Exploring Shawnee National Forest:
The Stone Steps of Bell Smith Springs!
The first awe inspiring structure that we came across on the first day of our Bell Smith Springs Exploration we're the man-made Stone Steps that were nestled into a natural rock formation!
I briefly mentioned this stairway in the last post of my "Exploring Shawnee National Forest" Series, but in this post, you get to see the Stone Steps in all of their glory! And, as an added bonus, this post will actually be my first submission to 
While this is actually located in Bell Smith Springs, it does look like you are about to ascend into the Garden of the Gods, doesn't it!?
When you first start out on the White Trails that wind you through the forest, they all lead you to these Stone Steps, which is the only way that we had found to access the "Ancient Riverbed" (more about that in the next post!) and the remainder of the Trails!
The first time we came to the stairway, I knew I had to take some pictures to capture the beautiful scenery that we had found! Junior absolutely loved the Stone Steps, and insisted on descending the staircase on his own! Of course, we held his hand the entire time, but it was still an amazing feat for such a young hiker! :)
The first section of the stairway only descended about 8 feet, and opened up on the left to little platform that was only about 15 feet across at its widest point. Its most prominent feature, in my opinion, was the man-made stone ledge that surrounded the platform that served as a rest area!
Continuing past the platform, the staircase descended another 25 feet of so, if not more! The side of the staircase were solid rock, and a part of the cliff that served as the upper portion of the trail.
At the base of the Stone Steps, there was a small cavernous style indentation in the base of the giant rock formation that was the cliff we were walking on, not 15 minutes prior!
In total, we climbed these Stone Steps two times the first day we were there, and another 2 times before we left the next day! The first two pictures are actually from the second day we were there, when we went hiking towards "Devil's Backbone" before heading to the Spring for a more private tour!
Which, unfortunately, that is where we will end this post! But don't forget to tune-in next time for the newest update to my "Exploring Shawnee" series: "The Trails of Bell Smith Springs, Part 2!"
Stay Trippy, My Little Hippies! I hope you have a great rest of your weekend!