This cache is on private property (with
permission from John Sommerhof) and in an Illinois Nature Preserve.
Please make sure you follow the rules of the area and the
directions for this cache carefully. One of the rules of this area
is to stay on the trails and do not bushwhack. So please stay on
the trail until you get to the cache. The property owner saw some
logs mentioning going off the trails and asked to me to warn people
they need to stay on the trail.
This is one of three caches I have placed in the Olin Nature
Preserve. When I was a kid, I lived near here and I hiked and
explored this place all the time.
No dogs, pets, bikes, etc are allowed in the Nature Preserve. It
is private property (owned by the Nature Institute), but open to
the public. All plants and other features are protected by state
law.
The area is closed between mid November to mid March because the
area is used by bald eagles as a night roost. The cache will be
disabled during this period. The owners have asked me to tell you
in addition to closing for the Eagle Roost, they close the preserve
on certain occasions for management and all visitors should adhere
to the signage at the entrance to the preserve
To get to the preserve, go Route 3 and get off on Levis Lane
(N38° 55.754 W90° 12.774) and head back to the Nature Preserve.
Park at N38° 55.080 W90° 13.449. Do not enter the preserve any
other way, particularly from the River Road. You will encounter No
Trespassing signs and entering this way is trespassing.
The suggested order for the caches are Overlook, Beaver Falls,
and then Olin Nature Preserve.
This cache is a short distance from Beaver Falls. There is a
nice trail to it that follows the creek and through a nice
bottomland forest. There are also several small waterfalls along
the way to the main falls. When you get to the bottom of Heart
Attack Hill, there is a road heading toward the cache. Take it.
At one point the road turns where there is a trail. Take the
trail to the falls. Many people are missing the trail, so pay
attention. The cache is about 10 feet from the trail. It is in
a sensitive area, so follow these directions and don’t go trampling
the area. About when you can first see the falls, look up and you
will see a tree with a red triangle on it. It is about 10 feet from
the trail. The cache is right by this tree.
I did not have a real good fix, but it should be simple to find
with the directions. The cache contains a log and pencil. It is the
84th cache I have hidden.