A TRIP TO BOXLEY

A WEEKEND AT BOXLEY ARKANSAS
October 25, through 27, 2019 
(Click On Any Image To Enlarge It)

Boxley, Arkansas is a small village along the Buffalo National River, unit of the National Park Service. Boxley is located along the Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway, which is a 35-mile section of Ark. 21 that passes through the Ozark National Forest beginning near Clarksville and ending at the Buffalo National River. Boxley is best known for its location along the Buffalo, the nation’s first national river. On this trip, I traveled with Bill Palmer and Roy Gold. Bill Palmer had organized this trip through the Friends of Eagle Bluffs Photography Group (FOEB) located in Mid-Missouri to photograph the Elk in rut and the many waterfalls in the area. 

We stayed at Lost Valley Canoe & Lodging. https://www.lostvalleycanoe.com. Our cabin was located on the side of a mountain and it was a good thing Bill Palmer's vehicle had 4-wheel drive. Once we parked the car we ascended a set of steep steps to get to the weekend residence. Our lodgings were more than adequate complete with two full-size beds upstairs, a living room with futon bed downstairs, a bathroom with shower, and a fully furnished kitchen, deck, screened-in porch, and a hot tub. We even had a resident grey cat, Mr. Skittles, waiting for us on the porch. Our host even provided cat food with instructions to feed the cat.

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 100-400mm, f/8, 1/320sec.,ISO400

Day 1: After checking in we drove around to check out the Elk herds in the Ponca Wilderness area and meet up with some other members of the FOEB group, David Carron, Susan Tonarely, Linda Gardner-Goos, and Sheila Kinney.  There were several bands of Elk each with a few bulls.   

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 100-400mm, f/6.3, 1/800sec., ISO 2500

After viewing the Elk we struck out for our first waterfall, Eden Falls.  The Lost Valley trail is the most popular hiking trail in the Buffalo River area.  It’s easy to get to, and easy to hike. It is approximately a 2.3-mile round-trip hike.  We were there in the fall so the foliage added to the ambiance of the area.  It had rained and was still overcast which made the wet leaves' colors pop. Being cloudy is like a giant diffuser that creates very soft light.   

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 24-105, f/10, 5 sec., ISO 80

To get to the trailhead, take Highway 43 from Ponca to Boxley through the Boxley Valley. There is a sign that clearly marks the turnoff to the Lost Valley Campground hiking area.  About a half-mile down the road, you’ll get to a large parking lot with porta pots. You better take a break; restroom facilities are not plentiful.  One writer said the woods here are almost tropical and that is the feeling I had.  Because of all the trees, moisture, and shade, there are a lot of moss-covered rocks.  Hiking to the falls will afford numerous cascades and run-off brooks as well as a creek or two.   

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/13, 8 sec., ISO 80

There are four sections to this falls, lower, middle, upper falls and inside a cave.  I am including three photos.  The first fall I came upon was coming out of the rocks and I assume this is part of the cave falls while the second image is of the lower falls and finally the upper falls.  I was unaware the falls had four tiers until I read Arkansas Waterfalls by Tim Ernst.  This will require a return trip.  

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 100-400mm, f/16, 8 sec., ISO 80

Hiking out a few of us stopped to photograph a brook bordered by moss-covered rocks.  These can be very peaceful and serene and always make for a good composition.  We ended the day back at the cabin with hot tea and sandwiches.  We lounged around planning out the next day and talking photography.  Some Rum & Coke for me and Wine for Bill and Roy rounded out the evening.  I almost forgot I had to feed the cat.

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/16, 1 sec., ISO 200

Day 2: After some coffee and breakfast we loaded up and hit the road. We drove to the Ponca Wilderness area to check on the Elk again.  The larger bands and moved back towards the woods but this large bull gave us an opportunity to get yet another shoot.   

Nikon D850, Sigma 150-600mm, f/6.3, 1/500 sec., ISO 3200

This area is the stomping grounds for Bill and Roy so they knew where to go.  We checked out several areas and met folks from around the state who were out there doing what we were doing, capturing nature on camera.   

Nikon D850, Sigma 150-600mm, 1/500 sec., ISO 800

After watching the Elk for several hours we went back to our cabin for lunch.  Susan Tonarely had homemade chili which she had frozen for the trip.  Because we had a full kitchen with pots and pans she heated and then the ladies made a pan of cornbread which they popped in the oven.   The seven of us enjoyed lunch accompanied with a stimulating group photography discussion on techniques and gear.

After lunch, we all loaded up with our destination to Triple Falls, aka Twin Falls.   We traveled the Camp Orr Road, also known as 2306.  The road to get there is steep and rough in spots.  Access Hwy 74 west of Mt. Sherman. The road is marked for Kyle’s Landing and Camp Orr. Travel about a mile until the road forks and stay right. You will be heading to Camp Orr about 1.8 miles and not Kyle’s landing. At the bottom of the mountain, you will cross a creek and a parking area that is immediate to your right.  Because of the time of year that we were there the foliage was not at its peak but was nothing to sneeze at either.  It was lightly raining so the wooded area had a rainforest feel to it.  Along the way were several cascades and we couldn't pass up the opportunity for a photo op.   All of my images are processed using Tony Kuyper's TK7 Action Panel and Sean Bagshaw's training videos of Tony's action panel.  Search these guys on the internet or YouTube and take your post-processing to a whole new level.  I shot this next image with a Nikon D750 and a Sigma 24-105 Art Lens. Aperture= f/18, Shutter=0.8. and ISO=80.  Due to the overcast skies, and soft rain, the light was diffused enough to allow me to get a slower shutter speed without the use of an ND Filter plus the increased depth-of-field also helped.  Normally I don't shoot anything above f/16 because of diffraction but I experimented on this trip.  

Nikon D750, Sigma Art 24-150mm, f/18, .8 sec., ISO 80

By the time we made it to the parking lot, it was raining hard enough that it was time to put on the rain gear.  I like to use plastic poncho because I can keep my camera covered with it as well.  Triple Falls is a 50-foot waterfall located near Jasper, Arkansas.  It is a simple hike along the trail on the north side of the creek and is probably one of the most scenic in Arkansas.  It has that WOW factor after a good rain when it becomes three falls instead of two.  Due to the rain we had to hike through water and mud to get to the falls but it was not bad.  It is a nice path covered on both sides with tall trees. 

Nikon D750, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/22, .8 sec., ISO 80

The rain blanketed all the trees surrounding us in a stream of dripping water which made it a challenge to photograph.  To get the best composition climbing down into the water somewhat downstream would have given the best overall perspective but it was muddy enough that I opted not to try it. In addition, the wind was blowing and there were some trees that blocked most of the views accept one and we had to take turns and share this spot. 

Nikon D750, Sigma Art 24-150mm, f/22, .8 sec., ISO 80

Since I prefer to shoot waterfalls using a slower shutter speed the rain compounded my opportunity to get a really clean shot.  I shot the above images using a Nikon D750 and Sigma 24-105 Art Lens.  My settings were f/22, 8 seconds, and ISO of 80. I used a tripod. Generally speaking, large f/stops (small openings) can introduce diffraction (blurring) into your image because such small openings bend the light more as it passes into the lens opening.  Some say this is not a problem with the D850, however, it appears all of my images shot at f/20 or greater yielded softer photos.  However, I can't say this is an exclusive fact until I have tested this theory more because on this day it could have been me and not the settings.  With another waterfall under our belt, we voted to go out to dinner for a nice hot meal at The Low Gap Café located in Low Gap, AR.  Don't let the outside look of this place fool you.  This is an excellent dining experience by owner Nick Bottini who studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and catered to the stars in California.

Day 3:  We all gathered for breakfast in Jasper at the Ozark Café.  The café is more than 100 years old and is noted for its deep-fried burgers, steaks, and omelets.   I can attest it was an awesome omelet.  After breakfast, Bill took us for a drive on Scenic Hwy 7, south of Jasper to see the Buffalo River valley from on high.  This was a fantastic view as there was a thick fog covering the valley.  We were about 1,500 feet above the Buffalo River.  We were blessed with a bright blue sky, some fall colors, and Boston Mountains in the background.   We got there around 8 AM and the sun was at a 30 to 45-degree angle highlighting the trees and fog.  

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/16, 1/40 sec., ISO 160

I took all my images from just beyond the parking lot on the edge of the mountain but there is an observation platform that is three stories high and it provides a breathtaking command of the area.   In hindsight, I should have set up to do a panoramic of this vista because no one lens is wide enough to take it all in.   (Insert 85G_7940 & 85G_7957).   

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/22, 1/200 sec., ISO 320

On this trip, I experimented with different apertures playing around with depth-of-field.  This setting gave me about 8 feet in front of me to infinity.  It should be noted that larger f-stop numbers (smaller lens openings) can create some softness in images.  By shotting this at f/11 I could have gained two stops of light thereby reducing my two stops or ISO 160.  Lower ISO reduce noise.  Why was my shutter at 1/200 sec.? There was a light breeze and I opted for faster shutter speed to freeze movement.  Another option would be to decrease f-stop by 2-stops, increase shutter speed by 1-stop, and ISO by 1-stop.

Nikon D850, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/16, 1/200 sec., ISO 125

These images do not do justice to this early morning landscape.  Well worth getting up early for.  Our last visit was to Falling Water Waterfalls, a scenic waterfall right next to the road.  The flow of the water was subdued on our visit but I have seen pictures of this spot during high water when it is a roaring flow of water extending the full width of the creek bed.  My exposures were underexposed and the surrounding trees were blurry due to the wind and my slow shutter speed. I hiked to the base of the falls but none of the images I took were sharp enough to post except maybe this one.

Nikon D750, Sigma Art 24-105mm, f/16, 1/80 sec., ISO 400

Well that concludes this adventure to Boxley, Arkansas.  It was only a five-hour drive for us from Jefferson City, MO.  Due to its proximity to me I will be going back to photograph more waterfalls in the future.  To see more images of waterfalls in this area as well as a guide, get yourself a copy of "Arkansas Waterfalls" by Tim Ernst.  If you enjoyed reading this blog please leave me a message and share it on your page.