This cache is placed on Occoquan’s Natural Pier…you’ll understand when you see it. This is the ONLY cache in this series that will require you to go ashore.
Please be aware of water-logged muggles and be respectful of the environment.
This cache requires a boat. DO NOT attempt without a boat.
There is a boat launch fee of $4 or $6 depending on your residence (in-county vs out-of-county).
Additional information about Fountainhead Regional Park can be found here: Fountainhead Regional Park
The Occoquan Water Trail (OWT) was created by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) with the assistance of a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network. The U.S. Department of the Interior recognized the OWT as a National Recreation Trail in the National Trails System. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, presented this honor to NVRPA on May 26, 2009.
Tracing a 40-mile route on two tributary waterways of the Chesapeake Bay, paddling adventures await you as you explore a vast and changing landscape, spanning 13,000 years of human history, past 10,000 acres of public lands dedicated to resource conservation in northern Virginia. Interpretive exhibits located at eight access points present a tapestry of time and place-past, present and future-each reveals a different facet of an extraordinary resource. The 20 mile stretch of the Upper Segment begins on free- flowing, tree lined Bull Run, which widens as it joins the Occoquan River, opening to an expansive, freshwater lake formed by the Occoquan Reservoir dam. The Lower Segment’s brackish, open waters pass marinas and protected marshlands along the Mason Neck Peninsula, on the wide expanse of the tidal Potomac River.
Each season brings a different experience along the water trail. In spring, one can find barren land with birds exposed. Redbuds, Bluebells, Mountain Laurel, and Rhododendrons line the shore. Trees are budding, and birds, such as eagles and heron, return from the long winter. The air is warm, but the water is cold. In the summer, the trees are full, and one is surrounded by frog noises. The temperature is hot, the water is warm and thunderstorms are frequent. The fall brings a golden landscape, with the changing colors of the trees. Temperatures are warm and dry, and storms come from the south. In winter, one can find a white, barren landscape. The wildlife has left, and all is still and quiet.