Explore Bays Mountain
Come explore the trails at Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, Tennessee by foot or by mountain bike. Click on the link for Bays Mountain Park above to locate, download and print a trail map or pick one up inside the park Nature Center before heading out on your exploration. The park has many caches already in place. The bookmark list of Bays Mountain caches lists everything from traditionals, puzzles, multicaches, letterboxes, and earthcaches. The possibility of getting five different cache icons in one day is POSSIBLE! If you are interested in learning more about the history of this 3,300 acre city owned park then explore this website: Discover Bays Mountain
THINGS TO KNOW:
- There is a $4.00 entrance fee per car/truck per day.
- The park offers a Nature Center and Herpetarium with public restrooms, various animal habitats, fee-based programs which include both a ropes course and a zip line, a planetarium, and a lake barge trip--all located near the parking lots.
- While the park is open daily, (with exceptions for Christmas and New Year's Day) the park operating hours change seasonally and park gates are locked upon closing times.
- This cache was placed using an iPhone. See hint if necessary. I took about 40 readings to average the coordinates--consider that at the time of the year when this geocache was placed, there was significant overhead foliage.
- There are various hazards which include black bears, venomous snakes, poison ivy and other critters which may or may not be a problem for you while on your adventure. Prepare accordingly.
- At different times of the year, your trail may be wet or muddy.
- Geodogs (on leashes) are welcome to explore with you on this road, but are not permitted in the animal enclosure areas. Look for the signs to indicate those areas.
- No motorized vehicles are allowed anywhere in the park except on the paved roads leading to the parking lots.
- Bring your own pen!
- This cache and cache location has been placed with the full approval of the park director.
On a nice walk through the sleepy September woods, my tummy began to rumble. I noticed that I had reached the trail to the foodplot; alas, there was no steak or fried potatoes to be found. I walked back to a newly constructed beaver dam and asked the furry folk there if they had seen any food about. "Ho! Friend Beaver!" says I, "Have you seen any delicious nibbles about?". "Why yes," said Mr. Beaver, "My wife is even now preparing a summer salad of water cress and the soft inner bark of beech tree. You are more than welcome to join us in the lodge for dinner!" I gave Mr. Beaver my thanks, but explained that I didn't have my swimsuit, nor did I find such fibrous fare as palatable as some. So I skipped my merry way on, leaving behind my new friends the beavers to eat the soft part of trees that they assured me beat a nice steak any day. Have fun, be safe! As always all disclaimers apply; seek this cache at your own risk!