Every time I come here I am reminded of the Blue Ridge Parkway in
North Carolina. It meanders through the mountains and hills,
offering the traveler spectacular views and considerable exposure
to wildlife. Travelers can pull off and enjoy vistas and now-a-days
can probably also enjoy a few geocaches.
The same is true here. While this one is precisely on the Blue
Ridge, near an "on-ramp", you won’t be on any pavement; you won’t
even hear any traffic unless you listen very hard. At the cache
site, as you turn 360°, you have a magnificent view well into Napa,
Yolo, and Lake Counties. On a clear day you can see well into the
Central Valley and as far as the Sonoma valley. Overhead, raptors
will be keeping an eye on you and don't be surprised if lots of
critters are keeping an eye on you from nearby as well. Recently
the terrain was made considerable easier by the land managers (BML
and University of California Natural Reserve System). So while it
is a substantial hike from parking to the cache with considerable
elevation change, it is much easier than it used to be.
You are looking for an ammo box with a few trinkets and a log
book. Your GPSr should have a very good signal here as there is no
obstruction on any horizon (that, in fact, is the attraction here).
If your coordinate tell you to head over the edge of a cliff, then
please be advised that doing so is not needed to find the cache.
The rating of this cache includes the rating of the hike (1.5 miles
each way, some of it steep); once you are near the cache, it is
basically a Difficulty 1.5, Terrain 1.5
If you come in the summer, bring at least 30 oz of water per
person. And watch out for snakes (especially near the cachesite)
and do not harm them even if you think you should. You are a guest
in their home.
Unfortunately you cannot bring dogs on the trail. It used to be
allowed on some of the BLM trails as long as you kept them on a
leash; now the whole area is managed by the University and since a
lot of folks did not leash their dogs and let them tear into the
research sites and restoration sites, that has spoiled it for
everyone. So now dogs are not allowed at all. The new sign saying
so near the trail head has been vandalized, but the rule is still
in effect.
Note that there is Poison Oak all along this trail; it is
generally easy to avoid; I did not see any at the cache-site.
Also: note that you can click on the map to see a topographic
map of the area, where you can clearly see that this cache is not a
drive-up.