Hidden away in a little known and seldom explored corner of the Cascade Mountain Range is the historic hamlet of Mineral, Washington. Here the wildlife is bountiful and the landscape breathtaking. Mineral offers fabulous views of Mt. Rainier and easy access to Mt. Rainier National Park and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This Gem of the Northwest is less than two hours from Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon and has something to offer everyone from steam train enthusiasts, to hikers and bikers, birdwatchers, hunters and fishermen, skiers, boaters, vacationers and campers.
While Mineral Lake is the home of the ten-pound trout, nearby streams and rivers offer an abundance of salmon, steelhead and brook trout. If fishing is not your passion, perhaps you would like to visit two of the major mountains in the United States; Mt. Rainier and Mount St. Helens. Both are accessible by auto and offer world-class photo opportunities, hiking trails, wildlife viewing and natural history interpretations.
Mineral Lake: This 277-acre lake three miles southeast of Elbe provides excellent trout fishing for those who enjoy lots of company. The lake sits at 1,770 feet elevation, and on clear days Mt. Rainier provides a scenic backdrop. Take Highway SR-7 north from Morton about 11.5 miles, then turn east onto South Mineral Road another 1.7 miles through the small town of Mineral. The state plants more than 100,000 rainbow trout fry each year, and Mineral Lake Resort rears thousands more to catchable size in net pens. Several hundred larger broodstock and triploid rainbows are also stocked annually, plus several thousand brown trout. Largemouth bass are also present.
Most shore fishing is from public fishing docks at the west end of the lake and docks at Mineral Lake Resort. The state boat launch is small, so patience is needed, especially on opening day.;
Species you might catch
A Discover Pass is required to park in the parking area.
While placing this cache, I saw a bald eagle circling above the lake and people catching fish from the public fishing dock. Just a short way northwest on the road, near the letterbox hybrid cache, is where I took the attached picture. This cache location was chosen to be away from most of the muggles using the lake, but you should still use your stealth skills while searching for it. You should wander around and check out the pubic fishing dock nearby after signing the log. Bring your own writing instrument, I forgot to put one in the cache.
2016 was the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and to celebrate, Visit Rainier and WSGA hosted the Visit Rainier Centennial GeoTour - 100 caches placed in and around Mount Rainier National Park. The geocaches highlighted the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Rainier region. Participants received geocoin and pathtag prizes for finding all the caches.
