WARNING: On the map, this cache may appear close to I-90, but it’s not accessible from there. You must use Cottonwood Canyon Road, which is too rough for city cars, not maintained in the winter, and closed to public when muddy. See directions below.
Una is the first cache in the 25-cache GeoCat Power Loop. We intended Una to be an easy (unless buried in snow) find to get you going in the series, but some say it is tricky. After finding Una, start the power loop by walking a short distance (40 meters?) up the road to the small creek bed which, now days, is usually dry. Then walk downstream IN the creek.
Cat status report: All caches manually checked and are ready to be found 13 April 2024.
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GeoCat Power Loop
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Cache Name
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Size
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D/T
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Published
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FTF
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1
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Una
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Micro
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2/1.5
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10/10/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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2
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Somewhere Over the Waterfall (Multi)
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Regular
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2/3
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7/4/20
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BisonChasers 7/25/20
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3
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Bad Ugly Good “BUG” (Multi)
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Large
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5/5
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4/4/21
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Ball24, Climbingdivers, & Diesel350 4/16/21
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4
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Pinkie
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Micro
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2.5/3
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12/14/20
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Medicallead 4/4/21
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5
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Privy Porcupine
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Small
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2/3
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9/7/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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6
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Brainy Bovine
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Micro
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2.5/3
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9/14/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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7
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Vault of Souls
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Small
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3/4
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10/15/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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8
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Flittermouse Rappelant
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Micro
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2.5/5
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9/21/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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9
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Goldfinch
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Small
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3/3
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11/4/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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10
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Bullseye
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Micro
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3.5/4
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1/16/21
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Medicallead 4/4/21
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11
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Sated Sylvester
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Small
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3/4
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1/31/21
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Medicallead 4/4/21
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12
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Wisps
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Small
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3.5/4
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1/25/21
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Medicallead 4/4/21
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13
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Silver Bullet
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Small
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3/4
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11/23/20
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Medicallead 4/4/21
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14
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Uranus Klingon
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Micro
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2.5/4
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9/21/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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15
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Rocky Point
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Micro
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3.5/4
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9/26/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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16
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Ol’ Corky
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Regular
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2.5/4
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9/21/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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17
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Illicit Vices
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Micro
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2.5/4
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9/26/20
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 10/3/20
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18
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Sage Advice
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Micro
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3/4
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10/10/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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19
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Tree Bee
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Micro
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3/4
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10/10/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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20
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Stubby
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Micro
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3.5/4
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10/3/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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21
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Abe’s Place
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Micro
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2/3.5
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12/5/20
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Medicallead 12/9/20
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22
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Spike
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Micro
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2/3
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1/9/21
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350 4/16/21
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23
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GeoCat Litterbox
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Micro
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3/3.5
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10/5/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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24
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Sovereign Scepter
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Small
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3/3
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10/5/20
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BozoFinder, Diesel350 & Climbingdivers 11/22/20
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25
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Somewhere Under the Waterfall
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Micro
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1.5/2
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4/4/21
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Medicallead 4/4/21
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Minimize your distance walking the entire power series by proceeding counterclockwise around the loop in the order listed above. The entire loop requires at least 8 km total cross-country hiking in an arid pocket of BLM snake habitat, including areas of steep climbing & descent with jagged rocks, prickly pears, and sage brush. We tried to make each cache unique, and some of them are tricky, so give yourself extra time. Please dress properly and search with caution in the canyon which is known for its populations of rattlers and other vipers.
The loop’s elevation points are between 1500 and 1920 m (4900 – 6300 ft). By contrast the elevation in uptown Butte is 1700 m, and Bozeman is at 1500 m. These are high elevations, so the weather can be volatile, but it is a dry area that can be free of winter snow as early as March. Cell reception in some areas of the loop is non-existent, so the cache coordinates are close but likely not exact. Please report maintenance needs. Online log entries for each cache may be deleted if physical cache log not also signed.
GeoCat Power Loop Wall of Fame:
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Series Finishers
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Geocacher(s)
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Start Date
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Finish Date
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Climbingdivers & Diesel350
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3 Oct 2020
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16 Apr 2021
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vernarsky
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17 Apr 2021
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2 May 2021
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Darndest Dragon
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8 am, 21 May 2022
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3:15 pm, 21 May 2022
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Driving Directions:
Eastbound Exit I-90 at Cardwell, and then take Cottonwood Canyon Road 4.7 miles (7.5 km) ENE.
Westbound Exit I-90 at Milligan Canyon and proceed S and then W on Cottonwood Road. At 7.5 miles (12 km) drive through the big pipe under I-90 and proceed the final 0.8 mile down into Cottonwood Canyon.
More fun power series:
If you like walking in the woods, you may also enjoy our three other cache series. All three are fun and underused.
- Lost Tomahawk Power Series at Waterloo off Hwy 55,
- Moose Tracks Power Series along Moose Creek Trail near Hwy 2 between Butte and Whitehall,
- Roam Pipestone Multi Mega at Pipestone ATV recreation area off lower Delmoe Lake Rd,
- Trail of Embers Power Series along the Continental Divide Trail off Hwy 2 between Butte and Whitehall.