Caching Trip – Fitzgerald Lake – 3.5 Miles

Lake Fitzgerald Frozen

Went out for a walk and a cache run at the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area this morning.  Today was the first snow fall in Western, MA, it was just a dusting but it was lovely.  Fitzgerald Lake is a 591 acre area owned by the City of Northampton.  On the property you will find a 40 acre man made lake.  This area is rich in wildlife making it very popular with birders. Just off the Marian Street Trail you can find a wildlife blind.  The lake has some very active beavers. Today is the first time I have not seen a beaver while there, and the only reason for that is that the lake was frozen over.  Fishing is allowed but hunting is only allowed in a small area.  A lot of the trails here very wet but they have done a great job laying rock and bridges on the trails to help keep you out of the muck.  Non of the trails really loop which I find to be a bummer.  On the FLCA home page you can view a trail map.

I found two geocaches today. “Hidden Campsite by the Lake” and “Caching the World“.  Campsite by the Lake is a really neat cache that is just what the title says it is.  I wonder when this site was last used and by whom…  The Caching the World cache is just off the parking area and a super easy find.  Would make a great place to relax and read a book in the summer.  I still have 2 more caches to find in the area.

I can’t wait for more snow so I can break out the snowshoes.  The only downfall of the snow is it makes geocaching so much more difficult…

People also read:

1. Bare Mountain to Military Rd. loop trail – 4.3 Miles
2. Mt. Holyoke – Dry Brook/M&M Trails – 4.3 miles