Welcome to Waddle Ranch Preserve. This beautiful 1,400 acre parcel is the most ecologically diverse area in the Martis Valley and provides a critical wildlife corrider between Martis Valley and Mount Rose Wilderness. In the early 2000s, the property was slated for the development of 800 homes (out of a total of 6000 planned for the valley). Fortunately, that didn't happen! In 2007, after years of contentious debate, The Truckee Donner Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land was able to purchase Waddle Ranch for $23.5 million.
Dry Lake was renamed Ella Lake, after Ella Joerger, the oldest daughter of Joseph and Martha Joerger who owned this land and more in Martis Valley (however most people still seem to call it Dry Lake). The lake is great for birding.
More information about the preserve: http://tdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/Waddle%20Ranch%20Brochure_2013.pdf
Trail map: http://tdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/Martis%20Valley%20Trails.pdf
Getting to this cache will take you on a 1 to 2.5 mile (depending on the season and approach) section of paved road, which is very popular with local runners and dog walkers and provides great views of the Martis Valley and surrounding mountains as well as Martis Lake and the dam, and then 2.5 or 1.5 miles (depending on the approach) of trail that is generally decent but a bit steepish, uneven, and rocky in places. Elevation gain is about 500'.
Most people park on Martis Dam Road, off of SR 267. In the non-winter months, one can drive to within a mile of the trailhead but in the winter months, one can get only drive to within 2.5 miles. However, there is also a lesser-known, year-round, place to park on Butterfield Drive, off of Joerger Drive, that is 1 1/4 from the trailhead.
Go to the trailhead at the end of Martis Dam Road then take the trail to the right.