Jul 63 min read

Hidden Gems in Beautiful Arkansas

Updated: Jul 10

Chasing waterfalls in the lush forests of The Natural State

A cascade near Haw Creek Recreational Area in norther Arkansas — After an afternoon scouting hike to this location, I returned in the softer light of late afternoon to photograph this cascade we found in 2019.

In 2019 when my good friend Jon Fischer - then a stranger to me - organized a trip to Arkansas, I had no idea how beautiful it was, or that there were so many nice waterfalls and other locations so close to Texas (relatively speaking at 6-7 hours of driving from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex).

It was a fantastic trip, but the one negative was that we were there in early April, before the trees and foliage of the understory had really had a chance to fill in. Although I still came away with some photos I was - and still am - quite happy with, I knew I wanted to get back to Arkansas a bit later in the season when everything was leafed out.

A beautiful cascade along a stream leading to Haw Creek Falls in northern Arkansas — The same location as the first photo, taken in April of 2019 when the foliage was much thinner (although there was a much better flow of water rushing through the cascades).

My intention for my first full day at my campsite was to wake up early and hike back to a 20- to 30-foot waterfall that I knew about from the 2019 trip but hadn't visited. Instead, for the first time on a photography trip, I did something wild: I chose to relax.

I usually arrive at a location and hit the ground running. Often, by the fourth or fifth day of photographing, I hit a wall in terms of motivation and energy. Given it had been just a little over a month since my mom's sudden passing, I decided to show myself some grace at the start of this trip and just... relax.

I slept until almost noon (something I haven't willingly done in years), and then made a big breakfast at camp before finally heading out to the nearby stream and the trail that runs alongside it, without my camera, for the initial scouting hike.

A winding cascade along a stream leading to Pack Rat Falls in northern Arkansas — As I recorded video to talk through my process of refining a composition, I realized this setup further from the main cascade - in the distant background, here - offered the opportunity to include more of the winding stream in the foreground.

One thing that was wildly different on this trip is that I didn't use the 100-400mm long lens a single time. Nor did I photograph any small scenes. That was completely intentional for a couple reasons:

I wanted to be sure to capture the greater sense of place since I was in a location that I feel is quite overlooked by a lot of people.
Given this was my first visit in five years, and it was a fairly short trip, on top of there being a lot of drive time to get around the mountainous terrain, I didn't have a lot of time to immerse myself in the spots I visited.

I expect to delve into the finer details of Arkansas' forests over the course of future visits in the years to come.

A small waterfall near Haw Creek Falls, with a turquoise pool of water at its base — I wrapped up the day with this composition from the top of the main cascade I was focused on, in order to show off the lovely color of the water in the basin that's hidden from further downstream.

Given the failing light as the sun sank in the sky, I opted not to continue on to the taller waterfall I had scouted during the afternoon hours. I had a little trepidation over some of the slick boulder scrambles I'd have to make with my heavier backpack on - I still had the 100-400mm and my second camera body in the pack at this point - and didn't cherish the idea of making my way back through those same obstacles as the evening wore on and poor visibility added to the challenge.

I intended to make that trek the next morning, when I would be gaining light instead of losing it... but you'll have to tune in next week to see what came of those plans!

Join Me Behind the Scenes

I employed some different techniques and camera setups for this first Arkansas video which opened up new possibilities to walk you through my compositions as I worked to make each of the photos shared above.

If you enjoy the peaceful vibe of being out in the field with me, you'll still get that, but if you've been hoping for a bit more discussion around "teachable moments," I think you'll really enjoy this new approach, as well.

If you missed my recent Utah video series, catch up by checking out my Utah playlist.

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