Natural Falls State Park is located just across the state line in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma—a quaint state park with a short, beginner-friendly waterfall hike.
Beautiful waterfalls are scattered throughout the Ozarks, but sometimes waterfalls can be a challenge to access, requiring a rugged hike that isn’t always family-friendly or accessible. If you’re searching for an easy-to-access waterfall in the Ozarks without sacrificing views—Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma is what you’ve been looking for!
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Plus, the park has even more treasures to offer up. That’s why our family decided to visit Natural Falls State Park. We camped out for a couple nights inside the park since it’s the halfway spot to get to the Gathering Place from Bentonville, Arkansas.
Find out what’s inside Natural Falls State Park and decide whether it’s worth checking out with your family.
The Experience
Natural Falls State Park is pretty small when compared to a lot of state parks, measuring up at just 120 acres. But we found the modest size to be perfectly fitting for our family’s visit. We stayed for two nights with our littles (under 6) at the campground and were able to experience most of the park. Our takeaways—pleasant people, helpful staff, family-friendly, safe, and welcoming.
Entrance & Parking
To access Natural Falls State Park, there is a $10 parking fee per vehicle. Unless you’re camping! Parking for one vehicle (plus your RV if applicable) is included with your campsite registration throughout your stay. Since we were camping, we didn’t have to pay a separate charge, but we saw signs in the parking lot with instructions on how to pay with a credit card during your visit.
There is plenty of parking inside Natural Falls State Park, so you won’t have to walk too far to access what you’re there to see.
Playgrounds
The first thing the kids wanted to do after arriving at the park was check out the playgrounds. There are two playgrounds inside Natural Falls State Park. The kids had a blast, but as parents—we’d classify these playgrounds mediocre (since we were headed to the world’s biggest playground, nothing really compares to the Gathering Place).
Waterfall
Dripping Springs Scenic Waterfall is located on a paved ½ mile trail a short distance from one of the parking lots inside Natural Falls State Park. A great deal of this trail is fully accessible via wheelchair or stroller and you can certainly see the top of the waterfall without going on any steps at all. The base of the waterfall is also easy to access, too—but requires going down a few stairs.
We were surprised at how easy the access was to reach both the top and bottom of the waterfall at Natural Falls State Park. You could experience both extremes within just a few minutes. The views were wonderful, check them out for yourself below. Just keep in mind, visitors are not allowed to play in the water at this park.
>>Want more waterfall trails in the Ozarks? Find 4 More in Arkansas. <<
Trails
Dripping Springs is not the only trail at Natural Falls State park. There are more, mostly short and mild to moderate trails here, including:
Fox Den Trail (1.5 mile)
Ghost Coon Trail (1.3 mile, moderate)
Bear Trail (.1 mile, rugged)
Pine Ridge Trail (.75 mile, paved)
We traversed all the trails, and from our experience, we do not recommend the Ghost Coon Trail for a few reasons.
The trail was not clearly marked
The route was unshaded (even the kids were hot and miserable)
There wasn’t much to see on this particular trail
As you prepare for the trails here, keep in mind that a few have cliffside spots, so keep your littles close. Overall, the Dripping Springs Trail was the best and totally a must-see if you’re in the park! Here’s a trail map for Natural Falls to get you on your way.
>> Looking for more accessible trails in the Ozarks? Check out these spots. <<
Campground
Natural Falls State Park has two camping areas. A tent camping loop and an RV campground. We stayed in a tent and car-camped at an RV spot so that we could access electricity and water right from our campsite.
Our spot was a short walking distance from the restroom (with flush toilets) and shower facility, which we found to be clean and up to standard. The rates vary, but tent spots are available for around $16/night and the RV spots are around $25-35/night depending on your hookup needs and seasonal pricing variation.
We were impressed with the sites, offering plenty of space between sites, plenty of shade and trees, and a well-maintained campground nearby everything the park had to offer. During our stay, we didn’t get to meet the campground host, but more than one retired fellow camper stopped by with positive vibes, asking us if it was ok to give our kids painted rocks and fire color packets. It was super sweet!
Pro tip: Make sure to get your firewood before you come to the Natural Falls State Park campground - we struggled to find any gas stations that sold firewood in Oklahoma. We found firewood at Flint Creek Store and RV Park at 324 Old 33 Highway in Colcord. (Lowes also sells it, but it’s technically across state lines which may be illegal to transport across state lines).
>> Read Our First Time Camping Guide for Families with Kids<<
Gift Shop
Just inside the gate of Natural Falls State Park, there’s the Visitor’s Center. Just beware that the hours are limited, they close at five each night. Daily hours: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. They do have firewood and ice available for purchase during business hours.
We stopped by the gift shop before leaving and found cute camping gear, t-shirts, frisbees, and other neat keepsakes available for purchase. If you’re looking to explore more of the Ozarks, you’ll also find plenty of local travel brochures inside for free.
What Else is in Natural Falls State Park?
Natural Falls State Park has more to offer than camping, trails, playgrounds, and waterfall views.
Glamping Tents [Yurts]
Tent camping isn’t for everyone and most people don’t have an RV on hand. If that sounds like you’re family—you might be more interested in staying in a yurt at Natural Falls State Park. What’s a Yurt? It’s a semi-permanent round-tent (about 20’ wide) that can be temperature controlled. These structures have become a popular glamping option.
Here’s what you can expect from the yurts at Natural Falls State Park:
Sleeps up to 4 to 6 people
Equipped with a microwave, refrigerator
Ceiling Fan
AC & Heat
Electricity & Lighting
Furniture
Coffee Maker
Nearby porta potty
Outdoors: Private deck, picnic table, fire ring, 2 adirondack chairs, and grill
Pricing can vary, but your stay at the yurts at Natural Falls State Park will cost around $100 per night and can be booked online.
>> Find More Glamping in the Ozarks Here <<
Shelter & Reunion Center
Natural Falls State Park is a great destination for family reunions and large group get-togethers. The community center building (Rent for around $120) and shelter (Rent for $70) are both available for rent online. The reunion center is equipped with kitchen equipment and both rentals come with parking validations for those guests who are not staying at the campground.
More things to Do at the Park
Natural Falls State Park has an 18-hole frisbee disc golf course inside the park and offers discs for rental or purchase at the visitor’s center.
If you’re looking for some family fishing, you can also catch and release fish at Natural Falls State Park (just make sure you have a state fishing license).
Planning Your Visit to Natural Falls
Here are some things to know before you head to Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma.
Know Before You Go
💲There is a $10 fee for Parking Reserve here↗
💦No playing in the water
🕔Check hours of visitor center
🪓Bring Firewood if Camping
🐶Dogs are welcome, on Leash
🙋♀️Open Year-round
📞Reserve Campsites & Yurts online Reserve here↗
What to Take
There is a pretty extensive list of things that you could take to visit this state park, but here is what we found to be particularly helpful.
Hiking Shoes
At a minimum, bring a pair of shoes that fit comfortably for walking and have good tread for rocky terrain. Personally, I prefer multipurpose shoes that handle terrain and water equally well, like these hiking shoes from Amazon. I also have an old pair of Sketchers that work the same way.
Bug Spray
Bugs, especially ticks, can be a big problem. If you plan to spend time outdoors, I recommend treating your clothing and camping gear with Pyrethrin. This is the best way to keep ticks away.
Water
Don't forget about staying hydrated. We visited the first week in June and it was already muggy with temps in the upper 90s because Oklahoma is hot ya'll. For hiking, consider packing a hydration backpack (read our roundup reviews here). I also recommend a misting spray bottle for a quick cool down.
Camping Gear
The most frugal way to visit Natural Falls State Park is to plan a quick, 2-3 day camping trip. But, of course, you'll need appropriate camping gear to make the most of your time in the Oklahoma Ozarks. Full Packing List↗
Is Natural Falls State Park Worth it?
Yes—if you’re camping! We find the $10 parking fee to be a steep entry fee for non-campers and can’t say that it would be worth coming unless you plan to make a full day of it. (Unless you really love waterfalls and want to pay $10 to see a beautiful one easily).
Since we camped here two nights (parking is included with camping reservations), we were able to spread the trails comfortably over three days (we spent most of day 2 at the Gathering Place, which is an hour from the park). We would go back to Natural Falls State Park, but only if camping!