Maple Canyon Cache Letterbox Hybrid

Maple Canyon

Maple Canyon is located southwest of Fountain Green and Northwest of Moroni, by the small hamlet of Freedom. This canyon is rated one of the top locations in the world for rock climbing. The reason for this is that Maple Canyon offers such diverse climbing opportunities to match any climbing skill. The rock walls are filled with thousands of imbedded cobblestones, which makes every climb in this canyon very unique. If you are truly intrigued by the rock formations here, you may want to check out this nearby Earthcache: Maple Canyon Conglomerate Cliffs. Or, you can check out this brief video about Maple Canyon.

This canyon offers hundreds of established climbing routes that range from walls less then ten feet high to hundreds of feet, and for those more advanced climbers there are several large over hangs. If climbing is not your thing don't worry this canyon offers several other activities such as hiking, ATV trails, camping, picnicking and more. Located less then one mile up Maple Canyon is the Box Canyon hiking trail. This trail will lead you into a narrow canyon where the rock walls will tower hundreds of feet over your head. Every corner of this hike offers unique features such as flora growing out of the rock surfaces, small and large caves in the canyon walls, and rock walls overhanging the trail below. Not only is it a popular destination during the summer months, but ice climbing is a popular pastime in winter months as well. Note that during the winter months the road is cleared to the Forest Boundary- as conditions permit. The road, however, may not be open for a few days after a storm. Be prepared for a hike if the road is not open (it is .8 miles to the cache site from where the paved road ends, FYI)

The Maple Canyon campground offers 13 campsites with fire rings, grills, tables and pit toilet restrooms. This campground offers no electricity, water or sewer hookups, but there are fees once you enter the campground (as of 2015, a $3 day use fee, or a $8 for a single campground per night). At the end of the Maple Canyon campground are two large parking areas with a marked trailhead to your left. This trail will lead you to the Huge Cave, along with several other established climbing routes such as Toxic Potatoes, Deliverance and Dang Awesome. The Huge Cave however may very well be one of the largest natural caves you will ever see, hence the name Huge Cave. Don't forget to check out the Arch trail, which leads to just that: a large conglomerate arch, well worth the 1 mile roundtrip hike! Or, you can visit both the cave and the arch by taking this loop found here. Whatever you do, you are in for a beautiful trip!

The campground marks the end of the improved canyon road and this is where your ATV comes in handy. The Maple Canyon / Log Canyon ATV Trail Loop is a 34-mile loop. This trail offers beautiful views of Maple Canyon from above, and leads you through thick pine and aspen forests on the way back down.

For you rock climbers this is the place (here's a copy of a map of the area; and here's an interactive map of many of the climbing routes), for everyone else this is still a place to visit, hike and just take in the beautiful rock formations and scenery this canyon has to offer. And for those of us not skilled in rock climbing we can always just sit back and enjoy watching others as they negotiate their way up the canyon walls.

As for the cache, I figured a little climb (seeing as this is a climbing mecca after all) was appropriate. It is located on the same side of the road (north) as Box Canyon, a bit to the east. Cross the stream, and you'll see a likely spot where I've hidden it; it should be accessible year-round, even with snow.

Note: The cache, and nearby Box Canyon, are located on private property. While permission has been given for the cache placement, the owners do request that you be respectful, and if you stay for a while (hiking / climbing Box Canyon, for instance) or camp overnight, consider making a donation in the nearby donation boxes found scattered throughout the area. The owners have no obligation to keep this area accessible, so keep that in mind and be respectful.

Special thanks to utahoutdooractivities.com for the majority of this info.
Geocache & listing maintained by josephaw

Note: This is a Letterbox Cache; that means that the stamp inside is to be kept WITH the cache, NOT to be traded; feel free to use the stamp, but leave it so that future cachers can use it as well, thanks!