Paige Falls
Swimming HoleA short, spring-fed turquoise plunge that holds water year-round — shares a trailhead with Broadwater Hollow Falls.
- Height
- 8 ft
- Type
- Cascade
- District
- Upper
- Round trip
- 0.6 mi
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Best season
- Spring
- Est. time
- ~15 min
- Flow-dependent
- Yes
- Pet friendly
- No
- Coordinates
- 36.10542, -93.26714
Photo © David Rives
Current conditions
- Rain 24h
- 0.00″
- Rain 72h
- 0.00″
- Rain 7d
- 0.10″
Next 3 days (preview)
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The falls
Paige Falls is a short but intensely turquoise 8-ft plunge into a deep, vivid blue pool in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness near Compton. Because the pool is spring-fed, Paige holds water and color even when most Ozark falls have gone dry. It shares a trailhead with Broadwater Hollow Falls — the two falls sit back-to-back on the same short 0.6-mile easy bushwhack, with Broadwater Hollow just ~200 yards downstream as the taller 21-ft ledge drop. If you're already at Paige, Broadwater Hollow is only about a 2–3 minute walk further down the creek — most visitors hit both in the same trip.
What makes it special
A short, intensely turquoise 8-ft plunge into a deep, spring-fed pool. Because it's spring-fed, Paige holds water and color even when most Ozark falls have gone dry. Shares a trailhead with Broadwater Hollow Falls just downstream.
History
Paige Falls was named in memory of Paige Slape, a 17-year-old local girl who lived near the area. She was tragically killed in a car accident on the very first day of her summer vacation. Because the beautiful 8-ft waterfall sits nestled in Broadwater Hollow near her community, the landmark was named in her honor to serve as a lasting memorial to her life. Renowned Arkansas outdoorsman Tim Ernst helped document and solidify the name in his widely-read regional trail guidebooks. The falls sit in the Broadwater Hollow drainage of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness near Compton — a quiet, lightly-traveled 'hidden gem' for local hikers and photographers for decades.
Caves & springs
Paige Falls is widely reported to be spring-fed, which keeps its pool an unusually vivid blue and maintains flow long after seasonal falls in the area have gone silent.
Broadwater Hollow Road is notoriously rough and often requires a high-clearance vehicle, especially after rain. The wet rocks around the pool are covered in thin algae and are deceptively slick.
Getting there
Trailhead: Paige Falls / Broadwater Hollow parking area (36.10500, -93.26707 — Ponca Quad, UTM 475977E, 3995418N). Broadwater Hollow Road is rough and steep — a 4WD vehicle is highly recommended to get down to the parking area safely, especially after rain. From the parking area, it's a 0.6-mile easy bushwhack to the falls — no GPS required. Use the map link below for turn-by-turn driving directions.
On the same trailhead
