Natural Falls (Dripping Springs), Oklahoma

 NaturalFalls, Oklahoma

An hour and a half's drive from Broken Arrow along the 412 E. enroute to Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. The site was easy to find and the staff at the Visitor's Centre were friendly and helpful.  There's a $4 entrance fee, and dogs are allowed, which is great, as I do intend to go back there for a picnic.

When we arrived at the site, there were only about six cars parked in the main parking area, where hikers and visitors to the falls, depart from.  The camping site was quite full, with lots of RV's and caravans.  I saw a couple of tents pitched and lots of kids riding around on their bikes.  I'm guessing that a lot of the people were there for their Spring break as some of the campsites looked pretty established, with many comforts from home.

Natural Falls is also known as Dripping Springs. This was at the entrance to the hiking path to the falls.

This was the view from the top viewing point.  Best time to visit the falls would be early in the morning before the sun shines over this part, so that colour of the water is blue.  Later on in the day, the sunshine made the water look brown and dull.

Taken from the viewing deck at the bottom.

There's a steep walkway down to the falls, and this is the view looking up at a bridge, that joins the gorge to the other walking trails on the site.

After leaving the falls, we walked along the narrow trail to the 'lake'.

Another watershed  - lovely, gushing falls, running off from the 'lake' above.

The view from the bottom to the ridge where there are more hiking trails. The campsite must be close by, because the comforting aroma of campfires, was evident in the cool Spring morning.  There were a number of hikers around the lake area and more visitors had arrived during the time that we were at the falls.

                                             Serious biking starts early in this part of the world.

Spring time and the fall are definitely the best times to head to this park if you are a photographer. The lighting and variety of colours to capture, was perfect for taking pictures.  The roadtrip was definitely worth it and I would definitely recommend a visit.