120 acres state-owned park in the Ozarks featuring a 77-foot waterfall cascading through rock formations at the bottom of a narrow V-shaped valley

How to Get There

Overview

Natural Falls State Park is a 120 acres (0.49 km2) state-owned park in the Ozarks, in Delaware County, Oklahoma. It lies along U.S. Highway 412, near the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. The property was privately-owned and known as Dripping Springs until 1990, when the state bought it. The previous owners had also used the property as an attraction and rest stop for travelers on the highway, featuring a swimming pool and gardens. The site was used in the production of the 1974 film "Where the Red Fern Grows".

Features

Located in northeast Oklahoma in the scenic Ozark Highlands region, Natural Falls State Park features a 77-foot (23 m) waterfall cascading through rock formations at the bottom of a narrow V-shaped valley. An observation platform with a nearby picnic pavilion overlooks the falls and a deck with seating is available at the base of the falls. As the stream falls, enough evaporation occurs to drop the bulk liquid temperature about ten degrees (Fahrenheit) by the time it reaches the bottom. This maintains a cool, moist environment that is favorable to the growth of many types of flora in the valley.

The park affords an opportunity to observe a variety of plant and animal life. Hikers will find a dense forest of maples, chinquapin, and white oaks, while plants such as flowering dogwood, sassafras, coralberry, spicebush, redbud, and pawpaw blanket the cool forest floor. The waterfall creates a moist environment where ferns, mosses, and liverworts thrive.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Natural Falls State Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0