Mosca Pass - Elevation 9750 ft. (2971 meters)
This cache had to be relocated because it was inside the Great Sand Dunes Preserve boundary. Many thanks to park ranger John White for his assistance in getting this cache relocated.
There are two ways to get to this cache. You can drive in from the east or you can hike in from the west. I highly recommend the hiking route. The trail is accessible on foot or by horseback only. If you do drive up you can park within 100 feet and make the easy walk to the cache. The terrain rating is for the hiking route. Mosca Pass trailhead is in Great Sand Dunes National Park, and according to the sign at the pass the hiking distance is 3.7 miles (6 km) with an elevation gain of 1450 feet (442 meters). The straight line distance as measured by my GPSr is 2.8 miles. The trail is fairly straight, so I think the actual hiking distance is between 3 and 3.5 miles. In any case you need to allow at least 3 to 4 hours for the hike.
Even if you drive up from the east you can still hike down to the Sand Dunes and back up again. This is a great hike no matter which end you start from.
Mosca Pass Trail was once a toll road. There is an ancient wrecked truck between the trail and Mosca Creek. I've wondered if the driver was trying to avoid the toll. Thanks to LeewayeDiscGolf and nite_raven for supplying the coordinates. I added this as a waypoint.
Great Sand Dunes National Park does have an entrance fee collected at the main entrance. There is a 4-wheel drive entrance over Medano Pass. They do not collect an entrance fee from vehicles entering from Medano Pass. If you have a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle this is the way to go. The scenery is spectacular. Access to the Medano Pass road is from Highway 69 in Huerfano County. Check with the visitors center or the park website (see related link) to make sure the road is open. The road is closed in winter and sometimes in the spring if Medano Creek is running high.
There is an FTF prize of an unactivated FTF Geocoin, BUT it is for the first cacher to find by HIKING up. Please note in your log if you drove or hiked to the cache. I'm calling the container a small, but there is plenty of room for trade items. Feel free to post your own photos.
Don't let this hike scare you off. I just did it a few weeks shy of my 70th birthday. (I was pretty sore the next day though.)
Additional Waypoints
LF622VH - Take the Left Fork
N 37° 44.211 W 105° 24.252
Take the left fork
OC622VH - Cutoff to Old Cabin
N 37° 43.847 W 105° 27.612
There is a trail that cuts off to the south here. If you follow it for about 0.2 miles you will find a neat old cabin. I wonder if this is where the keeper of the tollgate lived.
OV622VH - Dunes Overlook Trail
N 37° 43.848 W 105° 29.409
There is a faint trail that goes north and leads to a great view of the dunes.
P1622VH - Trailhead Parking
N 37° 44.057 W 105° 30.516
Parking for Montville Nature Trail and Mosca Pass Trail.
TR622VH - Old Wrecked Truck
N 37° 43.870 W 105° 28.560
Old wrecked truck. You will not want to miss this. Bring your camera!
Mosca Pass
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