This Cache is placed as part of the New York State Park Saratoga/Capital District Regional Geocache Challenge. There are 52 geocaches hidden within 16 state parks and historic sites in this parks region, and geocachers finding 35 or more will be eligible to enter their names in a drawing for valuable prizes. The first 75 people to find 35 or more caches will receive a special geocache challenge coin. If you are interested in taking up the challenge, you can pick up a geocache passport at any of the participating parks and sites or download it at www.nysparks.com
This cache contains a unique stamp which must stay with the cache. Use this stamp to stamp your passport. This stamp is NOT a trade item. Some of the items in the cache are park souvenirs and do not need to be replaced with a trade item.
This three part multi-cache will allow you to check out a variety of limestone features in the park, including a crevice, a disused quarry, and the cliff that makes Thacher Park famous. Part 1 contains the coordinates for Part 2, and Part 2 contains the scrambled coordinates for Part 3. To get the correct Part 3 coordinates, solve the simple puzzle in Part 2.
Part 1 of this cache is easiest to access from the Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center on Thompson’s Lake. Stop by the nature center and check out our displays, our beehive, and to get a calendar with monthly park events!
Thacher Park would be a very different place without limestone. This soft rock forms the cliffs on our eastern boundary and is also responsible for the fascinating rock features found throughout the woods here. These features, known as karst, are formed by water flowing through joints in the rock. The cracks are opened and eroded further by ice and snow in the winter time. They are also important winter habitat for Jefferson’s and Yellow-spotted Salamanders, which over-winter deep under the surface where the temperature is a constant 55 degrees.
Part 2 is accessible from Carrick Rd.
In the early 20th century, John Boyd Thacher bought 350 acres of what is currently the state park to protect the Helderberg Escarpment from limestone quarrying. Limestone was and still is used in a variety of applications, including cement mixing, road building, and (when purified) is an excellent source of calcium for use in bread, cereals, and livestock feed. This area, at the head of the northern trails, was not a part of the original 350 acres bought by John Boyd Thacher, and was quarried as a result. Enjoy exploring this large, flat rocky area left behind by the quarrymen.
Part 3 is best accessed from Carrick or Old Stage Rd parking areas.
On the way here, you’ll go over 1400 feet in elevation, the “High(est) Point” in the park.