Lost Treasure of Williams Gulch Traditional Cache
Hidden : 12/31/2004
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Bill Williams may have left treasure in this area.


Bill Williams had a cabin in the gulch just upstream from the cache location. He was rumored to be a Confederate deserter. Alice Eastwood called him an "old wood chopper." According to legend, he left treasure somewhere in the gulch that now bears his name. Some of the workers building Phoenix Dam were said to have spent more time looking for the treasure than on the job.

The trail starts from the southern tip of Phoenix Lake. It follows a beautiful redwood canyon, that is cool in summer and particularly nice when after the winter rains. Around a half-mile, the trail crosses a bridge and the site of an old dam. When the water overflows, there is a small waterfall. A plaque near the dam dates it to 1886 -- it provided a water source until Phoenix Lake was built.

The trail continues on and leads back up the hill to Tucker Trail, but there is no bridge and fording the stream may be a problem in winter.

The cache is an ammo box hidden just before you get to the bridge, not too far from the creek.. A wide bank and a fallen tree are close at hand. Unless you stand up, you cannot see the bridge from the exact spot where the cache is hidden. It is near the trail and easily accessible. You will not have jump into foliage (or the creek) in order to find it.

The GPS readings were averaged from several different readings and compared to the topo maps. But it is in a wooded canyon and my readings have varied a great deal - so pay attention to the description and use the hint if needed.. Please make sure that the cache remains hidden from other hikers.

The most popular access to this trail is from the parking area at the Natalie Coffin Greene Park (below Phoenix Lake) in Ross. From there, walk to the top of the dam -- at this point, the trail is generally level until it reaches the cache. It can be difficult to find a parking spot during peak times.

There is more direct access to the cache from the trails leading down from Crown Road, including the Harry Allen Trail near the reputedly "no-so-evil" guard rail cache. When the stream is full, make sure you continue to the lake before following the arrow on your gpsr, otherwise you may have to figure out how to cross the water above the dam.

More information about this area is in Tamalpais Trails by Barry Spitz. You might also look at Rambler's Guide to Tamalpais or check the Water District's map.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

perrxfvqr - haqre - abbx bs fghzc

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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