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This is one of those gems that mostly just locals know about. If you want to get away from the summer crowds along the Big Sur coast then this is the place. When I placed this cache on a summer weekend I only saw two people all day. Oh, by the way once you get on the trail
you will not be able to use your GPS much until you get to within .5 miles of the cache. Don't worry, You will not need it on the trail, but It would help if you printed this page out and the trailmap.
Click here to read some interisting information about this area and the Tin House.
Caution:
- First let me say that this cache is not for kids. Not only is this a steep hike the one mile walk back to the trailhead (when you take the fire road down) is along Highway 1 with only about 18" of shoulder to walk on.
- Do not take this hike late in the day. At a moderate speed, with stopping, it is a 4 to 5 hour hike. If you return by the same trail, it will be longer.
- If you descend by the fire road, it will be faster. But, the fire road down the mountain is very steep and winding, trekking poles would be a good idea. It is not good to get caught there in the dark. You will hear sounds that may cause you to question your sanity for having started the hike too late in the day.
OK...OK lets go!
The trailhead to the cache is located at N36° 10.624 x W121° 41.623, Across the road from the Partington Glances geocache parking area. Initially, the trail can be confusing. If you start out going to the left of the creek across the bridge, you will have a lovely saunter in the redwoods, and come upon an idyllic picnic spot --a boulder hanging over a wide sparkling pool, with a waterfall in a cathedral of Sequoia Sempervirens. But, this is the wrong trail. It dead ends at a cliff.
The Tanbark Trail follows the south side of Partington Creek. This is the trail you will stay on for 3 miles. It begins with a gentle ascent beneath towering redwoods along cheerful Partington Creek, eventually climbing higher up on the canyon wall and passing beneath mixed hardwood forest until eventually regaining redwood cover at historic Swiss Camp, a beautifully forested glade about 2 miles from the trailhead that makes a perfect resting spot. The stonework here was made 70 years ago by Gunder Bergstrom, who lived here in the 1920s. Beyond Swiss Camp the trail climbs gently through mixed forest once again. At the summit of the tanbark trail you will see two tanbark trail signs, keep going past them. If you turn left at the second one you will dead end. CONGRATULATIONS! you just climbed 2,000' in only 3 miles. You will now descend gently for half a mile to its terminus at the upper end of the fire road leading to the Tin House cache, just over 3 miles from the trailhead. You will now see a brown sign pointing right to Highway 1 and left to the Tin House, go left, the cache is getting close now. Once you are in an open meadow next to the Tin House you will be able to lock onto all the birds in the sky and home in on the cache. The cache is located in a green ammo box hidden from view of the meadow
where people tend to hang out.
A loop trip can be made by descending the steep 2 mile fire road back to Highway1 at a point about a one mile walk from the Tanbark trailhead.
Original contents are:
Geocache logbook w/pen &pencil
Abalone shell
First aid kit
Disposable camera
PEZ dispenser
Tissue pocket pack
Lightning safety magnet
Cloud/sea chart
Fish pen
Matchbox car
LED light
Geode
Fresnel Lens
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Big Sur Coast from
the fire road
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