Bowers Hollow Falls
A 56-foot pour-off into a three-sided amphitheater grotto — a perennial favorite of Arkansas hikers in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness.
- Height
- 56 ft
- Type
- Cascade
- District
- Upper
- Round trip
- 5 mi
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- Best season
- Spring
- Est. time
- ~4 hr
- Flow-dependent
- Yes
- Pet friendly
- No
- Coordinates
- 35.86135, -93.45776
Current conditions
- Rain 24h
- 0.00″
- Rain 72h
- 0.00″
- Rain 7d
- 0.37″
Next 3 days (preview)
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The falls
One of the most beloved waterfall destinations in all of Arkansas — ask local hikers their favorite and Bowers Hollow comes up again and again. The 56-foot falls drop into a stunning rock grotto surrounded by towering bluffs on three sides, giving it an amphitheater feel that photographs can't fully capture. A triple-tiered cascade leads into the main plunge, making it one of the most visually complex waterfall scenes in the region. Getting here takes commitment. The trailhead is accessed via steep, rough Cave Mountain Road off Highway 21 in Boxley Valley — 4WD strongly recommended, especially after rain. The hike follows an old forest road for about 2.5 miles before a bluff-line scramble down to the base. Dogs are allowed on leash. The Bowers Hollow parking lot is the staging point for a classic three-falls backcountry day — Bowers Hollow Falls, Smith Falls, and McClure Falls are all reached from this same trailhead and can be hit in a single (long) day with a GPS track.
What makes it special
A 56-foot drop into a three-sided rock amphitheater, fed by a triple-tiered cascade above the main plunge — one of the most visually complex waterfall scenes in the Ozarks.
History
Bowers Hollow lies inside the Upper Buffalo Wilderness, designated by Congress in 1974 to protect the headwaters of the Buffalo River. The area has been left intentionally trail-less and primitive.
Caves & springs
The hollow walls are lined with the deep bluff shelters typical of the Boston Mountains — dry overhangs that historically sheltered wildlife and the occasional traveler.
Cave Mountain Road is steep and rough — 4WD strongly recommended, especially after rain. The final approach is a bluff-line scramble with no maintained trail, and the rock surfaces around the pour-off are slick when wet.
Getting there
From Highway 21 in Boxley Valley, turn onto Cave Mountain Road and follow it up the steep, rough climb to the trailhead at 35.86135, -93.45776. 4WD strongly recommended, especially after rain. From the parking area, follow the old forest road about 2.5 miles, then scramble down the bluff line to the base of the falls. Smith Falls and McClure Falls also start from this same parking lot.
On the same trailhead