I can’t find a name for this mountain—even on the Ormes map—but it absolutely deserves one. The ridge is studded with high rocky outcrops and offers fantastic views. The rocky promontory at the far northern end (home to the “Crags Vista” cache) is not to be missed, and it’s worth tacking on a couple of extra miles if you have the time.
I was apprehensive about hiking this ridge—its approaches are steep and there’s no trail—but once I finally made the trek and logged the existing caches, I decided it needed one more cache to entice fellow geocachers to visit. This new hide marks a neat perch on a rocky point with excellent views. Two pools sit just to the north of the GZ; although I’ve seen many smaller versions elsewhere, these two are unusually large. They were filled to the brim the day we visited, and one looked pretty inviting—if only the water were hot-tub warm and heavily chlorinated.
Congrats to WingsAndTales and Kerewin0430 for the FTF and for finally getting a break in the weather!
Suggested route
The shortest approach is to park at the end of FS 383, at the trailhead for a section of the Ring the Peak (RTP) Trail. Follow the RTP until you gain the ridge; from there, you’re on your own for route-finding. I’ve included recommended waypoints and a trace of our path. Near the final, you’ll reach a rocky north–south spine with several possible approaches (none require climbing—stay safe). We circled to the north end of the rocks and then stayed on top as we headed toward the pools. Our one-way distance was about 1.3 miles with roughly 500 ft of elevation gain, topping out around 10,700 ft.
This is a great summer hike. I wouldn’t recommend attempting it in winter if there’s significant snow. The road past the Mennonite Camp is closed seasonally and may not reopen until late spring—plan accordingly.
A spoiler photo of the GZ is provided if you need it; this cache is about the location, not the search.
(ChatGPT’s rendition of the locale may be a bit off—the pool was smaller than portrayed, and I don’t recall any stairs—but our obnoxious labradoodle is spot-on.)
