Geocaching Colorado
posted by Unknown @ 10:00 AM
10 comments
National DML Meet
A blog to document the shenanigans of the 2006 National DML Meet near Colorado Springs, CO
A blog to document the shenanigans of the 2006 National DML Meet near Colorado Springs, CO
10 Comments:
I've also been looking at the regular Geocache site for caches in Colorado. There are a whole bunch. It looks like there's at least one cache on any of the 4x4 trails that I've been looking at, so we should have lots of opportunity for geocaching. Rather than plan this as a separate activity, we'll just make note of any that are in the area we'll be in anyway.
I've never tried this, how much time do you usually need to devote to finding one (assuming average difficulty)? Is it something we could do during a lunch stop, or is it more like an all-day activity?
Some of the easy, regular caches can be done fairly quickly as long as there is not a lot of hiking involved. Some may require some hiking and in the case of multi-caches, can have waypoints quite a distance apart. There is not really an average time but we should be able to do OK. I have a database application that overlays cache locations on my GPS maps and Google Earth so I'll know when we're near a cache. There are a couple that I'm already planning to hit though, like Garden of the Gods which is an Virtual EarthCache. There is no actual hidden container to find, just a place to visit. It can be done entirely from a vehicle without getting out but will take a few hours to hit all the scenic waypoints. There are a couple of others that are webcam caches where you need to capture a image of your self on a public webcam, like the Woodland Park Webcam Cache which looks to be only a few miles from LoneDuck.
There is also another one I was looking at the looks to be the crash site of a B-17 during WWII but that will probably be a full day's travel from Lone Duck. Even though the cache is no longer there, the wreckage is suppose to be. It looks to be about 20 miles east of Ft. Collins and just to the NW of Estes Park. Ingrid and I were planning a day-trip up that way to see the Stanley Hotel. Probably Friday the 14th because they have Tours and Ghost Stories around a campfire on Friday Nights. Probably the the B17 cache that afternoon and the Stanley that evening. The are also a few caches at the Stanley. I was going to call today to book ourselves on the tour.
That B17 Cache could be an off-road trip in itself. Now that I look at the location on a map, it looks to be 10-20 miles from any main Route, in the middle of nowhere. All the roads leading to that area are nothing more than dashed lines and none actually go all the way to the site. One of the websites I've found listing it specifically mentions taking 4wd access roads to a parking area and than hiking the last mile to the crash site itself.
http://coloradowreckchasing.tripod.com/
Yep, that B17 cache will be a pretty good drive from Lone Duck.
Here are a couple that I've found right on trails I've been mapping.
Georgia Pass Vista
North London Bunk House
St. Elmo
tincup travis dsd
Tincup Treasure
Two Mile High Cache
And the list goes on.
I just counted seven caches that appear to be right close to the roads that we'll probably be traveling on Monday the 17th. That's the route from Garden of the Gods up Rampart Range Road and down Mt. Herman Road to Monument (or we might decide to drive it in the opposite direction, that remains to be seen). Then if we start exploring side roads, there are a whole bunch more.
Have you tried the Google map view on the Geocache site? It makes it a whole lot easier to see where they are, IMHO.
If you have Google Earth installed, they also have a networked .KML file that will also display every cache location within the map displayed.
I'm a registered member of Geocaching.Com so I can download the .GPX files for the caches which also includes all the waypoint, cache info and logs. I load them into GSAK (Geocache Swiss Army Knife) which is an off-line database application so I pull up the cache info even if I don;t have Internet access. I've currently synchronized it with all the caches in CO so we'll know where the nearest cache is no matter where we are.
Here's a Cache not too far from Lone Duck that has some mild 4x4 trails in the area.
(GCVY58) Penny Stash by RustyBeerCan
Regarding the "Penny Stash" geocache, it says there are 4x4 trails in the area, but does anyone have any maps that show them? I haven't tried loading the waypoint on to my GPS yet to see what it shows, but if you want to go over there, it might be worth picking up a map or two.
It looks to be only 15-20 minutes from Lone Duck so I was going to scout out the area before everyone arrives. I'll see if I can find any maps of the trails.
Does anyone know if any permits are required for off-road access to state land. My understanding was some of the parks require a permit. Or is that only for unlicensed vehicles?
I've heard good things about the Forest Service maps for forest areas, as well as National Geographic's Trails Illustrated series.
As for off-road permits, I'm pretty sure that's only for ATVs, dirt bikes, and other unlicensed vehicles. Since your truck has a license plate, it's fine. They do want all drivers to be licensed as well. National and state parks will require fees for day use, but that applies to anyone driving in.
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