A Little Closer To Heaven

One of the easy descents…

I definitely don’t feel like a sissy after doing this crazy bushwack on Saturday. Indian Creek is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s also one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done. It’s definitely not for amatuers or the weak.

The adventure begins as a tiny creek no wider than 5 feet. After going downstream just a couple hundred yards, we found out really quick why this is not a recommended hike…and why it’s a photographer’s dream. We were treated to our first major waterfall, a 40 foot waterfall dropping into a box canyon and it was frozen solid all but a little trickle. Not much farther downstream another falls, and another, and another. The falls just keep coming.

What makes this hike so hard is that there is no trail to follow until you pick up the Buffalo River Trail almost 2 miles to where the stream converges with the Buffalo National River. It’s a combination of boulder hopping and even a little technical climbing. The problem is…there’s no easy way out of this place and once you go a little while…there’s no turning around and heading back. People fall and get hurt every year attempting this hike. Yet something draws you to go further and further downstream.

After several waterfalls and several steep descents down steep canyons, we emerged at the eye of the needle. This is a beautiful rock formation inside the creek with large hole in the middle that looks similar to a sewing needle. It has over a 100 foot drop on the other side. We were surrounded by walls on all sides and a very steep class 2 or 3 climb up and over the needle if we wanted to continue. Of course we did…and it got a little hairy at times. When we got to the top we were treatedwith what comes next…a descent that was just as steep. It took 10 minutes of controlled sliding on our rears before we reached the bottom. What we found at the bottom was another beautiful waterfall.

After leaving this fall we were treated to another steep descent followed by a class 3 scramble down a cliff that required use of a rope. However, at the bottom of this scramble was the most beautiful falls yet. I stopped to take several pictures:

This is the point where I almost died. I was busy photographing this beautiful waterfall when I heard a loud crash. I turned and looked at my buddy, Troy who was pale. I boulder larger than my head that originated from a cliff overhanging those falls had broken loose and fallen no more than five feet from my head! It was time to pack up and head out. Shortly after this point, we picked up a trail because we had arrived at the area of the creek used often. We followed it out to a nearby campground and then had a choice: A 5 mile hike straight uphill back to the truck or hitching a ride…it was 4:30 pm…we hitched a ride back to the top.

This place is an absolutely stunning area that gets very little use once you start getting to the technical climbs. Most people just wander over to the campground. Those people are missing out because the true beauty is on the other side of those climbs. It was one of the most rewarding, yet hardest hikes I’ve ever been on. Not to mention it provided for some of the best photos I’ve ever taken. I’ll definitely be going back again sometime.

How to get there: From Harrison, AR take Highway 7 South to Jasper. Turn Right onto 74. Follow 74 past Kyle’s Landing until you see a sign for Horshoe Canyon Ranch. Just across from the sign is a pond and a little dirt raod. The road dead ends at Indian Creek…just head downstream. A little word of advice: bring two vehicles and park one at Kyle’s Landing Campground. This hike is not for the weak of heart…or the weak of legs.

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