Sheltered Spring Atarjea Tapada Traditional Geocache
Sheltered Spring Atarjea Tapada
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A half hour walk through a dramatic canyon takes you to a delicious dripping spring in a shelter cave.
This cache is in the northeastern part of the Primavera Forest, about ten kilometers west of Guadalajara, Mexico and can be most easily accessed via the little community of Pinar de la Venta.
A half-hour hike will get you from your car to the spring, via a narrow, winding pumice arroyo.
The Spring is located in a shelter cave located at the base of a high, wide canyon wall curved like an IMAX screen. The ceiling drips all year round and it is said (by JohnPint) that its waters are the most delicious in the entire world. Fill up your canteen and decide for yourself!
In October 2008 the cache was stolen. On Dec 1, 2008 I put a new container at N20 42.370 W103 31.347. See Dec 1 log below.
The Primavera Forest is one of the most delicate in the world. Take a look at the topsoil at the top of any canyon wall and you will see it is only a few centimeters thick. It’s a miracle that such a rich, beautiful forest is able to grow with so little soil…so please take good care of it!
If you want to know more about this area, check out our book AL AIRE LIBRE EN LAS CERCANIAS DE GUADALAJARA or our website: www.ranchopint.com
We hope you will enjoy the silence and solitude of this special place!
HOW TO GET THERE
Follow highway 15 west (toward Tepic and Nogales). Pass Rancho Contento and, 9.5 kms (5.9 miles) from the Periférico look for a large, rectangular arch, which is the entrance to Pinar de La Venta. Make a U turn at the next "retorno" and go back to the arch. Tell the guards you are going to park in the "tercera sección", the undeveloped third section of Pinar, in order to hike in the "barranca". As long as you and your friends do not look like burglars, they should let you in. Immediately turn right and skirt the perimeter of Pinar, always keeping to the right until, 3.4 kms from the arch (at N20 43.078 W103 31.334) you come to a wide cobblestone road going off to the right at a 901 angle. Turn right and right again and go down a steep hill till you come to a street sign. You can actually traverse the entire length of this little lane quicker than you can say its name: Retorno del Paseo de la Casuarina! Turn left here and drive to the edge of a big canyon where a bulldozer can be seen half buried in the sand. Here, the cobblestone "road" turns left and parallels the arroyo. Drive past four non-functioning electric power poles and park. Here (at N20 42.889 W103 31.386) you can scramble down into the arroyo heading south. Sheltered Spring is a half hour walk from this point. Head south along the canyon until you come to N20 42.714 W103 31.345 where you must turn right. This side canyon takes you to the Sheltered Spring. The walls are sometimes high, so your GPS may not work, but in the open space in front of the Sheltered Spring, you can get a reading if you are patient.
BEES! There is a hive high and to the left of the Hidden Spring. Avoid this area and avoid wearing perfume or anything smelling lemony. For info on how to avoid problems with Mexican bees, see (visit link) .
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ng onfr bs qbhoyr uryvk funcrq gerr, haqre ebpx.