You may be familiar with elk feeding stations and viewing areas, but did you know there's one for bighorn sheep, where you can see them up close and personal?
This cache is at the Oak Creek Bighorn Sheep Feeding Station in Naches, part of the winter feeding program in the Oak Creek Unit of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
The bighorn sheep aren't as numerous as the Rocky Mountain elk fed at the main location for the Oak Creek Wildlife Area (near this cache), but you can see them fall through spring at this small feeding station at the base of Cleman Mountain.
These are California bighorn sheep, descended from six sheep originally released on Feb. 22, 1965.
When we scouted this location in September, we saw over a dozen bighorns feeding near the fence - awesome! Much easier than trying to spot them high on a rocky mountainside.
The cache is about 100 feet from the main viewing and parking area.
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.
