Raccoon Creek County Park Series LbNA #56440
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Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | Family Grave Seekers  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Nov 13, 2010 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Gallipolis |
| County: | Gallia |
| State: | Ohio |
| Boxes: | 7 |
| Found by: | Shalar (7) |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Nov 14, 2010 |
| Status: | F |
| Last edited: | Oct 31, 2017 |
Update on 10/29/2017: I made a quick check and verified that #2, 3, 4, and 5 still exist. #3 and #4 were relocated with new logbooks and the clues for them have been updated.
The Raccoon Creek Series is located at Raccoon Creek County Park, Gallia County, Ohio near Gallipolis. It is part of the OO McIntyre Park District and has a two-mile fitness trail that circles the maintained area though the park is also many acres of woodland. There are several picnic shelters, two small playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball/softball fields. Restrooms and water fountains are seasonal, I believe. About half of the trail is on a hillside with maybe 300 feet elevation gain while the other half is relatively flat.
Driving directions to the park: As you leave Gallipolis traveling south on State Rt. 7, turn right onto State Rt. 141. Continue for 6.1 miles and turn left onto State Rt. 775. Continue 2.1 miles and turn right onto Dan Jones Road, you’ll see the park in 0.5 miles on both the right and left.
To start your Treasure Hike (for letterboxes, of course!): Turn right into the park, you will pass the maintenance building on your left, continue to the restrooms on the left and park in either the parking lot before or after the restrooms. Go to the restrooms and you’ll see a sawdust / wood chip covered fitness trail between the restrooms and Raccoon Creek. Turn left onto the fitness trail. You’ll be walking the oval loop counterclockwise and end back at your vehicle. Enjoy!
Continue on the fitness trail and shortly it turns sharply to the left. There will be several large cut stones, concrete slabs on the left at this point. On the right of the trail will be a deep ravine separating the trail from Dan Jones Road. About 6 feet from the trail toward the ravine will be a rectangular cut stone about the size and shape of a bed pillow. Standing on this stone, look downhill and slightly to the right for a chunk of concrete wedged where two cut stones come together in a “V”. CL awaits you under that chunk.
Continue your counterclockwise trip on the fitness trail crossing a wooden footbridge and Dan Jones Road. Cross another wooden footbridge, pass a park bench on your right, and continue uphill. You will see picnic shelters, a small playground and restrooms on your left. Cross another wooden footbridge to a bench made from a half log. Sit in the middle of this bench with your back to the trail. You will see a straight, medium sized sycamore tree directly in front of you about 25 feet away. Make your way around the briars to the tree and look under a rock on the left side of it for BL.
Continue the gradual uphill climb of the fitness trail in your counterclockwise fashion. Along the way, you will see a derelict caboose in a field on your right if the leaves do not hide if from your view and the Hummingbird Gazebo on your left. Eventually you will spy a small pond with a “Fishing Prohibited” sign and more importantly, a park bench. Have a seat, catch your breath and enjoy the view of the Ohio rolling hillside. If there is a cloud at the horizon a bit to your right, that is actually steam from the Gavin Power Plant cooling towers. I have planted a Power Series in nearby Mason County if you are interested. The fitness trail continues to your right but hold that thought, we’re going to digress a while. Behind the bench are two grassy trails mowed by tractor. One curves uphill and to the left, the other curves to the right and continues behind the pond. Walk to where the two grassy trails meet. The tree at the intersection has a white diamond with a green circle (could be faded blue) nailed to it. Take the right hand trail 200 steps past the intersection. You will see a switchback trail going uphill on your left, but continue as you were traveling. After another 20 steps, there will be an opening on the right giving view to a grassy meadow. Continue 160 more steps from this beginning of this opening. (There will be a trail that veers to the right and slightly downhill just after the clearing but continue on the trail that is mostly level and adjoins the hillside.) When you have counted 160 steps from the beginning of the opening to the clearing you should see a two-trunked yellow poplar tree (tulip tree) on your right with a pink surveyor's ribbon on the second trunk. Look to your left and you will see an large weathered tree stump about 2 feet tall just off the trail. HL is just behind it under a rock.
Return to the park bench by the pond and turn right to continue your counterclockwise route of the fitness trail. The trail curves sharply to the left and begins downhill. You will see the Hummingbird Gazebo in the distance on your left and then a very small pond with “Fishing Prohibited” and a park bench. You will see a park bench on your right overlooking a small waterfall and you can imagine the raccoons frequent the stream and its pool. From the center of the bench, continue down the trail 69 steps to an oak tree where the trail curves slightly left. Look diagonally across the trail to another oak tree just off the trail. Look at the base of this tree on the uphill side and find RL under a rock.
Continue downhill and cross Dan Jones Road. You will see a small wildflower bed and park bench on your left, cross a wooden footbridge, and then see a picnic area on your right. Continuing on the fitness trail, you will see a half log bench on your left, another half log bench on your right as you pass soccer fields on your left, and then come to another wooden footbridge. Cross the bridge and about 120 steps on the other side of the bridge there will be a half log bench on your right. Another 32 steps and you will see a 5 trunked tree on your right. I didn’t record the distance from the trail to the tree but it seems to have been around 6 feet. BQL is among the trunks, covered in leaves. Right after placing the letterbox, I heard one of them call, which I didn’t expect in November. Neat!
Continue your course of the fitness trail and soon it will take a sharp left at a “Swimming Prohibited” sign and half log bench. Notice the historic plantings from the homesites of famous Americans on your left. Just past the dual level chin-up bars along the left side of the fitness trail the trail takes a dip in elevation, which hides you from view of the athletic fields. Leave the trail and follow the wood line to the right about 20 feet and at the entrance to an occasionally tractor-mowed grassy trail that leads to Raccoon Creek, there is a tree on your right that was once with four trunks from one but the two middle ones are now broken snags. WTL is among the trunks.
Return to the fitness trail and go to the right to continue your counterclockwise navigation. The trail turns sharply to the left; there will be a trash can stand on your right, and then shortly another one. Toward Raccoon Creek from the second trash can stand, a cut log lies at the wood line. The end of the cut log toward the trail has a cut branch that forked from the log. RGL is under the log where the branch joins the trunk. Try to use the standing tree near the trail end of the log to be discrete should there be folks utilizing the picnic tables in this area. Your vehicle is ahead on your left.
Please use discretion. This park can be deserted or packed with people. I have attempted to find locations away from where people tend to be and out of direct line of sight. Most are near benches for convenient stamping-in spots. As always, be cautious of wild critters, briars, and poison ivy when retrieving letterboxes. Reseal all baggies completely, double check, and then replace as found or better. Please let me know how the Raccoon Creek Series boxes are fairing and about your visit to the Gallia County area.
The Raccoon Creek Series is located at Raccoon Creek County Park, Gallia County, Ohio near Gallipolis. It is part of the OO McIntyre Park District and has a two-mile fitness trail that circles the maintained area though the park is also many acres of woodland. There are several picnic shelters, two small playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball/softball fields. Restrooms and water fountains are seasonal, I believe. About half of the trail is on a hillside with maybe 300 feet elevation gain while the other half is relatively flat.
Driving directions to the park: As you leave Gallipolis traveling south on State Rt. 7, turn right onto State Rt. 141. Continue for 6.1 miles and turn left onto State Rt. 775. Continue 2.1 miles and turn right onto Dan Jones Road, you’ll see the park in 0.5 miles on both the right and left.
To start your Treasure Hike (for letterboxes, of course!): Turn right into the park, you will pass the maintenance building on your left, continue to the restrooms on the left and park in either the parking lot before or after the restrooms. Go to the restrooms and you’ll see a sawdust / wood chip covered fitness trail between the restrooms and Raccoon Creek. Turn left onto the fitness trail. You’ll be walking the oval loop counterclockwise and end back at your vehicle. Enjoy!
Continue on the fitness trail and shortly it turns sharply to the left. There will be several large cut stones, concrete slabs on the left at this point. On the right of the trail will be a deep ravine separating the trail from Dan Jones Road. About 6 feet from the trail toward the ravine will be a rectangular cut stone about the size and shape of a bed pillow. Standing on this stone, look downhill and slightly to the right for a chunk of concrete wedged where two cut stones come together in a “V”. CL awaits you under that chunk.
Continue your counterclockwise trip on the fitness trail crossing a wooden footbridge and Dan Jones Road. Cross another wooden footbridge, pass a park bench on your right, and continue uphill. You will see picnic shelters, a small playground and restrooms on your left. Cross another wooden footbridge to a bench made from a half log. Sit in the middle of this bench with your back to the trail. You will see a straight, medium sized sycamore tree directly in front of you about 25 feet away. Make your way around the briars to the tree and look under a rock on the left side of it for BL.
Continue the gradual uphill climb of the fitness trail in your counterclockwise fashion. Along the way, you will see a derelict caboose in a field on your right if the leaves do not hide if from your view and the Hummingbird Gazebo on your left. Eventually you will spy a small pond with a “Fishing Prohibited” sign and more importantly, a park bench. Have a seat, catch your breath and enjoy the view of the Ohio rolling hillside. If there is a cloud at the horizon a bit to your right, that is actually steam from the Gavin Power Plant cooling towers. I have planted a Power Series in nearby Mason County if you are interested. The fitness trail continues to your right but hold that thought, we’re going to digress a while. Behind the bench are two grassy trails mowed by tractor. One curves uphill and to the left, the other curves to the right and continues behind the pond. Walk to where the two grassy trails meet. The tree at the intersection has a white diamond with a green circle (could be faded blue) nailed to it. Take the right hand trail 200 steps past the intersection. You will see a switchback trail going uphill on your left, but continue as you were traveling. After another 20 steps, there will be an opening on the right giving view to a grassy meadow. Continue 160 more steps from this beginning of this opening. (There will be a trail that veers to the right and slightly downhill just after the clearing but continue on the trail that is mostly level and adjoins the hillside.) When you have counted 160 steps from the beginning of the opening to the clearing you should see a two-trunked yellow poplar tree (tulip tree) on your right with a pink surveyor's ribbon on the second trunk. Look to your left and you will see an large weathered tree stump about 2 feet tall just off the trail. HL is just behind it under a rock.
Return to the park bench by the pond and turn right to continue your counterclockwise route of the fitness trail. The trail curves sharply to the left and begins downhill. You will see the Hummingbird Gazebo in the distance on your left and then a very small pond with “Fishing Prohibited” and a park bench. You will see a park bench on your right overlooking a small waterfall and you can imagine the raccoons frequent the stream and its pool. From the center of the bench, continue down the trail 69 steps to an oak tree where the trail curves slightly left. Look diagonally across the trail to another oak tree just off the trail. Look at the base of this tree on the uphill side and find RL under a rock.
Continue downhill and cross Dan Jones Road. You will see a small wildflower bed and park bench on your left, cross a wooden footbridge, and then see a picnic area on your right. Continuing on the fitness trail, you will see a half log bench on your left, another half log bench on your right as you pass soccer fields on your left, and then come to another wooden footbridge. Cross the bridge and about 120 steps on the other side of the bridge there will be a half log bench on your right. Another 32 steps and you will see a 5 trunked tree on your right. I didn’t record the distance from the trail to the tree but it seems to have been around 6 feet. BQL is among the trunks, covered in leaves. Right after placing the letterbox, I heard one of them call, which I didn’t expect in November. Neat!
Continue your course of the fitness trail and soon it will take a sharp left at a “Swimming Prohibited” sign and half log bench. Notice the historic plantings from the homesites of famous Americans on your left. Just past the dual level chin-up bars along the left side of the fitness trail the trail takes a dip in elevation, which hides you from view of the athletic fields. Leave the trail and follow the wood line to the right about 20 feet and at the entrance to an occasionally tractor-mowed grassy trail that leads to Raccoon Creek, there is a tree on your right that was once with four trunks from one but the two middle ones are now broken snags. WTL is among the trunks.
Return to the fitness trail and go to the right to continue your counterclockwise navigation. The trail turns sharply to the left; there will be a trash can stand on your right, and then shortly another one. Toward Raccoon Creek from the second trash can stand, a cut log lies at the wood line. The end of the cut log toward the trail has a cut branch that forked from the log. RGL is under the log where the branch joins the trunk. Try to use the standing tree near the trail end of the log to be discrete should there be folks utilizing the picnic tables in this area. Your vehicle is ahead on your left.
Please use discretion. This park can be deserted or packed with people. I have attempted to find locations away from where people tend to be and out of direct line of sight. Most are near benches for convenient stamping-in spots. As always, be cautious of wild critters, briars, and poison ivy when retrieving letterboxes. Reseal all baggies completely, double check, and then replace as found or better. Please let me know how the Raccoon Creek Series boxes are fairing and about your visit to the Gallia County area.