I’m writing this post on an afternoon ‘break’ from my little ones. They are happily playing in their playroom with each other.
How many weeks have we been practicing social-distancing now? I’m starting to lose track. We barely leave our house these days (I’m sure you can relate). When we do, we try to find quiet areas in nature to explore. It’s restorative.
Today, I’m happy to share a recent hike we enjoyed near the Buffalo National River.
smith creek nature preserve
Smith Creek is a tributary of the Buffalo National River. This land is protected by the Nature Conservancy. There are several destinations to explore in the preserve which is located near Boxley, Arkansas. We decided to hike from the main gate to Elise Falls which is .75 miles each way.
The trail begins going downhill. Keep in mind that you have to go back up this hill on the way back, which is a lot harder.
We enjoyed spotting a variety of colorful wildflowers.
Signage points towards Elise Falls. Head left at the junction.
Sections of the trail are narrow and fairly steep, but it was well maintained and easy enough for our preschoolers to hike (mostly) on their own.
Our girls found a nice boulder to rest on to enjoy a snack and water break.
Soon we crossed down into the creek bed. It’s easy to lose the trail at this point. We spotted a waterfall spilling into the pool on our left and headed towards it by crossing over the creek.
Your feet may get wet at this point. Once across the creek, we hiked uphill following the cascades.
This section of the trail looked to be more challenging for our little ones, so my husband went ahead to scope it out.
He arrived at Elise Falls and took a few pictures before heading back.
We decided that he would stay back with our youngest who is 3-years-old while I took our 5-year-old up to see the waterfall.
We held hands and took careful steps over mossy rocks and tree roots. The waterfall wasn’t far. This felt like an adventure for our daughter. She loved it!
We headed back along the same trail towards our car. We passed (from a safe social distance) a few other people and pups along the trail, but it wasn’t very busy.
If you are looking for a family-family adventure this spring. We think Elise Falls is a great waterfall hike.
Additional resources
I was first intrigued by this hike from a report I read from arkohiker.org. I also found a recent post on lostintheozarks.com and we read some reviews on AllTrails.com. I appreciate the hiking community here in Arkansas. It’s nice to know what we are getting ourselves into when hiking with kids.
more hikes in buffalo national river area
What is your favorite spring hike in Northwest Arkansas?
rocky mountain tot 