While still new to hiking we prefer moderate hikes in the two to three mile range and found the perfect opportunity at Lake Catherine State Park in Hot Springs AR.
We took the Falls Branch Trail which is right off the park lot. This is a two mile loop trail with the waterfall near the end of the trail. I think this is important to mention for two reasons – a. If you are not up for a two mile trail, you can still enjoy the waterfall b. If you do take the full trail know that you don’t have a long hike out, unless of course you want one, than you’ll need to hike the way you came in instead of finishing the loop. There are longer trails as well if you just really want a challenge. I didn’t realize the waterfall was at the end of the trail so when I knew we had gone more than a mile I started to get worried when we were no where near the waterfall.
The trail is pretty worn and is well marked so you’d really have to wander off to get lost. The trail runs along or crosses the creek several times and you’ll see some tiny waterfalls along the way. There are two benches along the trail and I swear they had someone of my limited fitness level test the trail because I think they are both at the perfect spot for taking a quick break.
In reading other blogs about this trail prior to our hike no one mentioned the elevation gain so be advised the trail does start up going up hill and peaks at a nice overlook spot on horseshoe mountain.
As you go down hill the trail gets more narrow and goes from packed dirt with the occasional rock and root to lots of rocks and tree roots to be careful of so this slowed us down a bit. Good etiquette is to let faster groups pass but there are times on this trail where it’s too narrow for this. I wound up slipping on one narrow stretch of rocks to climb down and took a big purple bruise home as a souvenir, lol!
While heading down hill the trail passes by more tiny waterfalls and then levels out at a wide stream (Falls Creek). We found this to be a really pretty spot to enjoy and take in the natural beauty and we were lucky enough to come across another pair of hikers looking to swap photo taking.
At this point the waterfall is not far away and the trail takes you to the top of the falls. You can stand right on top of the falls but the flat rocks are a bit slippery and the water below is a shallow pool so you do not want to fall.
At the base of the falls there were many families who had set up to picnic or just enjoy the falls and this is when I realized there must be a back way in as there was a much bigger crowd than had been on the trail.
The final part of the loop back to the parking lot is flat and runs along the lake. It also crosses over a swinging bridge.
I really enjoyed this hike although I did question why we didn’t just take the easy way in, lol! The elevation gain was enough to have me a little out of breath but not enough to discourage me from going on. For me personally a hiking pole was a must but I saw plenty of other groups without them. I wore my hiking sneakers and do wish that I had worn my boots as I fell once and did mildly twist my ankle when we were going downhill. I’m a naturally clumsy person anyways and with carrying more weight than the average hiker I just don’t have 100% confidence in my footing right now.
I hope you get a chance to visit this beautiful spot. Although small the waterfall is gorgeous.