Two months ago, we hiked the Seven Shelters below Kings Bluff Loop Trail, see: (29 Seven Shelters). Today we’re going to check out the Wonders
Downunder which is below the Pedestal Rocks Loop Trail. The Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff SIA is pretty big and with
so much to see, what I would like to see is a campground built here
someday. Because there is no way you can
see it all in a day, a camping area would be nice, with so much to explore I
could easily spend a week here.
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Famous Pedestal
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Only one other car in the parking area/trailhead when we arrive, okay by
me. We start over the wooden bridge heading south
on the main Pedestal Rocks Loop Trail.
This trail is mostly on an old road that follows the top of a
ridge. Very soon we come to a 4-way
intersection that I call the ‘main intersection’ to our right (west) is
the Kings Bluff Loop Trail, left (east) is the other end of the Pedestal Rocks Loop
Trail.
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many small caves
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We go straight ahead on Pedestal
Rocks Loop Trail and south on the ridge.
This trail stays pretty level for probably half a mile then slowly
begins to go downhill and turns to the west. Continuing down we come to a sharp turn left back to the east, then south
and down some more. Here at the top of
the bluff we leave the trail and head down an easy bluffline break to the base
of the bluffs. We have arrived at the
‘Wonders Downunder’ and just like the Seven Shelters this is an off-trail adventure.
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Red Heart Tunnel
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We begin our explorations heading east (there is more to see west too). Right away we come to Vista Cave, named for
the view down into the steep valley below that drains into the North Fork Illinois Bayou farther down. Right
next to that is a pedestal, not just any ole pedestal though, this is the 'Famous Pedestal', an impressive towering pedestal, I don’t know what makes it
famous.
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another pedestal
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Then two more caves
side-by-side only about ten feet apart.
Maybe 20 yards past the side-by-side caves is the Red Heart Tunnel. A ‘tunnel’ not a ‘cave’ because the two
entrances are in line, couldn’t the argument be made for the designation
‘natural arch’? We won’t split hairs…the
name ‘Red Heart’ comes from the red heart that some vandals spray-painted years
ago inside and at the entrance.
Thankfully the paint is finally fading away.
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The Double
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Then in 10 more yards is the Elephant Cave.
With a little imagination you can see the likeness of a giant elephant
head in the bluff surrounding the entrance to this cave. Next in another 10 or 12 yards comes The Big
Room, with a few small ‘rooms’ off the main Big Room. As the name implies this is the biggest of
the caves here, also the most impressive we take a break and have some lunch
before moving on. |
| The Big Room |
It’s about 100 yards to the next cave, along the way is another
bluffline break access to the top (a bail-out, if you're so inclined). The
shelter is called The Silhouette Room, with an entrance around on the east
side, a window facing south and another large window at the west end. This west window is where your subject poses for that great silhouette photo.
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The Big Room
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After the Silhouette Room in another 100 yards is the Leaning Tree
Room. A cave with a fallen tree leaning against the bluff at the entrance. Right next to Leaning Tree Room is The Leaner, a pedestal that is leaning against the bluff which forms a natural
arch. Then right around the corner from
The Leaner is a big cave called The Uppers. |
unusual pedestal
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This really neat cave has multiple entrances and windows, and even has an
upstairs with windows. It takes a
little climbing to explore it all, but it is time well spent. On the way to the next cave is a pedestal
without a name, and then The Double is a cave with two large entrances, double front doors you could say. A little farther we come to a shelter
style cave called Large Grotto. Then in
another 100 yards is a bluffline break that we use to get up to the Pedestal
Rocks Loop Trail.  |
| Silhouette Room |
The climb up and out is a little steep but not too bad, and of course we could have kept going down along the base of the bluffline. Now at the top and on a 'real trail' we continue along
to the north and soon pass another pedestal that apparently has no name. Just beyond that is an unusual looking
formation called Sundae Pedestal. This
funnel shaped ‘pedestal’ attached at the top to the larger rock forms another
natural arch of sorts.
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amazing bluffs
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Not far past Sundae Pedestal is another
bluffline break, which appears to be even gentler than the one we climbed out. Continuing north almost a quarter mile is an
unusual looking pedestal with a domed
top and next to it a huge rock called Cave Rock. Not far past that is Arched Rock another natural arch.
Right here also is the easiest gentlest access bluffline break
we’ve seen yet. Maybe next time we visit
the Wonders Downunder we’ll go in a clockwise direction leaving the trail here above Arched Rock.  |
| The Uppers |
After Arched Rock the trail meanders uphill and away from the
bluffline then around a little wet weather waterfall in a little over a
quarter mile, uphill another quarter mile to the main intersection. We turn right and are soon back to the
trailhead and parking. What an awesome
place. The wonderful Wonders Downunder is
a route I could never get tired of, and we will be back. Today we hiked just over 3.5 miles and an
elevation gain of just over 400 feet. For our next adventure in Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff SIA see: (74 A Bluffs Bushwhack).
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like a kid in a candy shop
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Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff: Statistics Chart 35 On paved roads all the way, it couldn't be easier to get here. From the intersection of Highways 7 and 16 in Pelsor (Sand Gap) head east on Highway 16 for about 6 miles to the signed entrance on the right, for Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff.
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base map before fair use alterations is property of USFS Forest Service-
-licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 U.S. License |
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