Photo: Dameon Hudson · CC BY 3.0Glory Hole Falls
Worth a detour
Is it plungeworthy?
A plunge on Dismal Creek.
The details
- Type
- Plunge
- Watercourse
- Dismal Creek
- Coordinates
- 35.82211, -93.39351
About Glory Hole Falls
Glory Hole Falls is a 31-foot plunge in Arkansas, on Dismal Creek.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Glory Hole Falls 6/10 — worth a detour. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Arkansas's great novelty falls: the creek has drilled a circular hole clean through the roof of an overhanging bluff cave, and the water free-falls about 30 feet through the opening into the grotto below — a ceiling faucet instead of a cliff.
You can walk into the chamber and stand behind and beneath the falling water — nothing like a standard cliff-face falls.
Wet weather only. Dry spells leave the hole and cave intact but switch the water off.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Unmarked pull-off on AR-16/21, south of Boxley Valley near Fallsville
- Parking
- Roadside gravel pull-off — no official lot
- Road
- Paved AR-16/21
- Hike
- 2 mi round trip, 400 ft of climb (moderate)
- Heads up
- ~1.1 miles each way, downhill in — which means uphill out. Unofficial, unmarked trail with rocky and muddy stretches.
When to go
Strictly rain-fed: spring and the days after a good storm are the window; much of summer and fall it's dry.
Photographers cluster on post-storm weekends; midweek is far quieter.
Long pants and bug spray earn their keep in warmer months — parts of the trail grow over.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- None — Ozark National Forest, no fee
- Dogs
- Permitted; leash recommended
- Hours
- No fixed hours
- Camping
- Dispersed camping per standard Ozark NF rules (100 ft from water); no campground at the site
- Warnings
- No railings anywhere — the hole in the cave roof is an open drop, and the rock around it is slick when wet.
Researched from Arkansas.com — Glory Hole Falls · AllTrails — Glory Hole Waterfall Trail. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Glory Hole Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
How tall is Glory Hole Falls?
Glory Hole Falls drops about 31 feet, in Arkansas.
Where is Glory Hole Falls?
Glory Hole Falls is a waterfall in Arkansas, at 35.82211, -93.39351.
Is Glory Hole Falls worth visiting?
Worth a detour — Plungeworthy rates it 6/10.
Gear for the trip
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