This Hide is part of a series of very family friendly caches known as "Little Green Treasures." The title to these refer to special little green spaces in and around Columbia that are easy for families to access and might have even been “hidden” just over in the neighborhood right near yours for years, but you somehow never noticed it was there. Places like this, often that I found when my kids were little, hold a special place in my heart. Hoping to share their existence now with young and old alike! Places to relax a bit, get some fresh air, bring your kids and dogs… little special places to reward your sense of discovery, and hopefully even succeed at finding a fun cache to leave your mark, and be able to stumble upon some kid and adult-friendly swag to put a smile on your face! :) So bring something small to trade, some decent shoes... no extreme lengthy bushwhacking required on these gems. Then again, sometimes that depends on what side you come at them from! :) And as always….bring a stick… cause you know… well, I like trees. A lot. A hole lot. And that often gets me to the root of the problem. Nothing like sitting right on or next to a log with a pen in your hand, scratching your head with your other hand. Then you wonder how you even got here, but that’s okay, bec you *do* have GPS with you … right?
John A. Stewart Park: Nestled between the lovely older classy neighborhoods south of the Columbia Public Library, lies a long stretch of wonderful green space. It’s well-loved and well taken care of. Honeysuckle eradication has been a big deal, to let the natural forest, prairie area, and stream habitat return to its natural glory. What an awesome job and pride the City and these neighbors have in this park! I have enjoyed walking through it, and enjoying seeing its incredible variety and specimens of trees for many years, in every season, it’s simply gorgeous. A small creek runs through it, and there are nicely cleared footpaths to and along it. A poet’s delight to walk along. A large, semi-wooded field is near the northside road, (E. Parkway Dr), and there is also a wonderful, labeled native wildflowers and plants garden that has been set up by folks in the area. What a treasure. Be sure to come back and bring your camera for butterfly and flower pictures in the summer months! Or come sit by the babbling stream and watch the creek chub minnows and water spiders flitting around by fallen logs in the dappled sunlit water. Or just take a leisurely stroll around and breath totally fresh air, right smack in the middle of town. Usually busy on nice weekends with ppl walking dogs and sometimes kids. Weekdays are fairly quiet inside the park itself. Stealth still required tho, as lots of traffic and ppl walking alongside the roads and edges, esp the southern edge. Parks loved and cared for like these, have made Columbia shine for decades of happy memories.
No playground equipment, just a wonderful place to walk around in, sit and read a book at the green grassy base of a big old tree, take your geodog for a stroll, or sit on a large rock or fallen tree by the pleasant creek. There is a slope down lower around the creek, but most of the park itself is flat.
The cache is between small and regular sized. Fair amount of room for swag. You *shouldn’t* need to get your feet wet to find it. Depends on where you park or walk from, and how you go about it tho— but it’s *not* hard to stay dry, especially given the "woody" attributes in the area.
You can park alongside of East Parkway Drive, but be sure to be careful to not block any of these wonderful neighbors’ driveways or mailboxes along here. They are many of the caretakers of this wonderful green gem of a space.
Park is open 6am-11pm
This cache was placed according to the guidelines set out by the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/geocaching-letterboxing/