Stepp Creek Falls
"There is a hidden message in every waterfall" - Mehmet Murat Ildan
Difficulty - ✹✹✹ (out of 5)
Scenic Beauty - ✰✰✰✰ (out of 5)
Directions Link - Click Here
Video Blog - Click Here
My daughter and I went to Stepp Creek Falls as a way to get out of the house during the Covid-19 shut down so we perused Mr Tim Ernst's waterfalls book with the intent to pick something that was out of the way and where we didn't expect to see any crowds. My daughter gets the credit for picking this one and it was an absolute gem. This is one of those places where the pictures truly did not do it justice and we were both blown away by the beauty and solitude of this place. These falls can be found in Newton county off highway 16 between Swain and Nail just off county road 8908.
Inside Info - To get there, go to highway 16 between Swain and Nail (closer to Nail) and turn on county road 8908. About 8 tenths of a mile the road will fork and you need to take the left fork. After about a quarter mile you'll pass a clearing with a cow pasture on both sides of the road. Just after the cow pasture, you'll see an old logging road on the left with 3 large rocks in the road that prevents you from driving further down the road. Park here. Proceed down the logging road until it makes a large curve to the left. At this point leave the road and follow the ravine on the left side down to the bottom until you reach Stepp Creek. Follow Stepp Creek downstream until you get to the falls (about 1/4 mile). Once you reach the top of the waterfall, the best way to get to the bottom is to wind your way down the right side of the falls near a bluff line. Be careful as some of these rocks are slick. This is really a beautiful and unique waterfall as it has two distinct layers with a bit of a twisting motion to it. We hit the jackpot the way we were there as it was flowing strong and the weather was absolutely sunny and perfect. There is a smaller fall about 100 yards downstream of the main falls and the water here pours into a beautiful round pool of water. From this point you can actually watch the water in both falls for a really spectacular view. Another fun thing at the lower falls is that you can actually work your way behind the fall for a pretty unique photo opportunity.
Final Word - I can't say enough how much I love this place and will definitely be going back in the future. I have been told that there are more falls below the spot that we stopped so there's more exploring to be done. This was a perfect place to practice social distancing on the day we were there as I am quite sure there was no one else for miles around. My daughter and my dog Huckleberry loved splashing in the creek and just soaking in the sun on what was a gorgeous day in the Ozarks. I gave this a difficulty rating of 3 only because the climb back out of the ravine can be a little strenuous so I don't recommend this for people with low stamina or mobility issues. But there was nothing particularly dangerous or risky about this hike.
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Trailhead Pic -
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Difficulty - ✹✹✹ (out of 5)
Scenic Beauty - ✰✰✰✰ (out of 5)
Directions Link - Click Here
Video Blog - Click Here
My daughter and I went to Stepp Creek Falls as a way to get out of the house during the Covid-19 shut down so we perused Mr Tim Ernst's waterfalls book with the intent to pick something that was out of the way and where we didn't expect to see any crowds. My daughter gets the credit for picking this one and it was an absolute gem. This is one of those places where the pictures truly did not do it justice and we were both blown away by the beauty and solitude of this place. These falls can be found in Newton county off highway 16 between Swain and Nail just off county road 8908.
Inside Info - To get there, go to highway 16 between Swain and Nail (closer to Nail) and turn on county road 8908. About 8 tenths of a mile the road will fork and you need to take the left fork. After about a quarter mile you'll pass a clearing with a cow pasture on both sides of the road. Just after the cow pasture, you'll see an old logging road on the left with 3 large rocks in the road that prevents you from driving further down the road. Park here. Proceed down the logging road until it makes a large curve to the left. At this point leave the road and follow the ravine on the left side down to the bottom until you reach Stepp Creek. Follow Stepp Creek downstream until you get to the falls (about 1/4 mile). Once you reach the top of the waterfall, the best way to get to the bottom is to wind your way down the right side of the falls near a bluff line. Be careful as some of these rocks are slick. This is really a beautiful and unique waterfall as it has two distinct layers with a bit of a twisting motion to it. We hit the jackpot the way we were there as it was flowing strong and the weather was absolutely sunny and perfect. There is a smaller fall about 100 yards downstream of the main falls and the water here pours into a beautiful round pool of water. From this point you can actually watch the water in both falls for a really spectacular view. Another fun thing at the lower falls is that you can actually work your way behind the fall for a pretty unique photo opportunity.
Final Word - I can't say enough how much I love this place and will definitely be going back in the future. I have been told that there are more falls below the spot that we stopped so there's more exploring to be done. This was a perfect place to practice social distancing on the day we were there as I am quite sure there was no one else for miles around. My daughter and my dog Huckleberry loved splashing in the creek and just soaking in the sun on what was a gorgeous day in the Ozarks. I gave this a difficulty rating of 3 only because the climb back out of the ravine can be a little strenuous so I don't recommend this for people with low stamina or mobility issues. But there was nothing particularly dangerous or risky about this hike.
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I went to Stepp Creek after watching your video but didn't find the falls. We'd had snow and rain which made for a wet and slippery hillside. I made it down to the creek but it seemed like I went a lot further than 1/4 mile on the logging road before I found a way down. I was limited on time once down by the creek because of a thunderstorm that came up and only saw a short section of it. Where I came down, there was a small rock outcrop and a small drainage was coming in from the South on the back side of it to join Stepp Creek. I went on down a ways from here until I found a giant rock sitting in the middle of the creek at a bend. Does any of this sound familiar? I'd like to figure out if I came out below Stepp Creek Falls or stopped short of it.
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