Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A hiker’s delight
Petit Jean a fantastic state park for a variety of reasons
Between fishing trips, now is a great time for a waterfall safari at Petit Jean State Park or for a brisk mountain hike.
I visited Saturday for a hike to Cedar Falls, which tumbles 95 feet off a cliff into a deep hollow. All of the creeks in the area were swollen, giving full splendor to every waterfall in the state.
Cedar Falls is one of the the state’s highest continuously flowing waterfalls. Literally that claim is accurate, but requires a disclaimer. My partner showed me a photo she took in mid autumn, during the drought. The fall, a mere trickle, appeared to be suffering from a greatly enlarged prostate.
It certainly was healthy Saturday, and it was well worth the hike into the canyon to see it. The trailhead is behind Mather Lodge, one of the park’s signature features. From the trailhead it’s a near vertical descent down a well designed and heavily traveled trail that contains a lot of well-placed rocks and stepping stones that provide sure footing. On the way down you’ll pass several springs which are running full right now.
Once in the canyon, it’s a fairly short walk to the falls. It plunges into a wide pool with a thunderous roar. The rush of water and spray creates a refreshing breeze that provided cool respite after the descent.
Cedar Falls is a favorite destination for photographers. The mist created a lot of rainbows near the pool, but I never could capture one to my satisfaction.
The surefooted can walk the steep sides above the pool and weave behind the falls to the other side and back.
There’s a price to pay for this hike. It’s one mile from the trailhead to the falls, almost all downhill. That means it’s also a mile out, almost all uphill. A 59-year old cancer survivor, it gratifies me immensely to be only lightly winded at the end of this ascent.
There’s much more to Petit Jean State Park than Cedar Falls. The park covers almost 3,500 acres atop a vast, flattopped mountain for which it is named.
One of the most remarkable geologic features in the region, Petit Jean Mountain is technically a castoff from the Ouachita Mountains, but its topographic, hydrologic, and arboreal profile is more typical of the Ozarks. It sits alone on the south side of the Arkansas River Valley at the eastern fringes of both mountain ranges, so it’s not really part of either range. Its true identity is as mysterious as Petit Jean herself, the person for whom the park is named, but whose real identity is unknown. A visit to her grave is the first recommended stop when entering the park.
For hikers, Petit Jean State Park has 24 miles of trails. Besides the Cedar Falls Trail, you can also hike the 4.2-mile Seven Hollows Trail. It starts down a steep, hogback spine and crosses four (not seven) deep hollows. The multicolored sandstone is unique, but a feature called the Grotto is the highlight.
The Boy Scout Trail covers 12 miles. It visits most of the park’s signature landscapes including rock “glaciers,” creeks and hollows under a canopy of mature hardwoods.
Shorter hikes are available on the 1.25-mile Cedar Creek Trail, the 1-mile Canyon Trail, the .25-mile Rockhouse Cave Trail, and the .25-mile Bear Cave Trail.
Some decent fishing is available in 170-acre Lake Bailey. It’s heavily fished by casual anglers that are visiting the park. I have seen it surrender some nice stringers of chunky crappie. It also has bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish.
As we near camping season, Petit Jean State Park will really come into its own. Being atop a mountain, the park at 1,100 feet is cooler than the valley below. That matters in the summertime.
The campground has 127 sites distributed among four shady loops. Designed for RVs, sites have water and electric hookups, fire rings and grills. Each loop has a bathhouse with flush toilets and showers.
A modern visitor center has gifts, books, Arkansas-made crafts and a good selection of Stetson hats.