Hike the Chapel Trail along the shores of Lake Sagatagan to reach the Stella Maris Chapel on the grounds of St. John’s Abbey / St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.
The chapel was first built in 1872 and survived a tornado in 1893. It was struck by lightning in 1903 and burned down. In 1915 the young monks completed the structure that is there now, and it has been renovated several times since then. Supplies were hauled across the ice on sled in winter and horse-drawn wagons in summer.
See Waypoints for Parking and Trailhead.
The Chapel Trail is open to the public. The trailhead is by the beach. (The beach is a private beach. A St. John's ID is required to swim at the beach.)
The trail winds around the eastern side of the lake. Stay on the trail along the shore. The trail has some rolling hills, roots, and some rocks. The reason for the Terrain Rating of 3 is due to the length of the hike. It is approximately 2 miles out to the chapel. It is a kid-friendly hike.
Dogs are NOT permitted on the trails. Neither are bicycles or any other off-road vehicles.
You can also canoe to the chapel. There is a canoe landing and parking lot on the west side of the lake. No motorized boats are allowed. In winter, you can ski, snowshoe, or ice skate over to the chapel. Snowmobiling is NOT allowed.
When you reach the chapel, there are several ways to claim your Virtual Reward:
#1: Post a photo of your GPS device or a part of yourself at the chapel. You do not need to include your face in the photo.
~or~
#2: Count the number of crosses inside and outside the chapel. Email or message me your answer and describe where you saw the crosses. Bonus: How many crosses have the same height and width? How many are taller than they are wide?
~or~
#3: Count the number of cross-beams in the ceiling of the chapel, including the ones on either end. Email or message me your answer.
Please do not post photos of the answers to the questions.
Cache was placed with permission of Abbey Land Manager.
Happy Caching!
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.