We think this stash is our most challenging to date. The cache is
located in the sandy woodlands between Yontocket and the ocean.
Park near the locked vehicle gate at the end of Pala Road. Walk
about a half mile along a good gravel road to the Yontocket
cemetery site. At coordinates N41 54.483 W124 11.878, you will make
a road vs. trail decision. In placing the cache, we did both and
both were beautiful routes.
The round trip distance is 2.5 - 3.0 miles depending on the
route selected. The road and/or trails (again, depending on the
route taken) are quite good and elevation changes are moderate
except in the immediate vicinity of the cache. The last couple of
hundred yards are off-trail. A fairly steep climb up a dune-like
hill is required just before the cache. The cache can also be
accessed from the beach north of Kellogg Road or by the
Kellogg-Yontocket 4WD road. However, either of these routes would
entail a much longer trek.
The cache is in a Lock-N-Lock container. Spend a little time at
the Yontocket cemetery on your way back from the cache. It’s a nice
spot for resting before hoofing the last half mile back to your
wheels. Reflect on the massacre of hundreds of peaceful Tolowa
Indians by white “soldiers” from Crescent City that took place here
in 1853.