The Rand Road Four Falls Tour

A drive-between waterfall day

Most waterfall day trips ask you to hike miles between destinations. The Leatherwood Wilderness Four Falls Road Trip does something different — you drive between waterfalls along Rand Road, park at each one, take a short bushwhack down to the falls, and drive to the next. Four significant waterfalls, four short walks, one spectacular afternoon in the Leatherwood Wilderness just outside Big Flat.

The four falls — 77-foot Cougar Falls, 68-foot China Falls, quirky 18-foot Little Glory Hole, and 53-foot Crosscut Falls — are strung along the same gravel road like beads on a string, each requiring only a brief descent from the car. None of the individual hikes exceeds 0.6 miles round trip. The total driving distance between all four parking spots is just 1.3 miles along Rand Road. It is one of the most efficient waterfall days in the entire Buffalo River region — and one of the least crowded.

Save this trip for wet weather. All four falls pour over tall Leatherwood bluffs and are most spectacular with significant water behind them. In dry conditions they can slow to a trickle. Time your visit within a day or two of good rainfall and you will see four impressive waterfalls in a single relaxed afternoon.

The route at a glance

All four falls are accessed from Rand Road/FR#1118 off Hwy 341 north of Big Flat. Drive each parking spot, do the short bushwhack, return to the car, and drive to the next.

• From Big Flat head east on Hwy 14 for 3.8 miles, turn left onto Hwy 341.
• Go 2.3 miles and turn left onto Rand Road/FR#1118 — this is your road for all four falls.
• Mile 1.2 — Park for Cougar Falls (77 ft). Head down the hill into the drainage, follow the creek 0.3 miles to the top of the falls. Drop-down spot on the left for the best view.
• Mile 1.9 — Park for China Falls (68 ft). Bushwhack down the hill to the right — steep, zig-zag on the way back up. Hit the bluffline, turn right; hit the creek, turn left.
• Mile 2.1 — Park for Little Glory Hole (18 ft). Drop into the drainage and follow the creek down to the falls — the creek has drilled a hole through the bluff ceiling just like the famous Glory Hole near Ponca.
• Mile 2.5 — Park for Crosscut Falls (53 ft). Work down into the drainage and follow the creek to the top of the falls. Secondary falls off to the left. Get below the bluff for the full view.

The four falls

All coordinates

• Cougar Falls: 36.04055°N, 92.37685°W
• China Falls: 36.04380°N, 92.38364°W
• Little Glory Hole: 36.04842°N, 92.38603°W
• Crosscut Falls: 36.05048°N, 92.39205°W
• Quad: Big Flat

Bonus — the full loop option

For experienced bushwhackers looking for a more immersive experience, a 4.5-mile loop connects all four falls from the bottom rather than the top — 3.2 miles of bushwhacking plus 1.3 miles along the road. This longer route visits the base of each falls and offers a completely different perspective on the same canyon. Difficult navigation — GPS essential.

Time estimate

The driving route with four short bushwhacks takes most visitors 3 to 4 hours at a relaxed pace with time to photograph each falls. Add another hour if exploring below the bluffs at Crosscut Falls or doing extra exploration along the way.

Best time to visit

Late fall through spring (October–May) following significant rainfall. All four falls are seasonal pouroffs that can dry up completely in summer. Visit within 48 hours of good rain for the best flow across all four.

Combine with the Push Mountain Triple Falls

Big Flat is also the base for the Push Mountain Triple Falls — Helen's Pouroff, Woodsman Pouroff, and Cathedral Falls — just a few miles away off Hwy 341. Ambitious visitors can combine both trips into a full Leatherwood Wilderness waterfall weekend, covering seven significant waterfalls in two days from the same base camp in Big Flat.