14 Middle Fork Illinois Bayou & Bayou Bluff Rec. Area

    This morning we got an early start with every intention of hiking to some waterfalls in Penhook Hollow. Besides being a long drive, there really isn’t a very direct route from the house, so we decide to take a leisurely route and check out some other places along the way. Once off the main highway we go through Dongola, then Snowball, Magic Springs and other remote locations.

below Left Mitten Falls

    Just over the Middle Fork Bridge, at the confluence of the East and Middle Forks of the Illinois Bayou. We turn north (right) onto Middle Fork Road.  This dirt road follows the Middle Fork Illinois Bayou north to where the road ends at the parking area for Penhook Hollow.  Along the way, with the river to our right and the steep hillside to the left are some nice roadside waterfalls.

below Deception Falls

    I later do some research and find out there are at least five of these roadside waterfalls here.  The last one we see is called Deception Falls and is quite impressive and at least 20 feet tall.  Luckily these are all pretty close to the road since everything is greening up now that we’re well into spring.  The Arkansas jungle seems really thick here along the river.

Left Mitten Falls

    Continuing on, we arrive at Snow Creek which crosses the road just before dumping into the Middle Fork.  Having studied some maps before the trip, I thought this would be a wet crossing, but I didn't think it would be this wet.  With all the rain just yesterday Snow Creek is a torrent of white water.  After about two seconds thinking about it, we decide there is no way we're going any farther (our little SUV 'Not a 4-Wheeler' would never make it).

at the Snow Creek crossing

    Right here next to the river is a nice large campsite. We pull in and look up and down Snow Creek for a spot we might cross without getting too wet.  We don’t find it, oh well, we give up on hiking Penhook Hollow today.  We walk over to Middle Fork which is only about a hundred feet from the campsite before heading back down the road to the highway.

Deception Falls

  Back at Highway 27 we turn south (right) and go a mile or less to the Bayou Bluff Recreation Area right on the Illinois Bayou.  I don’t know the dictionary definition of ‘Bayou’ but I thought a bayou was this lazy, sluggish waterway with maybe a few alligators here and there for some excitement.  The Illinois Bayou is anything but lazy or sluggish, while checking out the recreation area we watch three kayaks wiz past, in this section at least, the Illinois Bayou is swift whitewater, ideal for kayaks and canoes.

Illinois Bayou

    Bayou Bluff Recreation Area is a pretty campground and picnic area with river access.  It also has lots of beautiful stonework done back in the depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  There is also a loop hiking trail, but we don’t hang around long enough to check it out, today must be ‘senior ditch day’ for Hector High School.  There are overly rambunctious teen-agers running all over the place.

picnic shelter with fireplace

    We pack it up and head back north, we’ll stop at Richland Wilderness and see what’s going on up there.  Someday we plan to come back to hike Penhook Hollow (even if we have to walk in from Snow Creek), and even though we didn’t get to our planned destination we still had a good time checking out Middle Fork Road and Bayou Bluff Recreation Area. 

Illinois Bayou

Middle Fork Roadside Waterfalls: Statistics Chart 14