There are 114 Ranked Peaks in Jackson County. A Ranked Peak is one that has a prominence of at least 300 vertical feet–that is, it rises 300 feet or more from its saddle with the highest neighboring mountain. One Jackson County Ranked Peak (Rabbit Ears) requires technical climbing. At the other extreme, the easiest of the county’s Ranked Peaks is Peterson Ridge (elevation 8,610 feet). It rises a short distance above Colorado Highway 14 southwest of Walden. Thousands of people drive by Peterson Ridge without recognizing it’s status as a Ranked Peak. Oh, boy-- they don’t have a clue of what they are missing...
This two-stage multi cache takes advantage of Peterson’s Ridge’s simplicity. Stage 1 is hidden very close to the highway, and the Final cache is positioned higher on the ridge yet still is very easy to reach. So stop your journey along Highway 14 and pull into a 2-track road that leaves the highway near the stated coordinates. Find the Stage 1 container and write down the instructions for the Final. Determine its coordinates and then find it.
After finding the cache, make your way to the high point of Peterson Ridge. Find a soft rock to sit on while you take in the views of stunning mountains in the Medicine Bow Range (east), the Never Summer Mountains (south east), the peaks along the Continental Divide as it traverses the south end of Jackson County, and the mountains within the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area to your west. And don’t forget to appreciate the nice sagebrush-covered terrain and the riparian meadows seen so advantageously from this viewing platform. These habitats are loaded with wildlife.