This vista gives a one–mile view from 150 feet above the reservoir, including views of the two main inlet brooks. From here, and in the first picture below, you can directly see two other BuckResv geocaches.
Closest parking is the Mountain Rd cul-de-sac at N 41° 43.814 W 72° 30.235
This usually quiet vista can be a surprisingly busy place. Hikers, dog walkers and mountain bikers are here regularly. But there's also lots of utility company maintenance activity here, as shown in the pictures below - Utility pole replacement which brings glacier-exposed bedrock-drilling that vibrates the entire reservoir area, tree trimming by helicopter and insane flying maintenance crews. Pictures below.
2022 - Wooden pole replacement just across the reservoir. Two other BuckResv caches are visible
2022 - Helicopter right-of-way tree trimming done here
These interesting videos (click here for Rotor Blade LLC videos) are from the power right-of-way tree-trimming company, fun to watch. Their fifth video from the link just above is what they actually did here. We watched from afar as the helicopter traveled along the side of the right-of-way with eight suspended spinning blades cutting down tree limbs. For a real sense of this, visit their website at the link above.
At the very bottom of the picture below, you can just see the spinning, tree-trimming blades cutting branches here. Not a great time for geocaching! Fortunately, this happens only about once every twenty years.
2022 - Utility workers being flown from pole-top to pole-top by helicopter. Chatting with them, they were stringing a new fiber-optic cable along the top of the transmission line poles down the power right-of-way, to be leased out to communication companies.
Worker finishing up job at the top of the pole
Helicopter arrives to pickup the worker
Worker reaching for helicopter harness
Worker with tool bag have boarded helicopter harness and is slowly being lifted away from pole
Worker being slowly lifted away from lines
Suspended worker flying away very quickly
Just a spec in the sky now
Makes you queasy just thinking about it!
Wildlife Precautions and Trail Access
These woods are lovely, dark and deep. There is an abundance of wildlife in the area. It’s quite common to encounter beaver, bobcats, coyotes in packs of three or four, deer, fishers, red, grey and yellow foxes, four varieties of owls, snapping turtles, timber rattlesnakes, various water snakes, weasels and the very rare occasional wandering mother bear with cubs. We hike here with bear spray when the blueberries are in season. Exercise caution and please remember that you're in their home.
This cache is part of the Buckingham Reservoir series of caches; search for BuckResv. The cache locations are all on or very near well-worn trails. Consult the many informal trails on the main geocaching.com map to minimize bushwhacking. It is possible to visit all caches in the series via a 9-mile loop, but some caches are tricky and will extend your day. Probably too many for one day.
Stream Crossing Suggestions:
All locations in the series can be reached without crossing any streams. But traversing from one cache to another may bring a desire to cross streams instead of going around. Below are suggestions for possible stream crossings.
1. The northern inlet brook can be crossed on a walkable old beaver dam at BuckResv - Beaver City (GCB5V0N) N 41° 43.566 W 072° 29.647 or a culvert at N 41° 43.712 W 072° 29.633.
2. The northeastern inlet brook, which is actually Roaring Brook, can be crossed on a dirt road where it enters the reservoir at N 41° 43.496 W 072° 29.643 or on a bridge at BuckResv - Beaver Highway (GCB5MDX) N 41° 43.567 W 072° 29.192.
3. The outlet brook, the now larger Roaring Brook just below the reservoir, is nigh impossible to cross without wading, especially in the springtime, except for the excellent wooden bridge at BuckResv - Tranquility (GCB5EK1) N 41° 42.906 W 72° 30.335. We encourage finding a way around instead of crossing just below the reservoir.
Parking:
1. N 41° 43.814 W 72° 30.235 - Mountain Rd cul-de-sac, room for about eight cars. Best for west side of reservoir and northern caches. Southern and far eastern caches are a bit far.
2. N 41° 42.703 W 072° 29.899 - Coop Rd parking lot, room for about 15 cars, often busy. Best for east side of reservoir and southern caches. Northern and far eastern caches are a bit far.
3. N 41° 42.979 W 072° 28.091 – Birch Mountain Rd, side-of-road parking, nearby to the power right-of-way gate. Best for far eastern caches, a little far from east side of reservoir and northern caches.
Although tempting from the map for the southern caches, local knowledge indicates that parking on the western end of Old Hebron Ave is strongly forbidden, lots of no trespassing signs about private property, getting shot. Also, parking directly on Hebron Ave Route 94 near the closed-off eastern end of Old Hebron Ave would be incredibly dangerous - no shoulder, guardrails instead, most cars do 60 here and you or your car are going to get creamed. Far better and safer to park at Coop Rd as above and take the short delightful forest trail walk to the southern caches.
Buckingham Reservoir