Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park

[+GEM's]

I'd like to hike the caches in the Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. Does anyone have suggestions on parking? Cache Order? Time needed? Distance of Hike? Other planning tips?

[+WeightMan]

EGH will probably chime in on this, but until he does I would say to park at Red Town to get Sandstone Falls (well worth the trip), Follow the brick road or the cinder path (do while doing Sandstone Falls), and Coal Seam. After doing Coal Seam go on up the extra half mile to the location of Coals to Newcastle. The last one has been archived and I don't have the waypoint handy, but it is really worth going there if there is water coming over the falls. I have not done the others up there so I can't say anything about those.

[+Og's outfit]

I, too am interested in these hikes. Are they snow-free this time of year?

 

edit to say, nevermind...Of couese they're sno-free. I should just go get em!

 

 

Og

Edited April 7, 2004 by Og's outfit

[+GEM's]

Thanks Weightman...hearing no other suggestions we'll follow your route..probably tomorrow, but maybe Saturday.

[+The Jester]

I don't have any firm suggestions on order, but make sure you grab a map at the TH. It'll make life a lot easier. I've been working on waypointing all the trail intersections (at the same time getting the caches).

 

The "TH" on 166 (end of the road, at gate) is a great place to start for Fantasy Adventure, Gnat Fest, and Long View (I think) - about a 6 mile RT. A real glutton would (from Long View) continue to Far Country, DeLeo Wall and back into the center for those caches.

 

Craig (The Jester)

[+GEM's]

Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park!

 

Mrs. GEM’s and I met up with Mountain Mule and his wife at the Red Town trailhead this morning at 9:00am. We picked up a map and crossed the street and hiked up the Coal Creek Trail to Hit the bricks or follow the cinder trail by agff3 (GCGWZ2) then on to Sandstone Falls by UWdawg (GC3AB4) and back to Red Town. This was a route suggested by Weightman in the forums…and well worth the trip!

 

From there we decided to take Hazard’s suggestion and park one car at his Secondary parking location which is N47 31.622 W122 08.508 and another car was parked at the Wilderness Creek Trailhead on Hwy 900. We started our hike on the Marshall’s Hill Trail at the Secondary parking location and hit the De Leo Wall trail to pick up the Newcastle, De Leo Wall Cache by Hazard (GCH8XH). We took the Indian trail to the Far Country Trail to pick up Newcastle, Far Country Lookout Cache by Hazard (GCHF1V) and had lunch at this great location, I think that is Renton out there. Next we headed to the Shy Bear Trail pas the Deceiver Trail and decided to approach the Long View Peak by Mierissa (GCHBBK) from the back side. Mountain Mule and I placed a new cache at the intersection of the Shy Bear, Wilderness Peak, Long View Peak, and the Wilderness Creek Trails at Shy Bear Pass. Finally, we headed out to our second car down the Wilderness Creek Trail to the Trailhead on Hwy 900. But on the way we couldn’t resist the opportunity to place another cache (bison) at “The Boulders”.

 

This was a great day and I want to thank all cachers who put caches together and gave us advice…I recommend this route! We’ll definitely be back to get the remaining caches in this cool park!

 

GEM’s

Matthew 6:33

[+GEM's]

Found out that this park is currently forbidden for all new caches....Mountain Mule and I left 2 caches in the park that can not be approved until permission is granted by the ranger. Team Misguided can provide more info for future hopeful cache planters in this park.