Golden Bike Path Traditional Cache

Visit the peaceful creek which gives Goldstream Valley its name and admire the work of a civil engineer.  This is the Ladybug Kids' seventh in a series of caches accessible via one of Fairbanks' bicycle trails.

On the surface, the Ballaine Road bridge across Goldstream Creek looks like a typical steel span.  However, upon closer examination, it's interesting to see that the bridge is actually mostly wood...a LOT of wood.  Come and take a closer look at this neat structure which is simple, yet strong despite having very few steel parts.  

Enjoy watching the fish swim by in the clear creek waters below the bridge and enjoy the view of the hills that border both sides of the valley.  Beginning about Labor Day, the hills turn golden as the birch and aspen trees don their fall colors.  During August, lots of blueberries may be found in the valley and in September, lowbush cranberry picking is great after the first frost.

Park at The Vallata restaurant for a relatively easy bicycle ride or bring your bike with lots of small gears and park at Ballaine Lake on Farmers Loop Road or Joy Elementary School on Auburn Drive and ride over the Ballaine Road hill and drop into picturesque Goldstream Valley.  If time, motivation, and energy permit, complete a loop after finding the cache by riding north on Ballaine Road to Goldstream Road.  You may turn left and take Goldstream Road to Sheep Creek Road across the UAF campus back to Farmers Loop or turn right and take Goldstream Road to the Old Steese Highway to McGrath to Farmers Loop for very pleasant rides suitable for a road or mountain bike.  If you drive to the cache location, please park at the starting point for Chuggah Chuggah!!! (GCNBKF) in a large pullout on the east side of Ballaine Road at N 64° 54.632', W 147° 49.598'. 

The "Chuggah Chuggah!!!" cache page also provides a historical perspective of this valley which buzzed with activity during the gold rush in the early 1900s.

Depending on the time of day and year you visit this cache, you may want a small flashlight to find this decon container.

Be sure to record the mystery cache code word from the cover of the cache log book .  You will need the code word to find an upcoming bonus mystery cache.