ORIGINAL CACHE CONTENTS:
- Log book
- 1 pen & 1 pencil
- Frog Key Chain
- Key floatie
- Matches
- Foreign Coins
- Dollar Bill
- Deck of Cards
- Cassette Tape
- Map of Joshua Tree National Park
- Post-Its
- Card Frog
- Telephone Goodie
(NOTE: PLEASE don't remove anything without replacing it with something of equal or greater value. THANKS!)
DIRECTIONS:
You start your adventure from a dirt parking lot in Sara Park, then you hike about 2 miles to the cache along a dry stream bed and trails that run parallel to the dry stream bed then through a interesting canyon that is about 3 feet wide, 100 feet long and has 20 feet high walls. There is a fun rock slide at the beginning of this narrow passage. The trail goes all the way to Lake Havasu and a pretty bay with a picnic table and a restroom nearby. This cache is also easily accessible via boat. This hike is a lot like the “Painted Canyon Ladder Trail” in California located at - N33, 37.818 W115, 59.544 which is VERY COOL, A MUST SEE CACHE!
From the stop light at Acoma Blvd. in Lake Havasu drive south about 2 miles on Hwy 95 until you get to McCulloch Blvd. (you'll see a large orange ball on the left atop McCulloch Realty) and turn Right. Go 7/10 of a mile into Sara Park until you see a small dirt parking area on the right, this will be your starting point. The coordinates are - N34, 26.624' W114, 15.888'
HIKE INFORMATION:
You will hike pretty much in the dry stream bed and the adjacent parallel trails all the way to the cache. At about mile 1.55 you will see sand bluffs on the left. Stay to the right side of the wash and you should see a rock arrow on the sand (N34, 25.639' W114, 17.313') which will lead you to a faint trail around the right side of the bushes to the lake. Once you get to the water start looking for the cache at - N34, 25.653' W114, 17.408'.
RETURN TRIP OPTIONS:
1. Return the same way you came, but you’ll have to climb around the left side of the rock slide to get by this obstacle.
2. From the cache go uphill (North) and take the clearly defined high moonscape trail (located at waypoint coordinate #1 below) back which runs parallel to the dry stream bed. Here are some return trip waypoint coordinates for the high trail back to the parking lot -
1. N34, 25.683' W114, 17.403'
2. N34, 25.759' W114, 17.184’
3. N34, 25.924' W114, 17.090'
4. N34, 25.944' W114, 16.577'
5. N34, 26.354' W114, 16.443’
At waypoint #5 there is a “Y” in the trail and you have 2 options –
1. Go to the right and take the low trail back to the dry stream bed and the parking lot.
2. The More Scenic Option - At waypoint #5 go up and to the left around the left side of the rock buttress which will take you on a high trail along the base of the cliff which has a great view of the surrounding area and it too eventually heads back down to the dry stream bed and the parking lot.
If you choose to take option #2 - At N34, 26.354' W114, 16.443’ there is a saddle between two hills and the trail takes a hard hairpin turn to the right and down the hill. If you make a “U” turn to the left here and climb to the top of the hill you will be rewarded with a nice picnic table and a terrific 360 degree view of Lake Havasu City and the Lake from the top of Lizard Peak (1353’ asl). If you look 318 degrees from the picnic table you will see a giant lizard on the ground.
By the way – There is another geo-cache near the summit of Lizard Peak so you can bag 2 caches in the same day! The other Cache is called “Have-a-View of Havasu”
Once you climb down from Lizard Peak take the hairpin turn in the trail to the right and follow it down to the dry stream bed and the parking lot. There is a short section in the trail where you have to carefully climb down, but it isn't very difficult if you take your time.
TOTAL TRIP TIME:
About 3 hours and 4 miles with a vertical height gain of about 500 feet if you take the option to the top of Lizard Peak.
WARNING – You might NOT want to take this hike if there are pending thunderstorms due to flash flooding. And do take water!
Have Fun & Enjoy!
Bill - 1575mhz