Highwood Mtns Summit Series - Middle Pk Traditional Geocache
Highwood Mtns Summit Series - Middle Pk
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Seven mile loop of mostly off-trail mountainous terrain. Insanely beautiful country. 4WD vehicle highly recommended. Add 3-4 miles to trip if you park on county road. Add 4 miles more if you choose to get the cache on Baldy also.
This cache is an easy to find ammo can located a little below the summit of Middle Peak. This cache is meant to be combined with finding the cache on North Peak(GC13P4R) which is on the same ridgeline and only about a mile away. Highwood Baldy(GC132EH) and Pinewood Mt(GC139H8) are also part of this ridge system. A creative hiker with strong lungs and legs could knock out all four caches in a very long day, three caches for sure.
My son and I placed the caches on Middle Peak and North Peak in the length of an afternoon. We covered about 7 miles in a loop and rose about 2400’ in elevation.The loop we took went to Middle Peak first, but you could easily reverse the route. Shortly upon crossing the forest boundary there is an old, discontinued trailhead (N47 24.417 W110 38.548) on the right with a small sloped parking area marked with a few boulders. Here you will start bush-whacking up a ridge that leads towards the summit. The summit of Middle Peak is long and L-shaped….IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU GO TO WAYPOINT N47 23.732 W110 37.532 FIRST AND THEN FOLLOW THE RIDGE TO THE CACHE. This will help you to avoid the steep creek drainages and will save you time. North Peak and its cache are an easy walk northward along the open, grassy ridgeline. After you find the dinosaur cache on North Peak, continue north on the ridge toward Highwood Baldy. The ridge and the road meet on the shoulder of Highwood Baldy. To save time and miles, I suggest that you turn westward off the main ridge when you come to a side ridge that heads toward N47 25.181 W110 37.547 where a spring with good water supplies a stock tank near the road. Follow the road downhill to your vehicle.
Another option for those with a 4WD is to drive up the Highwood Baldy access road until you reach a locked gate. Park there and head up the ridge to the East until you get to the main ridge, then head South to North Peak and then Middle Peak. Then backtrack.
To get to the Highwood Baldy access road you will need to take Willow Creek Rd which loops around from Armington to near Belt. From Armington, take Willow Creek Rd. about 11.5 miles to N47 23.615 W110 41.453 where you will continue straight on to a road with a “No Outlet” sign. If you cross a bridge over Little Belt Creek, you missed your turn. Go about 1.2 mile and turn left on the road clearly marked as Forest access. The access road may have a closed gate depending on the time of year. Close the gate behind you if you find it closed. Unless you have a high clearance 4WD, you should park at the turn-off and start walking. Parking here adds 3-4 miles to the round-trip.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Onfr bs fznyy ebpx snpr ba jrfg fvqr bs fhzzvg