Pam's Grotto — Attraction in Clarksville

DO NOT FOLLOW THE PINK “PAMS” SPRAY PAINTED ON HIGHWAY 123, OR THE PINK TRAIL MARKERS, AS THE LOCALS SEEM TO HAVE PLAYED A PRANK ON SIGHTSEERS. Today my husband and I ….plus about half a dozen other people we did not know, got lost following what seemed to be the correct trail, it just went nowhere and got increasingly more dangerous the further we went. We wasted an hour bushwhacking around up under the bluffs in both directions, bumping into others that were lost too. This area is far too steep for people to be stumbling around in for the entertainment of others that may think it’s funny that visitors are getting lost. If you go to Haws Creek Falls first and take a right out of the parking lot, do NOT stop at the first parking area you see on the right, keep going a couple of hundred yards around the bend and you will see another parking area on the right and some on the left too, this is the correct spot to start your hike up the the falls. After that follow Tim Ernest’s directions on how to proceed, but make sure you have parked in the right place. Don’t spoil your day like it did ours. I’m sure after all the rain we had on Thursday that it was great there today….but not for those who were worn out and frustrated from believing in the prank pink...

We have been travelling for a year and visited a lot of National Parks. They have been incredible - but I personally felt that Pam's Grotto was up there with some of the features we've seen - it's definitely National Park level. It is absolutely amazing!!!! I loved it! Frankie Castleberry's review below has good details on what kind of hike this is, what to be prepared for, etc. I just wanted to add that there wasn't any sign that we could find. Just after the campground (heading north) you'll see a single-car sized, asphalt pull off on the right. This is where we parked and the trailhead is across the road and north about 50 feet. You'll see on the asphalt spray painted in white "locate" with an arrow and that's the trailhead. If you use Google maps and put in "Pam's Grotto" it will map you directly to the trailhead - which is nothing but a narrow little path leading into the woods. I cannot recommend this hike enough - the grotto is a truly...

Pam's grotto what a hidden gem! We loved it!!! We came across 2 snakes right on the trail, so keep an eye where you step and where you hold on to. One was a large black snake about 5' that then slithered onto a tree; the other a smaller snake just crossing the trail. We visited end of May, so walking under these Ozarks trees full of foliage made it seem a bit darker in some areas. The hike is short; steep at first, then somewhat flat but with a lot of rocks, tree trunks & roots, and at the end closer to the grotto, huge rocks. Once you get to where the large rocks are, best is to continue the path closer to the wall and climb over the large rocks to get down to the waterfall instead of going down the steep path to the creek as it's too slippery. The water was very cold. Enjoy your hike and the beauty...