Virginia

Capital: Richmond

Largest City: Virginia Beach

Size Rank: 35th

Admission to Union: 10th

Find the other caches in the series HERE.

The Cache Across America Series: This is a series of caches that will take you on a caching tour of the entire United States. One cache is hidden in each of the 50 states. These caches each contain a numeric clue that will lead you to one final cache located in our nation's capitol upon completion of the series.

About this cache: Welcome to the Virginia edition of the Cache Across America challenge. Whether this is your first find or your 50th find in this series, I am sure this will be or has been one of the most rewarding challenges you have done.

This cache is located on Belle Isle in the James River as it passes through Richmond, Virginia. There is parking available on the north and south sides of the river (see waypoints) with pedestrian bridges giving access to the island.

“At 54 acres, Belle Isle is the largest island in the James River and one of the most historic sites in the city. Virginia Indians fished in the river here long before the English arrived. Captain John Smith was among the first Europeans to visit in 1607, and William Byrd I acquired the island in 1676. Sold by the Byrd family about 1776 the island soon became one of Richmond’s first industrial centers with the opening of a nail factory in 1814 and later a full-scale ironworks that operated until 1972. Granite was quarried here in the 19th and 20th centuries. During the Civil War one of the most notorious prisoner-of-war camps in the South was located on Belle Isle. The remains of a Confederate gun emplacement are visible on the island. From 1904 to 1967 a local power company operated a power plant on the south bank. In 1995 Belle Isle was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”

Belle Isle is very popular with hikers, bikers, swimmers, sightseers, and geocachers (several caches on the island). The cache is located just off of one of the many trails with minimal bushwacking required. Please help maintain this popular island by CITOing when you can and leaving it better than when you arrived. And don’t forget to pick up the code that you will need to find the final cache.

Logging Requirements: Enjoy this cache as you would any other. If you are searching this cache as a participant in the Cache Across America series, please post a photo of yourself or a member of you group with the cache in your online log. If you for some reason are unable to meet the photo requirement, please make alternate arrangements to verify your find with the individual cache owner. There is no photo requirement for non-challenge participants.

Individual verification of all 50 state finds will be required before logging the series final.

If participating in the series, please take note of the three digit code located inside this cache. Save this code in a secure place. When you have visited all 50 caches, and have collected all 50 codes, you are welcome to seek and find the final cache! Good luck!