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Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area
12/10/2011
The ongoing series of my exploration of the upper Buffalo Wilderness Area continues with an overnight hike into Bowers Hollow. The hiking party consisted of my brother Kelly, his son Chase, his friend Heath and myself. We parked at the parking area off FS 1410/CR 414 after a muddy drive from Hwy 16. There was still a fair amount of snow remaining mostly on the northern slopes, providing for mushy ground everywhere as the temps got above freezing. At 9:45 a.m. it was around 30 degrees but felt great due to the lack of wind and abundant sunshine. Max temp was in lower to mid 40's. There is a good trail heading east into the wilderness that we followed towards Bowers Hollow. The slope is very gradual and fairly clear of brush for the most part. We found logs crossing the trail with prints in the snow on them from what appeared to be a rabbit and possibly a bear.....quite a contrast. Bowers Hollow Falls had a moderate flow of water and is one of the coolest falls I have seen in Arkansas next to Twin Falls in Richland Creek Wilderness. This waterfall is nearly 60 feet tall and is surrounded by many undercut bluffs. The box canyon is deep and there is a handy stair-step slot on the north rim that allows access to the falls area. It is about 2/3 mile downstream of the falls.
The night was about as good as a cold winter's night can get with little to no wind, clear skies, a full moon and a low temp of 24 degrees. We had a great fire that burned from 6:00 to 11:00 and added warmth and beauty to what was already a perfect night. I stepped outside of my tent around 2:00 a.m. and could not believe how bright the woods around me were. We rose at 7:00 a.m. and were back on the trail by 8:30 as some needed to be back early. The snow was the only factor that kept this trip from being most excellent. The round trip was around 5 miles.
