The Richland Creek Wilderness Area is one of the most difficult places to visit. It is 14.5 miles from the nearest paved road. Why go, the campsite is closed? Two waterfalls, Devil’s Fork Falls and Richland Falls. The terrain is rough, the trail is unmarked, and crosses Richland Creek numerous times. Hiking was slow, roughly 1 mile per hour. It took me nearly two hours to find Devil’s Fork and I was busting it to beat the setting sun.
But the waterfall was excellent even without much water! I found a good campsite on the north side of the creek. It hadn’t been used in a long time. Fortunately a downed tree provided great firewood.
I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking but I do need mention AR State Highway 123 between Sam’s Throne and Mt. Judea. This is simply a beautiful drive, just remember to go slow and enjoy the view. I also must re-mention Highway 374, another great drive. In fact, there is a mountain top north of this road that I would love to call me own. It is off County Road 272. So good were the views that I met a man and his daughter at Pizza on the Square in Jasper who traveled from from Springfield, MO just to enjoy the drive in their Ferrari 360. Jealous 🙂
Richland Wilderness Area |