Kings River Falls

Overview

Kings River Falls is a short(1.2 miles round trip)hike and turns out to be 9 miles further down the road from Hawksbill Crag. Though it is a short hike, it is worth mentioning because it's a beautiful scenic hike with falls and a swimhole at the end of it. These are the same falls that are on the front cover of ARKANSAS HIKING TRAILS by Tim Ernst.

We hiked here the same day we went to Hawksbill. It was a hot muggy day and was perfect for taking a dip in the swim hole. There's lots of rocks there too for sunning. Plenty of space in the water if you just want to wade in it and plenty of deep water closer to the falls.

Beware of snakes. The day we were there, we come across two dead ones near where we left our clothes and towels. When we got there, we noticed a wierd smell in the air. We thought it was something in the water but it had to have been the snakes. Someone must have stoned them to death a couple days before we were there. We didn't get a thorough look at them but there was definitely a diamondback pattern on them. We didn't notice them until after we were done with our swim. We might have thought twice before swimming had we seen them earlier but it was still fun to go for a dip.

How to get there

We did not go there directly from the crag. At the time we were not aware of the more direct route. Even if we were, the back roads weren't well marked so we wouldn't have known if we'd be on correct dirt road or not.

Going west on Arkansas Route 16, you'll cross into Madison County from Newton County. Eleven and one half miles from the county line you come into Boston which all that appears to be left is a white dilapidated building that used to be a general store. It is here that you make a right turn onto the small road (Route 27)there. Stay on this route for 2 miles and turn right when the road forks. Stay on this road for 2.5 miles and the road comes to an intersection. There will be times you swear you're about to enter someone's driveway but really you don't. At the intersection, make a left. Soon you will cross a creek and make the first right turn after the creek. In about a half mile you will see a barn along side the road. It is on the right you will see a small parking lot and the trailhead for the falls. .

The trail is a well worn path and follows a creek bed. Soon it meets up alongside the Kings River - turn left, follow the river downstream to the north and in a short time you will see the falls

Images

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