Owl Mountain is a long, graceful arcing ridge in Jackson County
that’s highlighted by several gradual projections. The
highest of these has an elevation of 10,957 feet, just 13 feet
higher than a small mound about a mile west of it that is commonly
referred to as the Owl Mountain summit. The latter supports a small
“tower’, whereas the true high point, the Ranked Peak,
is forested and has nothing special to discern it other than its
slight elevation advantage. And it has a summit register
that’s rarely visited: it was placed there in 1995 and has
been signed by only four adventurous spirits who have made their
way to the true top of Owl Mountain.
But now the highest summit point has another feature of
interest–a geocache! This cache is hidden north of the summit
register by several dozen feet, so there is no chance that one can
confuse the cache container and the summit log. Make the approach
on the rough road and take the hike up to the top of Owl Mountain.
Sign the summit register. Find the cache and sign its log.
It’s fun when you have the chance to double dip, as you have
in this case.
Unfortunately, the trees surrounding the summit preclude decent
views of the Never Summer Mountains, the peaks of the Rawah Wilderness, and of the lower country of North Park including Owl Ridge. Your treasure here is the cache log, and the fun hike you had to reach
it. Enjoy!!