Gruff Crossing Traditional Cache
Kenderwolf: Sadly, this cache is gone and I have moved too far away to replace it. Hopefully someone else will place a cache in this great area.
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Near Red Mountain & Salt River. Multi-use trails, but predomenantly used by mountain bikes. Twisty trails with some steep areas. Follow up with "Meet Me At the Crossroads" (GCT3CY) for a nice loop.
Three little billy goats went mountain biking one day...
Cache is located in the Tonto National Forest along one of multi-use paths. Free parking is available at N33 31.035 W 111 40.453 -- walk across the street to get to trail access. If you take the path I did, the hike to the cache is a little over 2.5 miles. I suppose you could go straight up the wash and shorten your time, but you'd really be selling yourself short if you do that. The trails are really great and offer a cool hikes and great views, as well as a shallow cave that's fun to check out. I strongly recommend getting a map of Arizona trails as there are no signs on any of these trails. It'd be hard to get lost since you can always see Red Mountain, but it'll be easier if you grab a map. (Beartooth Publishing makes a great one that includes all the trails in greater Phoenix area. You can pick up it up at REI and it's worth every penny. I take mine every time I go caching.)
Here's the path I took and recommend, starting from the opening in the fence across from the parking lot: go .1 miles to the first fork and veer left. Nice steep hike at this point so hang in there and follow the trail along, past the "Bat Cave". About 1.1 miles from the last fork will be another intersecting trail, stay to the right this time. .3 miles is another fork, go left. The cache is hidden along this leg of the trail. Please be VERY CAREFUL when getting the cache -- there is definitely a chance of snakes in this area!
Mountain Bikers: These trails are listed as some of the best mountain biking trails in the Valley. The path I took (on foot) is recommended for intermediate to advanced riders. There are some steep climbs and decents as well as some technical sections. It is almost entirely single-track, please help keep it that way: ride in control and don't skid.
Hikers: Keep in mind that mountain bikes can be very quiet on the sandy desert floor and your footsteps may cover any noise a rider might make. Be alert as there are some blind curves.
There are also occasionally horses on these paths as well, though they usually stick to the wash. Remember trail etiquette: bikes and hikers yield to horses.
As always, remember this is the desert. Bring lots of water and watch out for prickly things. Also, it gets cold fast around here, especially in the winter with the wing coming off the Salt River. I recommend bringing a light sweater if there's any chance of getting caught out after nightfall.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[1.] Jurer jbhyq n gebyy uvqr?
[2.] Ybbx haqre gur ynetrfg ebpx va gur oevqtr.
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