Chances are, if you’ve driven along MN 371 between Little Falls and Brainerd many times, you’ve driven right by a sign marking a historical marker just north of the town of Fort Ripley without even giving much of a thought to what kind of site the historical marker could be located at. I know I was one of those people until I finally turned down onto the road the historical marker is on and discovered what is really down there.
To say the least, I was pretty surprised at what I saw. Not only is there a historical marker explaining the significance of Fort Ripley, but there is also a public access area for the Mississippi River, as well as a small fishing area for the small Nokasippi River, which flows into the Mississippi River at this precise location. Needless to say, I knew instantly this would be a good spot for a cache.
So hiding a cache is exactly what I did. I’ve just about given away the location for this cache, but if you need further clarification, here are some directions. Right after you pass through Fort Ripley, if you’re coming from the south, and right before you come to Fort Ripley, if you’re coming from the north, you’ll see a brown sign off of 371 announcing a historical marker coming up. Turn when you see another brown sign with the arrow pointing in the direction of the marker. After you’ve turned, take a left on the frontage road, where’s there’s a sign stating that this is a public access area for the Mississippi and Nokasippi Rivers.
The first thing you’ll notice is the historical marker, followed by a parking area for the Mississippi River. You can park here and easily get to the cache, but you’ll get closer to the cache site if you continue on the dirt road and go to another small parking area designated as a fishing area for the Nokasippi River.
Your GPS should be able to guide you from here. The cache is right by the parking area for the fishing spot. Once you’ve found your way into the woods, you’ll be looking for a grey-colored polyurethane water cooler. The container is rather small compared to other caches, so try not to leave anything too big in it. Take a moment to sign the logbook and take something from the cache if you have something to leave.
I want to say this cache is accessible year round, but I’m not sure if this area gets plowed at all in the winter. In any case, you should still be able to find it in the winter; it just might be more difficult and take a longer walk to reach than in the summer. Also, because the Mississippi’s water level was very low when I placed this cache, if the Mississippi River should drastically flood, this cache might be inaccessible. In any case, the cache is far enough away that it shouldn’t be affected by the normal fluctuations of the water level in the Mississippi.
The initial contents of this cache are:
Deck of Playing Cards
Package of Post-It Notes
New Wallet
Map of Crow Wing County
Keychain Locks
MNGCA “Laker” Game piece
One more thing to note, there are thorn bushes in the area. Although they weren’t absolutely terrible, they are in the area, so watch out!
 Thorns
 Dogs Allowed
 Less than 500 ft. from car to cache
 Scenic View  Mud!  Beware of Muggles!  Historic Site  Park n Grab  Wear bug repellant! |
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