The Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley 🏞 🌎 EarthCache

In order to complete this EarthCache, you will need to hike Garfield Ledges trail. Information about the trail can be found HERE or HERE.

Parking Pass

You need to have a Northwest Forest Pass to park in the parking lot. A kiosk to purchase Day Passes is located at Middle Fork Trailhead (the big trailhead on the right before the pavement ends).

Valley Definition from Oxford Languages

A low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it.

How are Valleys formed? from National Geographic

These geological formations are created by running rivers and [or] shifting glaciers.

Valleys are depressed areas of land–scoured and washed out by the conspiring forces of gravity, water, and ice. Some hang; others are hollow.

How are Valleys created by Rivers? from DK Find Out!

High in the mountains, [a] river is narrow and fast-flowing. Mountains are steep, so the river flows downhill very quickly. Its water carries pebbles and boulders that erode (wear away) the sides and bottom of the river bed, deepening the river and cutting down the mountain in a V-shape, called a valley. Most of the valley-cutting takes place when the river is flooded.

How are Valleys created by Glaciers? from DK Find Out! and nps.gov

All Valleys must first be created by rivers. Valleys that were originally V-shaped in cross section are carved into deep U-shaped valleys by glaciers.

Glaciers [can] carve a set of distinctive, steep-walled, flat-bottomed valleys. U-shaped valleys, fjords, and hanging valleys are examples of the kinds of valleys glaciers can erode.

Different Types of Valleys from nps.gov

U-Shaped Valleys

Avalanche Lake (Glacier National Park, Montana) sits at the mouth of a classic U-shaped, glacially-carved valley.

Valley glaciers carve U-shaped valleys, as opposed to the V-shaped valleys carved by rivers. During periods when Earth’s climate cools, glaciers form and begin to flow downslope. Often, they take the easiest path, occupying the low V-shaped valleys once carved by rivers. As glaciers flow through these valleys, they concentrate erosive action over the entire valley, widening its floor and over-steepening its walls. After the glacier retreats, it leaves behind a flat-bottomed, steep-walled U-shaped valley.

Fjords

The John Hopkins Inlet (Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska) is a beautiful example of a steep-walled fjord.

Valley glaciers sometimes flow through narrow inlets (fjords) into the ocean. They over-steepen the walls around them, as they do when carving u-shaped valleys. Thus, fjords have tall, steep walls like glacial valleys, but their floors are below sea level and thus are inundated with ocean water.

Hanging Valleys

Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite National Park (California) cascades down from a classic U-shaped hanging valley.

A small mountain glacier may join a larger valley glacier, just as a stream may join a larger river. The smaller glacier, however, may not be as deep as the main one, and its base may be higher in elevation than the main glacier's base. When the glaciers retreat from the area where they formerly met, the floor of the u-shaped valley formed by the smaller glacier may be many feet above the main valley. Waterfalls often form at this point when rivers begin flow through the glacier valleys. 

Please message us the answers to the following questions to claim a find.

Logging Tasks

1. What type of valley is The Middle Fork Valley? How can you tell?

2. What river formed The Middle Fork Valley?

3. Do you think the valley will become wider in the future? Why or why not?

3. What ice sheet/glacier formed The Middle Fork Valley? (Read the sign titled "Formed by Ice & Water)

4. How long ago did the Valley begin to form? When was it completed? (Read the sign titled "Formed by Ice & Water)

5. (Optional) Post a picture of yourself at the posted coordinates. 

*IF YOUR ANSWERS ARE NOT SUBMITTED WITHIN 72 HOURS OF LOGGING A FIND, YOUR FOUND IT LOG MAY BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE*

US Forest Service Geocache Guidelines

• All caches must be registered with the local Forest Service Office.
• No caches should be placed in prohibited areas, such as National Forest Wilderness Areas, Research Natural Areas, and other areas so designated.
• Unregistered caches will be removed and a violation notice will be issued.
• Caches must be at least ½ mile apart. This will prevent the proliferation of caches around popular sites by different people. Caches must be available to the general public; no member only or subscription caches are allowed.
• Caches should contain relevant Leave No Trace (LNT) or Tread Lightly (TL) education materials. Encourage participants to practice LNT or TL techniques in placing and visiting geocache sites. To protect threatened and sensitive species and resources, caches must be at least 200 feet from water sources and should be placed in such a way that there is no ground disturbance, ie no burying or covering caches with soil.
• Caches must not contain any food or hazardous materials.
• Cache containers must be no larger than one cubic foot nor smaller than a quart. It is preferable that containers be made of clear plastic so contents are visible. Information on how to contact the cache owner must be available either in the cache or on the originating website.
• Containers must be labeled on the outside so that it would not be mistaken as containing hazardous substances.

This Geocache has been registered with the Snoqualmie Ranger District - North Bend Office.  

This cache was placed by a WSGA member. If you are a geocacher in the state of Washington, please consider joining Washington State Geocaching Association. Follow this link  to visit our website to learn more about becoming a WSGA member.