Guide to Waterfalls near Eureka Springs

• Location: Huntsville, AR
• Distance from us: 14.8 miles
• When to visit: Spring or fall

Tea Kettle Falls, located in Huntsville, Arkansas, gets its name from its appearance: It resembles a tea kettle and spout. The 46-foot waterfall pours through a hole in a rock bluff into a beautiful pool at the bottom of the falls. A shallow cave has been carved out around the waterfall, allowing you to walk behind it. Tea Kettle Falls only flows after decent rainfall, so plan your trip accordingly.

Getting to Tea Kettle Falls requires a somewhat difficult one-mile hike. The trail is not marked well and can be difficult to follow. In warm weather, you may want to simply walk in Warm Fork Creek, which runs along the trail and leads directly to the waterfall. Along this route, you'll also get a nice view of Reynold's Falls about 100 yards before you get to Tea Kettle Falls.

• Location: Kingston, Arkansas
• Distance from us: 46.7 miles
• When to visit: Spring

Sweden Creek Falls is located in Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area, close to Kingston, Arkansas. The falls drop 80 feet from the top of a canyon bluff, making it one of the tallest waterfalls in Arkansas. There is lots of room to walk behind the falls at its base; in fact, you can explore the area without getting wet. Besides Sweden Creek Falls, the Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area has plenty of cascading falls for you to explore nearby.

Two trails are available to get to Sweden Creek Falls. Both begin in the parking lot for Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area. After a half mile, the trail splits, with one fork going to the top of the falls and the other heading to the bottom. The trail to the top is fairly easy. The trail to the bottom is difficult, with rocky, muddy, slick sections. Either way, you get excellent views of the falls. For a real treat, head to the Sweden Creek Falls in spring. Recent rainfall is more likely then, and the Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area is usually covered with wildflowers.

• Location: Huntsville, AR
• Distance from us: 20.3 miles
• When to visit: Early spring

Eagle's Nest Falls (Fish Trap Falls), located in Huntsville, Arkansas, is a beautiful waterfall that is split by a large slab into two distinct sections. The main section falls straight down for 41 feet, while the smaller section flows at an angle to the main section. At the base of the falls is a huge shelter cave you can explore.

Getting to Eagle's Nest Falls is relatively easy. From the King's River Overlook Trail, you just take a side spur to get down the bluff from the overlook. You'll see the top of the falls after a short hike. (Be careful here, especially if you're hiking with kids. The edge of the bluff is slippery and steep, and it's a long way down.) 

• Location: Compton, AR
• Distance from us: 49.9 miles
• When to visit: Early spring

Billed as the tallest waterfall between The Rockies and the Appalachians, Hemmed-In Hollow Falls is a single-drop waterfall that plummets 209 feet. Located in the Buffalo National River Wilderness Area, the waterfall is surrounded on three sides by massive 200-foot bluffs. The falls are most impressive in early spring, when rainfall in the area is heaviest, or anytime significant rainfall has occurred nearby. If you have the proper equipment, you can rappel from the bluffs at the top of the falls. Keep in mind that a fall would likely be fatal.

Getting to Hemmed-In Hollow Falls is difficult. Getting back is even more difficult. The hike from the Compton Trailhead is 5.7 miles out-and back. The trail is steep, with an elevation gain of around 1300 feet, and lots of loose rock. Give yourself 2-4 hours to complete the hike.