GC81KA4 Trail Horses #2
Type: Traditional | Size: Micro | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Back Country Horsemen @ | Hide Date: 12/22/2018 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N39° 24.478 W105° 02.997 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
           

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This cache resides in Nelson Ranch Open Space in Douglas County right along the Ringtail Trail. There are multiple ways to get here depending on your mode of transportation. As horseback riders we start at the Sharptail Ridge Open Space TH on Roxborough Park Rd. From there it is a little over 4.5 miles one way to this cache. Only hikers and equestrians (no dogs) can use the Sharptail Trail. Also since this is a State Wildlife area, this trailhead is closed for hunting seasons in the fall, so please check the Douglas County Open Space for dates.

The second (and closest) access for hikers only (no dogs) is through Roxoborough State Park & requires an entrance fee. From the visitors center it is approx. 2.5 miles one way on CR 5 to the cache.

The 3rd access for all types of non-motorized users (including dogs) is from the Indian Creek Trail west of Sedalia. It is at least 9 miles one way from that TH to the cache. A long hike, but not bad if you are riding a mountain bike.

Not all horses are suitable to be a trail horse but mine is one of the best! You might run into horseback riders on these trails. It's a popular trail system, especially since there are restrictions on mountain bikes, giving us an opportunity to relax and not worry about speeding bikes that can sometimes sneak up on us & spook our horses out from under us. As prey animals, horses are naturally herd animals in that they prefer multiple horses for safety otherwise they can be jumpy and even more skittish. Mine is especially unusual as he feels comfortable going for a ride by himself. I hope you enjoy this trail as much as I do.

01/03/2020 By hartsdale
First stop on the way to the unfound one.

With the State Park doing first day hiking event on the first, I thought the snow would be stomped down on the trails.

It was until doing this loop not a single track except a few deer here and there.

Glad this one was off the ground, no way to find it with all the snow covering everything.

There it is!

Thanks for the cache and some much needed exercise hiking in the snow.

HD

12/04/2019 By OUT14ND3R
Beautiful day for a winter hike. Stated out going for the nearby FTF, but the snowy trail made me think again. However it did not stop me from getting this one. Took about an hour and fifteen to get there. Trails were snowy, icy, wet and muddy. The last half mile was folllowing the footsteps of a lonely deer. Cache in great shape.
Thanks Back Country Horsemen for Trail Horses #2

TFTC SL

11/18/2019 By Back Country Horsemen
Stopped by on our ride & checked this one now that the TH is open again. All is fine here.

10/15/2019 By wildkatco
This was a great ride from our house through private easements to Nelson Ranch OS. Back 34 years ago when we bought our house, we could ride Penley & Nelson Ranches all day long, now it's a slightly less convenient ride and a bit further. People pass, families sell out, and things change. The "Horse" caches have been on my radar for a while and we decided to head out and get this closest one. Back in the day, we called the big red rock formation praying rabbit rock. There were a couple of places on the upper loop where you might be able to imagine it. I have so many great memories of time spent on my horses in this area, and it was a trip back in time for me. Just like in times past, we saw many deer and an Eagle, although I'm not sure if it was Golden or Bald since it appeared to be a juvenile and from a great distance. Found the cache handily and was happy that no bicycles chose to race up the trail as we blocked it with the horses. You're a bit taller than I am, so I had to approach the cache from the high side. Took nothing, left nothing, signed log. Thanks so much Backcountry Horsemen for this trip down memory lane! Definitely worth at least one favorite point!

12/24/2018 By LostinDenver
[FTF] at 12:17 pm on Christmas Eve. Im grateful to my family for allowing me to embrace my insanity on this day. I had a small window of opportunity to grab several caches. I thought I knew of a way to drive closer to the cache... But I was wrong. I should have heeded the sage advice if Backcountry Horseman. I thought I would be in and out in 25 minutes. Wrong. A long walk (just as described from the start point) led me to the GZ. Coords are good, but there are several options in the area. Took a little bit to find the well placed cache. 2 hours after I stepped into the trail, I was grabbing my door handle to head back home after stamping my name in the hallowed spot. Thanks for the holiday exercise! Tftc!

12/23/2018 By Heartland Cacher
Published