08/22/16 Featured Arkansas Landscape Photography–The washing machine on the Cossatot River Southwest Arkansas

Cossatot Falls on the Cossatot River, one of the most impressive water features in Arkansas.

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII and 24mm TS-E lens, with a CL-PL and ND 0.9 filter installed, exposure time approximately 1.5 seconds.

You can find some excellent photographic opportunities on the Cossatot River, along with some of the best Arkansas whitewater.  Go down there anytime the river is running over 500 cfs (cubic feet per second) and you can expect to see a lot of kayakers running the falls.

I like to hike the 6 falls when there is about 100 to 400 cfs max running the river.  This allows you to make easy crossings and you can still get down close enough to the river to get some great angles.  The river will run muddy right after a rain storm due to the massive amount of timber clear cutting in the area, so plan on heading down a day or so after a big rain.

You can easily hike down the entire left side (left side facing downstream) and there are 6 separate ledges which the river cuts through.  Each has a unique rapid and name:

Cossatosser, Eyeopener, BMF, The Washing Machine, Whiplash, and Shoulder bone.

If you make it down there, remember that the sun will move across the river from left to right so the some of the best photograph will be early in the morning.  The falls run due south.  There are a ton of huge rocks that line the river and each of them will allow you a spot to setup for some great photos.  The washing machine, featured in this photo has some of the best angles up on top of the ledge, but you need to cross over right above this small rapid.  If the river is running too high, this can easily become a hazard so be careful.  All the rocks are covered with slim moss and will be slick.

The rock is sandstone or something close and in the sun will take on a wonderful red-orange hue so try to make it on nice sunny day.