Saturday Matt and I decided to hang out for a bit and enjoy the nice weather. I had been wanting to take some pictures around the falls for awhile so it seemed like a great day to try… except that once we arrived I realized i didn’t have the quick release for my tripod so i couldn’t do the long exposure images I had my mind set on. None the less it was still a nice day.
I remember going to this spot a lot when I was a kid and thinking it was really cool and it still is. Shoal Creek is a fairly large river, so when the whole width of the river drops 20 feet or so… it makes quite a sound…which in my mind is half the point of a waterfall. When I was little I remember how the area seemed dangerous because all of the rock surrounding the falls was really smooth and slippery.
Although it is known locally simply as ‘the falls’ the actual name is Grand Falls, and to me it kind of resembles a miniature niagara falls. Personally I think the falls is way undervalued as a natural asset to Joplin. I would like to see the huge concrete wall and man-made dam torn down because it’s ugly as sin and makes a terrible backdrop for Missouri’s largest waterfall – but I don’t think this is likely to ever happen because I believe the dam creates a mini-lake in shoal creek which is Joplin’s vital source of water. I also think the area would be a lot better if the road (and especially the parking lot) was moved further away so that you could park in a designated lot and then walk a short wooded trail or something to get to the falls. I think that would be great because I feel the scenery and ambiance of the area is severely degraded by all the cars and the somewhat busy road that passes maybe not 100 yards from the falls itself.
In my mind, the area has the potential to be a state treasure if it were so treated…but I know things like moving a road and everything else that would have to happen to do this are extremely expensive and therefore unlikely to happen…so I can be content enjoying it as-is, which is still pretty neat for Joplin. It really is a cool waterfall and having not been there in several years I greatly enjoyed re-discovering it!
Here are a few other photos:
That water was really pretty and you could see big rocks and boulders in the fairly deep water.
A wider shot of the area from below the falls.
A cool gravely area looking downstream.
I enjoy going there except for the fact that I’m afraid I’m goign to get mixed up in a drug deal gone bad. Plus there is alwys that one group of kids hanging out who are being obnoxious and unruley. You are absolutely right, it is a beautiful spot and I enjoy being there but the people that frequent it tend to ruin it for me.
I used to go to school in Joplin and spent many days at the falls. Oh, and as a former admirer I must know for knowing’s sake… is Colby single?