A microcache along the paved east side Guadalupe River Trail. The terrain rating is a 2 or 1.5 depending on how you plan your approach. The last steps off the trail can be tricky if the ground is damp. A writing stick is there should you need one.
This area of the trail is a good one for casual birdwatching as this wide spot in the river is popular with egrets, geese, ducks and the occasional hawk , heron or turkey vulture. The trail on this side runs from downtown San Jose to join the San Francisco Bay Trail in Alviso.
There are several caches along the trail on both sides. Going north on this trail and then west on the Route 237 trail will take you to the Sunnyvale Baylands. Even skinny tire road bikes can use it, though underpasses where it crosses below streets and freeways can be muddy or flooded at times. If you're stuck downtown, grab one of those rent-a-bikes and head north.
Public trailheads nearest the cache are at Trimble Road 0.3 miles south and Montague Expressway 0.7 miles north. Lunchtime walkers find access to the trail through fence gaps behind the industrial buildings on Orchard Drive and Orchard Parkway. Some of these have become developed access points with stairways, but their status changes often. It was once possible to access this cache from the parking area behind Cepton and AutoX, but that lot is now fenced off from the trail. The public parking waypoint given is along Seaboard Avenue near the 76 station.
Public transit, free parking and trail access are all available at the River Oaks VTA park and ride about 1.5 miles north of the cache.
Congratulations to hohenschuh for FTF honors.
