I hike this trail fairly often and I still make discoveries! This time I found the bushes alongside the railroad grade aren't all roses, as I thought, but include some sort of berry bush. What kind? Come hike this trail and see for yourself!
I do not know if the berries are safe for human consumption. Please leave them for the wildlife to enjoy.
Watch out for thistles and ants by the cache.
The Benson Railroad Trail (also known as the Benson Bridge Nature Trail) is a 2.2-mile loop hike on an old railroad grade around a good-sized lake in the Cutler Marshes. It has beautiful views of reed-filled and open water the entire way.
The trail is mostly unshaded, open all year and generally uncrowded. The trail can be buggy in the spring. The west trail head has off-street parking and no facilities except maybe a garbage bin. The east trail entrance is just a gate. Restrooms (not open in winter), picnic tables, a shade shelter and additional parking can be found across the street between the two at the boat launch area.
Benson Railroad Trail - Cache Hiker's Report (Feb. 2026)
Congratulations to desert dawg and grumpywombat, who shared FTF honors on this "atypical MountainHobbit hide!"
This cache is part of the series, MountainHobbit's Mathoms, Year 15. Don't know what a mathom is? Check out Chapter 1 in the Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien to find out the reason for this hobbity celebration!