Water caches starting with the easternmost and headed west. Please try to leave the caches as (in)visible as when you found them and sweep away your footsteps where they are obvious. You must take a bottle whether you need it or not because they have to be removed by year’s end and I can’t do that. Crush the empty bottles and use the ribbon to tie them to your pack, many ATV riders, Jeepers, and RVers will take your trash if you ask.

There is no guarantee that the water will still be there when you arrive. You must have a backup or escape plan, it’s highly recommended that you have an emergency locator and plan (SPOT, Garmin InReach etc. Cell phone coverage is sparse.). Care has been taken to conceal the bottles but they do have to be locatable so they may be found by other people, or animals. In desert areas always carry as much water as you can even if it is uncomfortable and inconvenient. Drink early and often, you should never feel thirsty. Accept water from anybody who offers.

Fruita Cache, 39.21902, -108.95802

At a sharp turn in the road where a small ridge comes up to meet the road on freeway side, 60-70 ft off road towards cell tower. Cairn by road and tree. There is a faint path to the tree. Water is buried in a mound behind the tree.

Kokopelli Sign Cache, 39.12260, -109.14001

Kokopelli trail sign, opposite side of road behind tree.

Hilltop Cache, 38.91332, -109.26085

Road intersects the trail from the east (note that this is the actual position of R10190 but that waypoint is misplaced on the pre-2022 TBT/GPX). Water is buried 30 feet diagonally back on the north-west side of the intersection. There is a cairn at the intersection, if you stand at it and look down into the northern valley it is at 10 o’clock. Buried with rocks and ribbons.

Oak Bush Cache, 38.76108, -109.22197

Water is buried in sloping patch of soft sand on the ‘trail-west’ side of an oak bush on the downhill side of the road, small cairn 20ft uphill on same side. Going to have to look carefully for this one.

Cottonwood Cache (R10390), 38.69268, -109.19125

There is a sign at the intersection, stand facing downhill from it (‘trail-east’), the cache is in the trees diagonally across from you. There is a faint trail leading into the trees with couple of ribbons in the branches.

Cattleguard Cache – 38.59150, -109.26470

There is an open space on the downhill (‘trail-west’) side of the cattleguard, across the road from that is a faint trail into the trees (ribbons in branches) near the fence. The bottles are in the open about 20 feet back in the trees. BERNIE – I was running out of water and didn’t leave one for you, there is a lovely little stream across the open space in the trees (behind me in the picture)

Sign Cache – 38.54275, -109.31183

Near R10440 there is a very obvious road sign, the bottles are across the road in the open back in the bushes. (R10440 is the trail that goes downhill opposite the truck).

This is a long uphill haul from Moab for eastbound hikers, you start out in Sand Flats Recreation Area, $5 for eastbound hikers, but if you tell them what you are doing they will often waive it. There should be lots of people, take water from them. Once you pass Juniper Campground there will be far fewer people so don’t miss out before then. The next eastbound cache (above) is quite close to this one in case you are short of water.

For Westbound hikers the next stop is Moab, 18 miles mostly downhill. You won’t see many people in the first 10 miles but there should be plenty after that in Sand Flats Rec Area. There is no entry station on the eastern side and the rangers on the western side won’t bother you about a pass.

Segment 2