Outdoor Adventures in the Ozarks

   Just over a year ago when we were here (see: 30 Chancel Shelters ) ,  we didn’t have much information about getting to the shelters.  I did some research online but didn’t find much,  I did find some nice pictures of the shelters and Chancel Arch with GPS coordinates, which will really help.   We’re starting out at the same parking spot just off the road, down the old road we confirm two closer parking spots would work with no problem.  Not much further we begin a gradual descent to the little ridge and leave the trail making our way through woods   south  to two pedestals. two pedestals south of shelters      The woods are pretty wide open this time of year, easy hiking.  Though not all that tall (maybe 30 feet) 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 aro...

     Back to Pedestal Rocks Kings Bluff SIA (PRKB), it’s been almost a year since our last visit so we’re about due.   Today the parking lot is pretty much filled-up, we do find a spot though.   One thing I have noticed about the pandemic , is ‘hiking’ has really gained in popularity.  Or maybe it’s just that with COVID-19 related ‘lay-offs’ hikers who once could only get out on the weekend  are now out every day of the week. multi-color bluffs      Whatever the reason, people need to be able to ‘escape’ the mundane daily routine, and the great outdoors provides just about the best escape possible, and while hiking we can easily maintain ‘social distancing’ guidelines.  It's a shame though there are no campsites here at PRKB, if there were we could spend multiple days here hiking and exploring the bluffs, caves and waterfalls. near Wet Bluff Grotto      Above you’ll notice I chose to call this hike ‘A Bluffs...

     Pine Hollow is another not very well known yet great hiking area, is located in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness with lots of private property around the area, this makes access to the hollow a little challenging.  I’m sure this accounts for some of the lack of popularity, that along with the meager parking.   North of the Mossville Church on Hwy. 21 is an old road and locked gate on the west side of the highway, this is our parking spot.  There's room here on the old road in front of the gate for three cars, with more   room  in the grass along the highway. near the top of Pine Hollow      We begin hiking south on the old road parallel to the highway, it’s obvious this ‘road’ hasn’t seen anything but foot traffic for a long time and not even much of that, soon the road fizzles out and we come to a fence line.  Across the fence is wooded pasture, heading west along the fence in 100 yards we cross a short forest under...

     Another place that's pretty well known to rock-climbers but not so much to hikers is Cave Creek Bluffs. This long bluffline can easily be divided up into 4-5 sections, today we're going to the central portion of Cave Creek Bluffs .  S outh of the entrance into Sam’s Throne is an old road on the left, not in the best shape, but it’s under a quarter mile to the ‘prime’ parking area.   It’s a pretty big area with room for maybe ten cars, and a campsite on the south side of the road. distant vista from bluff top     Right at the campsite a good trail heads west, only about 200 yards down this trail is the top of the bluffs and a nice long bear-crack to the bottom.  While the slope of the bear-crack doesn’t look too bad down close to the bottom, here at the top it is very steep.   It’s all good though, we aren’t climbing down here, this is where we’ll climb out at the end of our hike later.      Danny Hale  recom...