Favorite Ozark Campgrounds
Richland Creek
By Steve Henry
Located 9 miles from the nearest paved road, Richland Creek is a rustic little campground that packs quite an outdoor punch. There are trails to hike, a wonderful swimming hole, wilderness waterfalls to explore, and winding, hilly forest roads to mountain bike. Even the drive into the campground is wonderful—FS 1205 is called Falling Water Road, and you'll know why if you make the drive when the creeks are flowing.
Richland Creek is a kind of disorganized little place, but that's part of its charm. Campsites are a little scattered and don't all have the same amenities. Three sites are next to the creek. For campers who like being near water they're great, but they have no grass around them—just gravel and packed dirt, with only a table and a fire pit. I prefer the sites on the bench above the creek. The first of these sites has only a table and a fire pit, but it's in a nice grassy spot off the entrance road. My favorites are the six sites beyond the pump house. They have all the amenities, and the first three are private sites set back in their own little clearings in the forest. The last three sites are at the end of the road, evenly spaced in a shady open area a few steps from Falling Water Creek.
This free campground often fills on weeks from spring through fall, and on holiday weekends it's jammed. Avoid the first week of October, when an equestrian ride takes over the camp, as well as the following week, when an ATV group has a rally at Richland Creek. Unlike most forest service-run campgrounds, this one allows camping anywhere—even outside specific sites—so it can get a little crazy at times. Plan accordingly and visit Richland Creek during the week or off-season. Most folks come to hike deep into the Richland Creek Wilderness immediately west of camp and check out Twin Falls.
There's no official trail to the falls—just a mishmash of paths following Richland Creek into the wilderness. Just go to the end of the lower campground, cross Falling Water Creek and start working your way upstream along the south side of Richland Creek It's about three challenging miles to the falls, but it's so scenic that you'll love the trek. When Richland Creek takes a hard turn from the south, with another pouring in from the far side, you're in fantastic scenery. If you continue upstream on Richland Creek another half mile the creek pours over a 100-foot-wide ledge.
Devil's Fork, that other stream pouring into Richland Creek, has the even more spectacular Twin Falls. A quarter mile upstream from Devil's Fork junction with Richland Creek, Big Devil's Fork and Long Devil's Fork come together as an incredibly beautiful pair of waterfalls, pouring into a pool from opposite sides of a low bluff. These falls are broad, 15-foot-tall curtains pouring off deeply undercut ledges.
More hiking awaits you on the Ozark Highlands Trail. It comes to Richland from the south and heads east. I like the eight-mile stretch of trail from Richland Creek to the Stack Rock Trailhead on FS 1201. You'll not see anything as spectacular as Twin Falls, but it's a pretty hike with vistas of the Richland Creek Valley, house-sized boulders, rugged rock gardens, and exquisite little streams with pools and small waterfalls. If you're really energetic, or can have someone shuttle you, hike the Ozark Highlands Trail clear to Woolum Ford on the Buffalo National River.
The best way to get to Woolum Ford is by mountain bike. It's 19 miles via FS 1205, FS 1201, and the county road heading north from the old townsite of Eula. You'll have a stiff climb and an exhilarating descent each way, two fords of Richland Creek, and lots of pretty scenery. As you approach the Buffalo in the Richland Creek Valley, a rock wall rises on your left. Ditch your bike and find your way up the rock wall and you'll be standing on The Nars, a causeway-like stone with icy Buffalo rolling by on the other side. At places The Nars are only a few feet wide.
There's a nice 40-mile mountain bike loop leading from Richland Creek to Woolum then returning via county and forest roads. It goes through the Cave Creek valley, past the old community of Bass, and along the north and east sides of the Richland Creek Wilderness. Lots of intersections make it confusing in places, but it's well worth the effort.
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