If you live in Louisiana and even somewhat enjoy hiking for fun,
then you’ve likely heard of a spot not too far from Baton Rouge in Mississippi
where lots of waterfalls can be discovered. Upon further investigation though,
you’ll find that the exact location gets a bit confusing. Where exactly are
these and what are they called? The answer is Clarke Creek and the best place
to download the route is via AllTrails whether on the website or App. It gets
confusing because people call them Tunica Falls. There are hikes in St.
Francisville called “Tunica” this and that in Louisiana, but those are different,
and they don’t have waterfalls (to my knowledge). So if you want to see these
falls search for “Clarke Creek”.
When I say waterfalls, I mean up to 8 of them! We did a 3.7
mile hike and saw four of the waterfalls. Here are my top five things that
people don’t tell you about these hikes that you should know.
1. Pretty sure the water flows year-round because
it’s rainwater rather than snow melt. This feature is pretty badass because
waterfalls and their flow elsewhere are hit or miss.
2. There are a variety of ways to approach this hike. If you want a pretty easy version you can see two of the falls.
3. This would be a great activity even in the hot
summer months. We did this hike in early September during a heat wave and
enjoyed it thoroughly. The key is to start early. We arrived at the trailhead
at 6:30am and left around 10:30am. The whole route was pretty shaded.
4. Trail is not well marked. Since there are so
many different ways to do this trail, I recommend going with someone that has
the All Trails Pro app.
5. I personally would never do this hike right
after a big storm or in a heavy rain. I don’t like to get my boots too wet or
muddy and this trail would definitely be a mud pit in the rain.
As always when you hike, stay hydrated and bring extra water.
I had a 1L bladder pack and drank about half.
The parts of the trail that actually lead to most of the
waterfalls is not really a trail it’s a creek with big boulders. So the
majority of the waterfalls are accessible with moderate hiking rather than
easy.
Here's the route that we took in red:
Here's the route that we took in red:
Here are some photos to give you an idea of what's in store.
