Lost Valley Trail

Lost Valley Trail is my new favorite hiking spot in Arkansas. Its located between Ponca and Boxley on the Buffalo National River. It is a very popular location and camping site. It also has a bathroom! The parking lot is very large, and the beginning portion of the trail is flat and handicap friendly.

The 2.1 mile trail is an out and back that follows Clark Creek. The creek is usually running but while I was there parts of it appeared dry. A sign on the trail said that the water is always running, it just goes underground. The trail forks about a mile in and I recommend staying right and following the creek. A small waterfall comes out of a natural bridge. My friends and I climbed through the small cave-like area. The water cut through the rocks in a really cool pattern and I used my iPhone light to see where we were going. On the other side of the natural bridge were some cool boulders that I climbed up to get back on the trail.

The next sight on the trail is Cob Cave. It is located about 1.0 miles down the trail. This cave is cut into a 200 foot bluff. According to Arkansas Hiking Trails by Tim Ernst, the cave was named many years ago after corncobs that were found there believed to be left behind by Indians. The veiw is hard to explain because the cave is so massive. The inner part of Cob Cave is visably dry and perfect shelter from weather. We did not spend much time here because Eden Falls is right up the trail. You can hear the water from the cave.

Eden Falls was honestly a completely breath taking view. I wasn’t expecting the waterfall to be as tall or fast-flowing as it was. The water was a beautiful blue. It looked like a scene from a magazine. We spent a while taking a lot of pictures here. It would be a nice and peaceful place to sit and rest in nature, but I am sure that on a normal day that spot would be packed. The last part of the trail becomes stairs. It lead ends at the entrance to Eden Falls Cave. You have to bring flash lights to go into the cave. I recommend head lamps so that both of your hands are free. The cave isn’t very deep, but the last part requires crawling. Inside the end of the cave is an internal waterfall. It is worth the effort to go through the cave to see it! Be careful climbing through the cave, one of my friends hit her head on the top and got a nice bump.