This cache is located along a newer section of the Ozark Greenways
trail. I used to drive past Trailhead #1 every day, and one day I
stopped to check out where the trail went, and discovered a Cache
Utopia! I was amazed there hadn't been any caches placed in this
beautiful area yet, which is probably because most people don't
know about this hidden trail. It is so new that it is not viewable
yet on Google Maps, and isn't even published yet on the Ozark
Greenways web site. This trail is great for joggers, bicyclists,
dog walkers, or parents with children in strollers. Ozark Greenways
trails are only open during daylight hours.
For Cache Utopia #1, I provided "Additional Waypoints" for
parking areas and trailheads. So if you download the file for that
geocache to your GPSr, you should have coordinates for three
separate parking areas, as well as three separate trailheads. If
you open up the geocache file in Google Earth, you will be able to
see all of the waypoints on the map. (I'm not providing these
"Additional Waypoints" for the other three caches, since they are
just duplicates and you would end up with a bunch of extra
waypoints on your GPSr that you wouldn't need. You can just use the
waypoints I provided on Cache #1 for Caches #2, and #3.)
Whichever trailhead/parking area combination you choose, make
sure you match the numbers. For example, if you park at Parking
Area #2, then take Trailhead #2, etc.
Here are the parking and trailhead waypoints, with the distance
(as the crow flies) from the trailhead to the cache:
- Parking Area #1 - N 37° 06.902 W 093° 19.454 - This is a little
cul-de-sac just off of the road.
- Trailhead #1 - N 37° 06.838 W 093° 19.457 (.23 of a mile to the
cache)
- Parking Area #2 - N 37° 07.017 W 093° 19.280 - Located in the
Wanda Gray Elementary School parking lot.
- Trailhead #2 - N 37° 07.005 W 093° 19.131 (.54 of a mile to the
cache)
- Parking Area #3 - N 37° 06.408 W 093° 19.788 - Between the
Rivercut Golf Course and the new Riverbluff Cave Field House. The
parking area is a dead-end road (the kind that ends with red
diamonds).
- Trailhead #3 - N 37° 06.417 W 093° 19.774 (.36 of a mile to the
cache)
This is the last of three caches that I placed along this trail.
To find this cache, #3, you will need to go off the trail a ways
and up a hill onto public but unmaintained land. You can either
choose to walk along the creekbed (which will either be dry or wet,
depending on the time of the year) to access the cache (which is
what I did), or approach the cache from a different direction. This
is probably the most difficult of the four caches to find.
Be sure to watch out for ticks--they are terrible this year, and
I paid the price for not wearing protection when I hid this cache.
Long pants are recommended. Be on the lookout for poison ivy as
well.
The cache is a round, 2-quart Rubbermaid container with a
screw-top lid and wrapped in camouflage Duck tape. Original
contents are logbook, cache information sheet, pen, new Matchbox
car and soda can holder.
Good luck!
