The Colorado National Monument lies on the northeast edge of the Colorado Plateau. Much of the area's natural beauty was invisible to most people in 1911, the year President Taft designated it as a National Monument. That's because the monument, rising nearly 2,000 feet above the Grand Valley, was only accessible to hardy souls on foot or horseback. No road existed to carry motorists from one end to the other, a distance of 23 miles. That began to change in 1933 with the Great Depression when young men were hired as part of the Civilian Conservation Corp to build Rim Rock Drive, a spectacular testament to American ingenuity and hard work.
As you travel the length of this historic and scenic byway I encourage you to also visit the 4 previously placed Earth Caches on the west end which highlight the geology of this national park. Continuing through the Monument you will take in even more spectacular views. This virtual tour of additional points of interest along Rim Rock Drive will take you to some of my favorite, sometimes overlooked, viewpoints on your way to the east entrance. The route begins or ends at the Visitor Center where you will find a small informative and interactive museum as well as creative videos to pique your curiosity and a gift shop with a variety of accessories and souvenirs for purchase. Several trails take off from the Visitor Center which can further extend and enhance your time here.
Enjoy your visit, stay safe on the trails and be considerate stewards of our public lands.
This virtual cache is a multi-stage adventure with 7 additional waypoints between the visitor center and the eastern entrance to the park. To claim the find you must complete any 5 of these 8 stages. Each stage includes a question or task which can be completed on site, and/or a photo option will be offered as an alternate way to complete each station along the way. Any combination of answers sent as a message to me, the cache owner, as well as any required photos posted with your online log totaling 5 stops will be accepted as completion. These requirements include wheelchair accessible options as well as short hikes along paths of varying terrain to scenic viewpoints.
(I have starred 4 of the additional waypoints/tasks that can be completed from a space near the parking area- a 5th wheelchair accessible photo point is right here in front of the visitor center where you will find a metal sculpture of John Otto- the Monument's first illustrious superintendent. Include yourself (or a personal item) and John in a photo to complete one stage of the 5 required.) Please feel free to complete more than the required 5 stages and do pause to take in other viewpoints along the way, as every stop is wonder-full!
Please don't post any answers in your log, as it will be deleted. Also, any pictures that may have information to answer a question may be deleted as well.
Once you have messaged me and/or posted photographic evidence to complete 5 stages, you may claim the find. I will contact you if requirements need further attention.
I hope you enjoy exploring this amazing landscape while learning about its history, flora, fauna, geology and other unique features.
Please note that there may be limited wifi and cell service along this drive, so you may want to download or print out this cache page before heading out.
Please stay on all trails, no off-road/off-trail travel especially around open rim areas- keep a close eye on children!
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
A special thanks to 02Bhkng for allowing me to adopt her coveted virtual reward 4.0 to allow the creation of this cache and to ranger Kaitlyn Thomas for advice and permission to place this cache.
Congratulations to Peachbob for FTF on this virtual!