Boen Gulf (Stahle Falls)

Stahle Falls is one of the taller in the upper Buffalo region and there are lots of other photogenic falls in the Boen Gulf.

From the parking spot, head east along a maintained trail. Soon, you’ll find a trail register at the boundary of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness. The trail beyond may take you to a set of falls in upper Boen Gulf, but it’s just as easy to leave the trail and head directly towards 35° 51' 51.33"N, 93° 23' 43.66"W, which will put you in a tributary of Boen Gulf. Make sure that you’re in the correct drainage, as several of the tributaries are close to one another. Assuming you are, head downstream and you’ll encounter two waterfalls in quick succession. Both can be bypassed on creek right. The upper is known as Magnolia falls (~25’) and the lower as Woods Boys falls (~30’). The area is quite scenic and you could spend hours photographing the falls. You could continue past Woods Boys and explore Boen Gulf without a rope; however, we opted to hike back to the top of the falls and proceed to another tributary.

From the top of Magnolia falls, trace the cliff line to the west and aim towards point 35° 51' 54.4"N, 93° 24' 6.4"W, which should put you in another stream bed and just above Stahle Falls (~60’). There is no obvious route around the fall; so, to descend, you’ll have to rappel. We built a retrievable anchor from a sturdy tree on creek left that is very near the lip of the falls. The lower portion of the rappel is free hanging.