Here we are, still in February but it sure feels like spring. I know these warm sunny days could change
overnight back to cold and snow, I had better take advantage of the weather
while I can. East of Lurton between Cave
Creek to the west and Falls Branch on the east is a ridge known as Shulers
Point. I’m going here today to investigate an
area I haven’t been to before and while I'm at it hike along some lovely blufflines.
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Shuler East Bluffs
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Shuler Road (FS 1236) and/or (NC 5090) follows the ridge out to the
point then zig-zags down the mountain and follows Cave Creek all the way to
Bass. I have my doubts that this road
can be driven by anything other than possibly an ATV, I don’t know, but I’ll check
it out as far as I can get. Not bad up
on the ridge, just a little narrow but I soon come to what appears to be the
end of the line. |
East Shuler Falls
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At a Forest Service gate is a sign ‘Road Closed’ but the gate is open, I
pull into a nice big parking area on the left (west) to get out and look
around. Walking downhill past the gate a
little way, here the road is even narrower more like an ATV trail, I head back
up to the parking area and notice an old road with a dirt berm barricade going
east. |
bluff overhang
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Going around the berm on a detour, everything looks ‘drivable’ for a
little over a hundred yards where a big dead tree would make continuing in a
vehicle a little tight but not a problem hiking. Just past the downed tree I leave the road
down a gentle hill south, with lots of wild blackberry and soon come to a
little stream and what looks like another old road heading back west. |
small shelter cave
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I follow the creek east, downstream just a short way to the top of a
waterfall that would look great after a good rain. Here I cross the creek following the top of
the bluff south. Not far is an easy
bluffline break but before going down to the bottom I cross over to a
triangular shaped rock overhang, going out to the edge of this nice vista rock
I get an ‘overview’ of the entire pretty little bluff area that’s situated in
sort of an alcove. |
rugged bluff face
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After looking around awhile I head down the easy break to the base of the bluff, first north to the
waterfall that if I had to guess, I would estimate to be 25-30 feet tall. Then east along the ragged bluffs with three
or four small shallow shelters all of which are pretty interesting. And that’s it, the bluffs rapidly get shorter
and end. I climb the hill diagonally then
head back west through the woods and blackberry until I reach the old road that
takes me back to the parking lot. |
gorgeous scenery, gorgeous day
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I’m going to call this very enjoyable and very short hike ‘Shulers Bluff
East’ since it isn’t quite out to the point and on the east side of the
ridge. Short is right, only 0.7 miles
with 115 feet of elevation gain, Not done yet, I hike north on Shuler Road past
the gate and head to the point.
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inside shallow shelter
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Shulers Bluff East: Statistics Chart164A (scroll down for driving directions) |
base map before fair use alterations is property of USFS-
-licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 U.S. License
|
Once past the open gate Shuler Road drops down a gradual hill and curves
to the left, quite narrow but could be easily driven in your car, you can
expect some new ‘pin-striping’ along the way.
Places to turn around are few and
far between and I only see two spots along the side of the road where
parking off the road is possible. But
why drive, this is a nice easy walk only about ¾ of a mile from the parking lot
to the Shulers Point Bluffs.
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low tunnel
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Shulers Point Bluffs
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Along that first curve left then back right is the steepest part until
reaching the bluffs, also in this curve on both sides of the road are many big
boulders. After which the road levels
and straightens out as it follows the ridgeline through clean woods. At Shulers Point the road turns right and
starts down the hill, at this point I can see downed trees on the road further
ahead.
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Leaning Tree Boulder
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I leave the road here and circle back west and downhill to the beginning
of the bluffs at its base. Right away
passing through a low tunnel where a crack has opened up in the bluffline, and
just beyond a big tree has fallen from up top and is leaning against the bluff
creating sort of a second
tunnel. Then curving to the south, I
pass by the first of many easy bail-out
exits.
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| bear crack exit |
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small shelter
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This is slow-going, since there is no trail I pick my way along trying
to keep up close to the bluffline. Here
on the west facing hillside most undergrowth consists of wild blueberry which
means a pretty easy bushwhack. To the
west on the other side of Cave Creek I notice many tall, intriguing bluffs in the
distance, some of the many Cave Creek Bluffs, (see: 72 Cave Creek Bluffs).
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| Lonesome Pine Shelter |
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looking out the back door
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A couple more small shelters and a big boulder with a dead tree leaning
against it, then two more possible exits.
Followed by a tiny shelter with some nice rock formations around it
including a small overhang. From here
start curving around the top of a dry drainage with more bail-out
possibilities. In less than a hundred
yards the west facing bluffs resume and once again I’m hiking south.
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| many shelters and close together |
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shelter/tunnel
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Right away is a small shelter followed by another exit, this one a
narrow bear crack. After the bear crack
are seven or eight closely spaced little shelters, all in less than 100
yards. Most are quite small, the second
of these has a nice squared off flat rock inside the cool shelter, a perfect
spot to stop for a short break.
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| sculptured cave walls |
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multiple passages
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Another 100 feet or so is Lonesome Pine Shelter, (Danny Hale) that is
just amazing. With the namesake little
pine just outside the entrance this cave has some beautiful rock sculptures
around the entrance, inside towards the back left is a skylight out the top and
to the right a passageway out to a back
door.
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small rock patio vista
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The bluffline ends at one last tiny shelter, but just before that is
another fantastic little shelter with multiple entrances and tight passages. Where the bluffs end, I angle my way up to the
bluff top. Directly above that last fantastic shelter is a small rock patio
with great views across the valley of Cave Creek Bluffs about half a mile
away.
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Shuler Road going back to parking lot
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After enjoying the view I hike through the open woods, east back to the
road. From here it's all uphill, but
very gentle nothing is steep enough to work up a sweat, before you know it, I’m back at the truck. This hike to Shulers Point Bluffs and back was 2.3
miles with 300 feet of elevation gain.
Although hiking around the base of the bluffs was a little rugged at
times, I still had a great time exploring outdoors in the Ozarks.
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gate, off the hinges
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Shulers Point Bluffs: Statistics Chart164B To the ‘big parking area’ used for both
these short hikes is easy enough to reach.
From the intersection of Highways 7/123 in Lurton take Hwy. 123 northeast for about 3.5 miles to signed 'NC 5090' aka Shuler Road. Head east then north on Shuler Road, which is
in good shape but narrow, for about 2.25 miles to the parking area on the left
with room for six or more vehicles.  |
base map before fair use alterations is property of USFS-
-licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 U.S. License |
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