Hickory Canyon Falls

As Tim mentioned in his post, waterfall hunting is in it's peak in the Ozarks right now. Last weekend I had the chance to photograph six different waterfalls I have been wanting to capture flowing for some time now and last weekend was perfect.

This is the waterfall I ended my day with at Hickory Canyon near Farmington Missouri, I just love all the ferns growing in this area and the waterfall itself has a special beauty to it.

Cant wait for this weekend, I have another 4 waterfalls on the list to scope out and place called "Wet Hollow" that I received a tip from a local (those are always the best).

Canon 5D
Tamron 17-25
Singh-Ray Gold & Blue Polorizer

Well done Mark. I look forward to seeing pictures from your other waterfalls.

Lovely warm light enhanced by what appears to be just the right amount of blue/gold polarizer. Very inviting scene, well composed and executed Mark. Have fun waterfall hunting!

I really like your comp on this Mark, and as Wayne said, the color and light is lovely. My eye is also drawn into the texture of the weathered siltstone (?) at the top. And the geologist in me noticed that the rocks just to the left in the corner of the frame have distinctly different bedding - much more tabular. I can't tell if these rocks are in place or if they're float blocks. If they're in place, it would appear that you've photographed a fault, which is always something cool to find - if you like geology

OK, I'll shut up now...nice job!

Bill,

You asked about the geology, this is Lamotte Sandstone, which sits at the basement of the Cambrian Period and is the oldest sedimentary rock in the Midwest at 1/2 billion years old. Hickory Canyon Natural Area, Pickle Springs Natural Area, and Hawn State Park are protected areas that exemplify the cliffs and hoodoos of this unique sandstone that was formed from sediment eroded from Precambrian volcanoes. Because of the deep canyons and north-facing cliffs, there are some relicts here from a past glacial period that are not found elsewhere in the Ozarks. Please excuse me for rambling...

Best, Don

You guys are awesome, all I do is sell Tax Compliance Services ...... booring!!!

Hey Wayne,

Don't worry, we just make that stuff up as we go...

Best, Don

Thanks for the scoop Don! I've really got to get up to Missouri to do some serious exploring. There's such a variety of geological wonders - everything from karst to some of the oldest rocks on the planet. Maybe in June when I get some time off...

Hey Mark,

Your post has drifted a bit from the subject (my fault, my fault ) and I wanted to comment about Missouri falls. I have found that it is difficult to capture waterfalls in MO compared to the ones in AR. The volume and longevity are drastically reduced due to the smaller hills, fewer cliffs, and smaller watersheds. When you get into the Boston Mountains of AR, the hills are significantly larger and the volume of water coursing through them lasts quite a bit longer. I live 3 hours away from the places that you photographed in Ste. Genevieve County and I have yet been able to get there in time to photograph waterfalls that show some volume. For me, I think that it would be best to just camp out on the site during a 2+ inch downpour and be ready to photograph when the rain clears. The most reliable falls that I have encountered in MO are Mina Sauk Falls, Rocky Falls, and Grand Falls.

Bill: If you need information on neat places to go in the Ozarks like Hawn State Park and Pickle Springs to see Lamotte Sandstone formations, I know of a book available that describes those kind of sites: Scenic Driving the Ozarks, including the Ouachita Mountains.

From waterfall challenged Missouri,
Don

Don, I totally agree with you. We are not as lucky as our neighbors to the South in Arkansas but Missouri does offer a number of beautiful waterfalls (most the time in a smaller scale). It just takes much time and anticipation to find and photograph these waterfall locations. I am on my third year searching out waterfalls in the state and I have come across about 20 good examples, it's just extremely hard to be there at the right time to get them flowing since we do not have the runoff as Arkansas has (and the past 2 years of drought has been making things difficult). It's defiantly a challenge but I am up for it, I plan on building a Missouri Waterfall webpage soon with my research and photos I have taken in the past years.

Thanks everyone for the comments and the knowledge, I am happy that I have found a well educated local group on the net that shares the same interests as me :)