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SMITH CREEK PRESERVE



The Nature Conservancy's Smith Creek Preserve is 1,226 acres of beautiful Ozark forest bisected by Smith Creek, a tributary to the Buffalo National River.
The Preserve was dedicated in 2005. The Preserve lies above Sherfield Cave, where the largest colony of Indiana bats in the state hibernates each winter.
The surrounding forest is used by the bats for foraging and roosting and is also home to gray bats, turkeys, black bears and elk.
The forest helps water flowing into Sherfield Cave and the Buffalo River remain clean.  Smith Creek Preserve is also a vital connector between the 1.2 million
acre Ozark National Forest and the 95,000 acre Buffalo National River Wilderness, allowing wide ranging animals to move from place to place.
The land was transferred by Marty and Elise Roenigk in 2004 and in 2005 The Nature Conservancy established Smith Creek Preserve.
Elise and Marty Roenigk

Hwy. 21 and Access Road
Sign at Access Road
Parking Area
35.93444°, 93.38573°

Access Point #1 Gate (Locked most of the time)
35.93436°, 93.38548°
Sign at #1 Gate
(Main Trail begins at Gate)
Bulletin  Board
(Contains Maps and Brochures)

Follow old road downhill....
Access Point#2 Intersection of Main Trail
and Trail to Elise Falls and Upper and Lower Trail
35.93314°, 93.38314°
Sign at Intersection
(Trail follows old road to Smith Creek)

Typical Trail Markers
Possible Thone Tree ?
35.93429°, 93.38056°
(On the right just before you get to Smith Creek)
Smith Creek
35.93776°, 93.38154°
(Trail crossing creek at this point)

Once you cross the creek, follow creek north to
Elise Falls. Upper & Lower Trails are on the right.
Stay on right edge of creek to get to
 Elise Falls drainage.
You will eventually have to cross Smith Creek
again at Trail Marker and go up the first
drainage you come to.
35.93815°, 93.38202°

Follow this drainage a short distances to Elise Falls
Quivala Elise Falls
35.93808°, 93.38302°
(Quivala = French for Who Goes There)
Named after Elise Roenigk, who, along with her
husband, Marty, donated the land to the Preserve.
Elise Falls

Now back to Access Point #3
35.93781°, 93.38159°
Trail Markers
(Trail follows old road)
Access Point #4
Intersection of Upper & Lower Trails
35.93717°, 93.37726°

Both trails follow old roads most of the way!
(We will follow Lower Trail at this point)
You follow an old road for about 0.5 miles.
At this point you will leave road and begin to
head downhill.
35.93717°, 93.37726°
Eventually you will come back out on the old road
where there are some rock cairns.
35.92982°, 93.37672°
(This area is noted as "Bad" because the trail is
hard to follow......)

The trail will come to Smith Creek where you will
turn left and follow the east side of Smith Creek....
35.92954°, 93.37733°
Follow Trail Markers along the east side of
Smith Creek.
Access Point #5
Intersection of Upper & Lower Trails
35.92657°, 93.37685°

Follow trail and cross Smith Creek Access Point #6
35.92332°, 93.37789°
This will come out at a second Parking Area.
Second Parking Area
(When Gate is open at entrance)
At this point head south across bridge.
Wooden Bridge looking back at Parking Area
35.92311°, 93.37785°

Picnic Table and Camping Area
35.92281°, 93.37787°
Head south on old road which is
Big Spring Trail
"A" Sink Hole
35.92140°, 93.37834°
This sink hole is located next to trail.

Just down trail a little bit is a side trail to
another "A" Sink Hole next to Smith Creek.
35.92123°, 93.37831°
"A1" Sink Hole next to Smith Creek
35.92112°, 93.37808°
Looking down into sink hole.....water running
in it as well at the one by the trail.

A view of Smith Creek
"Wet" crossing along trail at a side drainage.
35.92021°, 93.37852°
"B" Side trail to "Boulders" on Smith Creek.
35.91926°, 93.37776°

Boulders in Smith Creek
"B" Boulders in Smith Creek
35.91942°, 93.37760°
Boulders on east side of creek.

Side trail to Twin Falls
35.91875°, 93.37738°
Twin Falls on Smith Creek
35.91880°, 93.37720°
Twin Falls

Lower Twin Falls
Upper Twin Falls
"C" Side Trail to Blue Hole & Big Gem
35.91796°, 93.37715°

"C" Up above Blue Hole & Big Gem		  
"C" Blue Hole & Big Gem
35.91806°, 93.37681°		  
"C" Blue Hole & Big Gem
(Big Gem is the large rock in Smith Creek)
 
"D" Large Grapevine		  
"D" Large Grapevine
35.91629°, 93.37654°
(Located just west of trail)
(All along this area are a lot of grapevines)		  
"E" Side trail to Marty's Pool
35.91508°, 93.37524°
 
"E" Marty's Pool (Dry at time of visit)
35.91517°, 93.37512°		  
Tree log along the trail.
More grapevines along the trail.

Another "Wet" crossing
35.91159°, 93.37364°
(Just across the creek turn right and follow trail
to Big Spring)
Big Spring
35.91099°, 93.37342°
Big Spring
(At this point turn around and head back to
bridge and take Main Trail back to entrance)

"F" Open Area
35.92497°, 93.37948°
Main Trail heading back to entrance at Hwy. 21
(Steep in a few places)
A welcomed site.