cedar falls trail

This is a gorgeous trail to go hiking on. There are some beautiful waterfalls at the end of the trail as well.

Cedar falls is the best known natural waterfall that falls 96 feet in Arkansas. If you are reading this review its probably because you want to hike to the falls in the near future. so let me get straight to the point.PLEASE NOTE: 1. waterfalls are their best when it rains, I went in August and as you can see from my photos, there wasnt much water.2. It isnt so much about the waterfall than then 2 1/4 mile challenging hike to the waterfall3. The trail is rough and will fight you all the way.4. The first ½ mile descends more than 200 feet down steps cut from rock by the Civilian Conservation Corps more than 60 years ago. 5. The trailhead starts behind Mather Lodge.6. The website lists the Difficulty as Moderate to strenuous. For most people like me it will be more strenuous, but I lived to tell the tale and write the review so if I can, you can!WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR THIS HIKE:1. The website recommends: Only those in good shape should attempt this walk. The park staff recommends wearing shoes or boots that provide ankle support and a firm grip. It might seem a whole load of fuss for a 2 1/4 mile round trip hike, YOU WILL HAVE A TOUGH TIME IF YOU HAVE FLIP FLOPS OR SOMETHING EQUALLY FLIMSY ON YOUR FEET.2. There is nothing available on this trail. Carry at least 2 bottles of water, some snacks or lunch if you want to eat down there. Remember the more you carry the more difficult it gets to walk. I was stupid enough to carry my DSLR trying to hike and take pics. Bad idea. I found I needed two hands to balance and grasp rocks, so my camera soon went into my backpack and it was heavy.3. A good sturdy walking stick is recommended.4. Start early in the day and give yourself at least 3-4 hours. took us an hour and 1/2 to climb down and 30 min down at the waterfall and 1 1/2 hours to climb up again.Now remember I live in Texas, its all flat there, so I found this hike pretty tough! Also I am short and was glad to have the help from my friend over several areas of rocks where my legs just wouldn't reach. Hike with a friend.You do not want to hike that trail as it is getting dark.5. Take a break at the bottom at the falls because you have to climb back what you descended.AT THE FALLS:you can cross over a rather rocky area ( there is no specific path) and make your way to stand under the falls if that appeals to you. It is rather slippery.WHY HIKE TO THE FALLS?its the challenge of being able to conquer your fears and do something that is totally out of my comfort zone, thats why I did it and I really liked that I was successful at it! The falls in August were scraggly at best, but that didnt matter :) I will confess the lower we descended and the farther I got from the starting point, the more conscious I was that I would have to climb all that again!THE CEDAR FALLS OVERLOOK:The overlook is just off of Highway 154 within Petit Jean State Park (see “Getting There” in this post). There is a large parking area. At the base of the parking area, there is a wooden ramp with metal railings that leads you down to the overlook area. The ramp is handicapped accessible, and only a couple of hundred yards to get to. The view is a beautiful scenic view of Cedar Creek Canyon and Cedar Creek Falls that sit roughly 800 feet below, You can barely see the falls. having hiked down to the falls, I thought this was entirely avoidable :) but it was a nice walkWOULD I GO TO CEDAR FALLS AGAIN?This is a question I always end my reviews with. hmmmm. probably during another season. I have seen pics of this falls frozen and that would be interesting. I would also like to see the falls in full flow. BUT having been there once I do not like the idea of hiking that trail in the dead of winter or just after the rains :) This is not to dissuade you. Do go on the trail, just go prepared!I hope you find this review useful and you like my photos of the trail and the falls :)