GC79DW1 Trail Mix #23: Pine Valley Ranch Park
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: cajrrman @ | Hide Date: 07/29/2017 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N39° 24.283 W105° 22.050 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
             

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This cache is hidden off the Buck Gulch Trail in Pine Valley Ranch Open Space Park.  This is another in a series of caches that are all along trails in open space areas west and southwest of Denver.

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I have included 3 waypoints. #3 is where I left the trail to head to where I hid the cache. This waypoint is 2 miles from where I started my hike and there is a good view there. It makes for a longer hike but it probably results in the easiest path off trail to the cache. #2 is where I returned to the trail - this route is just a bit harder than #3. #1 would probably work too - this would be the shortest route but would have the most up and downs. From any of these waypoints, you will need to head across the way to a spot in the park where there are some nice rock outcroppings and some fabulous views. The hike off trail will be between 3 and 4 tenths of a mile.

Using waypoint 3 and 2 like I did, the hike is about 5 miles round trip and is relatively strenuous in spots where the Buck Gulch Trail has some steepness. The cache is at 7550 feet and down by the river it's about 6830 feet in elevation.

Additional Waypoints

P079DW1 - Parking Area
N 39° 24.485 W 105° 20.826
Big Parking Lot
W179DW1 - Waypoint 1
N 39° 24.109 W 105° 21.808
Another spot you could leave the trail
W279DW1 - Waypoint 2
N 39° 24.003 W 105° 21.882
Where I returned to the trail
W379DW1 - Waypoint 3
N 39° 23.944 W 105° 21.974
This is where I left the trail

06/01/2018 By Greasepot
Out with Garlic this morning. We had a great hike. We used your waypoint #3 to leave the trail, and I let Garlic lead the way out and he happily picked his own route back to the trail. We ended up with a 4.5 mile walk. I was not thinking this morning - and did not load this cache into my gps. Luckily - I printed out the cache page last night - and it had the cache coordinates on it. Thanks! L: Scrabble Tile. T: some great pictures. I've got 4 more trail mixes to do - so I'll have some more lovely hikes soon.

01/01/2018 By cajrrman
No longer a premium cache.

11/18/2017 By youkfish
Great morning for my first winter conditions hike! Made a 6 mile, snow covered loop up Park View for 3 caches, then down Strawberry Jack and back up Buck Gulch for 2 more caches and back to the parking lot via Buck Gulch and Pine Lake. Always nice to see more deer (3) then people (2) on the trails! Left the trail between WP1 and WP2 and returned to WP1. Great views up here and very peaceful! Cheers!

09/25/2017 By Back Country Horsemen
After camping at Miller Gulch we road to Crossons ghost town down by the river. On the way back we had enough time to take the Buck Gulch trail to the cache then up on the Strawberry Jack trail & around back to Miller Gulch.

08/22/2017 By Bhob
Went for a nice hike on a pleasant day with "animjason" - we found this geocache along the way. TN-LN-SL. Thanks !