GCGJ4TJunction Creek Geocache
Type: Traditional
| Size: Regular
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By: adopted by kingbee@
| Hide Date: 07/30/2003
| Status: Available
Country: United States
| State: Colorado Coordinates: N37° 20.034 W107° 54.488 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 6
A pleasant stroll beside a mountain stream brings you to this trailside cache.Directions: Begin on Rte 550/Main street in Durango. Turn west onto 25th street, opposite the fairgrounds. The street immediately changes its name to Junction Street. Drive about 3.5 miles. If you follow the signs for “Junction Creek Campground” and “Colorado Trail”, you are heading the right way. Park in the lot at N 37 19.886 W 107 54.162. Start at the Colorado Trail interpretive sign, about 10 yards southwest of the parking area. Follow the Colorado Trail about .35 miles. When you come to the rock sculpture, the cache is just ahead at N 37 20.034 W 107 54.488, between the trail and the creek.
The walk is along a fairly flat, well-traveled trail. The point of interest near the cache site is the Junction Creek Popular Rock Sculpture. Some trail-users add to the sculpture, others break it down, some build it up again, so it is different week-to-week. Be sure to add your touch to the rock pile.
This is a good summer cache with kids. Little people (and big people, too!) may enjoy putting on their river shoes and bathing suits and splashing around in the water. If you follow the trail further on there is a swimming hole where you can (usually) get all the way into the water (N 37 20.070 W 107 54.609). Be careful in spring, though, as the creek may run too fast to be safe to play in during spring runoff. The trail is a nice easy stroll for another mile or so after the cache, then switchbacks up the hillside to a pretty overlook viewpoint. After that it connects with a mess of trails, one of which is the Colorado Trail, which goes all the way to Denver.
This trail gets a lot of use, even in winter. Watch out for mountain bikes.
If you feel like exploring further by car, follow Junction St. on up the mountain beyond the parking spot (after the gate where the road turns to gravel) until it comes to Animas Overlook, which has a little trail system with nature interpretive signs, some wheelchair-accessible trails, and lovely views of the Animas Valley. This road usually closes in winter.
Box: smaller size Original Contents: music trivia game, plastic toy, cat-shaped earring stand, pair of earrings, bag of cavemen, women’s quotes book, hot air balloon suncatcher, music CD, necklace, child’s book.
Note, 9/30/03: My original waypoint was slightly off, pointing people up the hillside, which is the wrong way! The waypoint as now posted is the corrected coordinates.
06/29/2019 By Zachodmommy Fun find. Beautiful hike! Thank you!
06/26/2019 By Spins7 Stayed at the campground last night. What a fun and beautiful cache. Thanks!
06/11/2019 By Miw_rckid Easy, big, fun, picked up the tb in there
06/05/2019 By ecurreil We checked on this one last Sunday while hiking. Beautiful area. Great swag. Dropped off a truck TB.
05/23/2019 By AutumnEB Tftc! What a nice walk, thank you for this. I took the Bear Smart sticker. I’ve been waiting for a big enough cash to help unload some of my fun trade items, so I left behind some colorful pencils, a lei, toy car, other little things.
11/05/2017 By GrizzlyBear5 Great hide, we waited a few months for vegetation to die down. Thanks!
09/17/2017 By been-jam-in-w-april Area made my heart happy. Cache made a noise before I actually saw it. Cottonwood and pine mixed near the cache. Pace count is correct. Cito while here was pleasantly limited. Left our signature swag and took the coin cause it's Halloween time and I restock my ??. Put all three log books in one Ziploc and left a stubby ?? in there too. TFTC SL. Rehidden as found. Fav point awarded.
Junction Creek Geocache
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