To give you an idea of how deserted the area usually is, I spent 5
hours placing the caches and only saw two other people on the
trails. This was on a weekend afternoon with near perfect weather.
This is a Wisconsin state park, so you will have to pay a fee or
have an annual sticker to enter. Park at coordinates N 42° 59.335',
W 91° 07.749'. (This is a small parking lot near the Green Cloud
Picnic Area.) Be sure to check out the view of the Mississippi from
the picnic area before starting your cache hunt.
This multipart cache hunt consists of 3 waypoints. The first two
waypoints are simply metal tags with the coordinates of the next
cache on them. The first metal tag is actually inside a 35mm film
can, the second is attached to something. The third and final cache
is a green .30 caliber ammo can. Both tags and the final cache are
not more than a few hundred feet off of a trail, so there is no
need or benefit to bushwhacking through the park.
Highlights of the cache hunt include:
Waypoint #1: Passenger Pigeon Monument and Lookout, Indian
burial mounds, and many views of the Mississippi
Waypoint #2: Pictured Rock Cave and a walk along a small stream
that empties into the Mississippi
Waypoint #3 (Final Cache): Turkey Hollow
Total hiking distance is about 2.1 miles to the final cache
(that makes 4.2 miles round-trip). Note that there is a large
elevation loss, then gain between waypoint #1 and waypoint #2. The
hunt and hike back to the Green Cloud Picnic Area will probably
take about 3 hours (maybe 2 if you are in good shape and don’t make
many stops). Those in a hurry or out of shape may want to drive
from the Green Cloud Picnic Area to the Homestead Picnic Area after
finding waypoint #1. This will save slightly less than 2 miles in
total hiking distance (alternate total is 2.3 miles).
Due to severe erosion and mudslides from a
summer storm, the Sugar Maple Nature Trail is closed between
waypoint #1 and waypoint #2. Therefore, you must return to
the initial parking area after finding waypoint #1, and repark at
the Homestead Hollow Picnic Area (N 42° 58.469', W 91° 07.505') to
access waypoints #2 and #3. Currently, the only access to the
Homestead Hollow Picnic Area is through the family campground, as
the primary road (Homestead Hill Road) was also damaged and is
closed.
Cache contains the usual geocache stuff (including a disposable
camera). Featured cache items: Doc Hollywood VHS tape, Vince Gill
‘Souvenirs’ CD, and geocache hitchhiker ‘Biker Bill’. The first
person to find the cache should take “Biker Bill’ and move him to a
new home.
For maps of the park and pictures of the locations you will
visit, check out the Friends of Wyalusing website at www.wyalusing.org.