Queen's Steps Traditional Cache

Long before we were geocaching, we had a name for this particular area... "The Queen's Steps"

Go up the Queen's Steps (on the southeast side of this small island). The cache is hanging in a cedar tree on the right (south). Please replace carefully, as there are a lot of muggles that use the island for having campfires. Also, watch for poison ivy. You should be able to step around it. There are a lot of rocks and not too much vegetation. And water snakes... sorry to say it, but there are water snakes at Callaghan's on the Crowe. They will just swim around you, no worries. 

This island is where we watched the osprey devouring the fish he had just caught near our canoe. 

This stretch of the Crowe River, from the bridge in Marmora, to Callaghan's Rapids, has been a favourite of Dreamcacher and Inuksuk for many years, long before we knew about geocaching. Now, because of this game, geocaching, we can share this 3 km river treasure with you. The titles of the geocaches all have to do with wildlife we have seen near each GZ. Somedays we see a plethora of wildlife. Other days we see nothing. If you go quietly, you are more apt to encounter some kind of wildlife.

The boat launch just southeast of the Highway 7 bridge, is large. There is a beach close by. Marmora has a lot of conveniences... and gas is usually cheap. Stock up with a picnic lunch, because once you reach Callaghan's Rapids, you will want to stay there for a little while, guaranteed. 

The Crowe River does flow south, but in this 3 km stretch, there is no current (or none to speak of), but check wind speeds. It is a north-south river, and it is only 200 metres wide in most places, so even a fairly strong west wind is usually manageable. In one place along the river, you can see the Marmora Iron Mine in the distance and much of the shoreline closer to the Twin Iron Bridges at Callaghan's Rapids belongs to the Crowe Valley Conservation Area. Once you leave Marmora and start paddling south, it suddenly becomes very quiet. When you reach the Twin Iron Bridges (rail trail) at the start of Callaghan's Rapids, you are likely to encounter people who love to ATV or walk to the rapids. At other times, you will have the whole lovely place to yourself.

Enjoy the area and the wildlife and CITO if you see any garbage. Thanks !