Upper Wilder Ranch is an amazing place for hiking and caching. It has huge, sweeping views of the ocean, open meadows, shady redwood groves, mossy oaks, seasonal creeks, and caches old and new! I placed this series of new caches to encourage people to enjoy this beautiful backcountry. The caches are part of a collection that's been growing in my garage for quite a while now. They're all large, colorful, and/or Santa Cruz-themed.
You're looking for a fairly large snaplock container recycled from an excellent cache that I found 8 years after it was archived. What a find! The CO generously let me log it and re-use the container. This stretch of the trail has great views of the huge meadow that's encircled by the Eucalyptus Loop. Near here you can just start to see the spires of the dead trees by the vista point at the top of the loop. The cache is hidden just a few steps off the trail behind a shrubby oak tree.
The nearest starting point for this hike is the Twin Gates entrance on Empire Grade. Street parking is available nearby. Wilder Ranch hours are 8:00am - sunset daily. Happy hunting!