75 Chancel Shelters

   Just over a year ago when we were here, we didn’t have much information about how to get to the shelters, and we still don’t.  I did some research online but didn’t find much.  I did find some nice pictures of the shelters and Chancel Arch, and GPS coordinates which will really help.  We’re starting out at the same parking spot just off the road.  Down the old road/ATV trail we confirm two closer parking spots would work with no problems.  Not much further we begin a gradual descent to the little ridge, leaving the trail here we make our way through the woods to the pedestals south.

two pedestals south of shelters

    The woods are pretty wide open this time of year, easy hiking.  Though not all that tall (maybe 30) these pedestals are nice to visit.  But our real goal is to find that illusive first shelter, which is supposed to be below us and on the northwest side of the pedestals.  After fumbling around on the rocky steep slopes under the pedestals we eventually find the Chancel Shelter 1, finally.  Talk about that ‘feeling of satisfaction’ yes, now I’m feelin’ it.

a shelter, or a cave?

    After all the anticipation of finding a shelter, it's a bit of a dud.  This doesn't seem to be even close to the claimed 40-foot depth, more like 20 feet.  But depth isn’t everything, and I’m more impressed with the colorful rock walls.  Shelter 1 might not have been the most impressive Chancel has to offer being shallow and narrow, more of a crevice than an actual cave.   But it is the hardest to get to, so a name is in order, I’m calling this one Hard Scramble Cave, and would recommend skipping it unless you're a glutton for punishment.

Hard Scramble

    I’m by no means an authority on the subject, and I haven’t consulted with any spelunkers or anybody really, this is just my uneducated opinion.  These caves are referred to as shelters.  Are the two words interchangeable?  I have been told; a ‘cave’ is any underground passage with a depth greater than the width of the opening (entrance).  A ‘shelter’ has an opening wider than the depth.  At any rate a ‘shelter cave’ provides shelter from the elements and is still a ‘cave’ I think.  Some friends disagree and insist it’s not a cave until artificial light is required to see. You may be wondering 'who cares', I use both words here.

Shelter 2

   From Hard Scramble to the next shelter is maybe 200 yards and about 80 feet of elevation gain.  We make our way north up to the ridge at the road, still as steep as I remember it.  On the ridge we follow the bluffline as it grows in height around to the north soon coming to the next cave.  Shelter 2 is much bigger and deeper than the first and much more impressive.  The third shelter comes quick after '2' but is up high on a steep slope.  With a claimed depth of only 25 feet, we decide to skip this one and move on 100 yards to Shelter 4.

Shelter 3

    Four is even more impressive than Shelter 2 was, with two entrances at trail level and a third one up higher that I’ll call a window, we’ll call this one Triple Door Shelter.  Kat is wondering, what is it about little caves like this that I’m so irresistibly drawn to?  The colorful inside walls are certainly beautiful, and the forces of erosion involved to create them is mind boggling.

at the entrance to '2'

    But evidently for many people the shelters are irresistible for continued use.  Of course, I’m referring to all the campfire rings found in shelters all over the Ozarks, this is an exaggeration but every other cave you come to on any given hike has a fire-ring inside.  Whatever floats your boat, I guess.  After Shelter 4 caves 5, 6 and 7 come in rapid secession with Shelter 7 the best with a tight front and an easier entrance around the back.  I guess Double Door Cave would be a good name. 

at one of Chancel's Shelters

    After Double Door Cave, the bluffline fizzles out into a little side drainage and once on the other side of the creek, the bluff starts up again.  And we soon arrive at Shelter 8 which is up a hill almost at the top of the bluff.  This shelter has more of a round entrance that in itself is sort of unique here, so I’ll call it Round Cave.

inside Triple Door Shelter

    Not far from Round Cave we come to the almost famous Chancel Arch, the highlight of the hike.  The Chancel Arch has a clearance underneath of probably 30 feet and would be plenty wide to drive a car under it (if not for the rock rubble underneath).  We spend quite a while here taking pictures and a break.

on an autumn hillside

    Right around the corner from Chancel Arch is the next cave.  It’s not much though with a tall, narrow entrance leading into a shallow cave only about 20 feet deep.  Just past this cave is a gradual slopping bluffline break up and east.  An easy exit, and the obvious choice of most hikers as the ‘trail’ ahead will attest.  But we’ll continue north as there are still a couple more known shelters ahead.

Round Cave

    Our route ahead quickly proves to be ‘the path less traveled’ with encroaching undergrowth, loose rock and narrow ledges.  But we trudge on noting a couple more possible ‘bail out’ breaks in the bluffs before finding another natural arch.  This one much smaller than the Chancel Arch, we’ll call it Little Arch.

easy off-trail hike

    A quarter mile farther brings us to the next little shelter.  This one has a large slanting rock at the entrance, and it takes a little climbing to get into.  Inside is an abrupt end, not very deep at all, hardly a shelter, unless you’re desperate.  We continue on, another 2 or 3 hundred yards to the last shelter of the day which makes eleven by my count.  This one to is pretty small but still twice as big as the last one.  Right next to this cave (to the north) is a steep bluffline break.

nearing Chancel Arch

   Steep, but not too far to the top so we decide to go for it.  We climb up and out and once on top make our way east through the open woods back to the road.  This is where I get disoriented (no trail through open woods does it every time) and I start heading south when I should go north.  Kat soon comes to the rescue by asking “Where in the hell are you going?  The car is that way (points in the opposite direction).

near last shelter of the day

    I always carry a compass when hiking, I guess I should use it more often.  We make it to the road and the car after about a half mile in the woods.  It would have been more like a quarter mile had I stayed on course.  Today we found the Chancel Shelters and had a great time in the process.  The hike was a little over 3 miles total, with just over 300 feet of elevation gain.  Chancel is an amazing place, which I'm glad we gave a second chance.

under the arch

Chancel Shelters: Statistics Chart 75     Not hard to find: at the Who-Da-Thought Store on Highway 7 turn west on NC 7050 and follow this good gravel road 2 miles.  At the hairpin curve is an old road (ATV trail) and parking area 1, parking areas 2 and 3 are down the old road less than 0.3 miles.

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