A 2.2 mile Prince Georges County round-trip hike, on now partly-overgrown trails until the beautiful, open mature forest for the last 0.3 mile to the cache. After decades of trail mowing and maintenance presumably by DNR, that's now (2024) been totally abandoned. Hunters and hikers may be able to keep the trail passable. For now, recommended only for those prepared for ticks (grassy!), a bit of poison ivy, and briars....The worst multi-flora rose brambles along the trail are one minute after the huge red shed.
First chance you get, veer off the here-to-fore straight trail to the left a few yards into a huge farmed field to walk along the forest edge (big tree line) to avoid an overgrown trail bit (the field edge is right along the DNR boundary so stick to the edge.)
This cache on a high tide (only) may now be more reachable by kayak via the close-by Spice Creek Small Boat cache.
Spice Creek here is public land used for hunting, so don’t even think of visiting here Monday to Saturday during the two week firearms deer season starting the Sat. after Thanksgiving or the week in early Jan. This cache should also not be visited Monday to Saturday from Sept. 15 to Jan. 31 (deer bow season, birds, etc.) nor mid-April to mid-May before noon (turkey hunting.)
Other than the above, you’ll find the geocache area to be a remarkably remote site, with bald eagles nesting right across the Patuxent River here, and lots of osprey from March to September....bring binoculars! Parking is off of Tanyard Rd. quite near Croom Rd. at 38° 41.830’ N , 76° 43.690’ W, elevation 175’. The geocache is at elevation 6’ now (May 2024) as the old site ~3 feet lower was impacted (not well) by the big 2003 Hurricane Isabel five foot storm surge here (yes, this is an old cache) and probably by the almost-as-high Jan. 10, 2024 tidal storm surge.
As you drive away, turn right on Tanyard Rd. and in two miles you’ll be at Nottingham on the Patuxent. Check out both remaining streets of this near-ghost town which was Maryland’s 6th largest port in 1800, shipping out 1,000 hogs heads of tobacco per year. George Washington did the half-mile short cut from here several times to Ferry Landing on the Calvert County side (26 miles by car now, longer back then by horse.) Don’t miss looking inside Nottingham’s renovated (2024) 1911 one-room school house behind the historical signs describing the history here, then visit the gift shop and shoreline of the Patuxent Riverkeeper office right behind the old schoolhouse; Fred Tutman, the riverkeeper for over a dozen years now, rents kayaks except during the winter.
The British kick-started the decline of Nottingham in 1814, disembarking from boats and camping here before marching on Washington D.C. Steamships, up to 210 feet in length, visited Nottingham for passenger service regularly from 1821 to 1925, and for goods until 1938.
Continuing north for a couple miles on Nottingham Rd. and then Fenno Rd. (the way the British went) brings you to Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary and their big Visitors Center. Their waterfront driving tour and trails are open dawn to dusk year-round.