Does your family go geocaching? It is so much fun! If you’re not familiar with geocaching just think of it as a treasure hunt, only instead of using a map you use GPS coordinates to find the hidden treasure aka geocache. There are millions of geocaches hidden around the world. Chances are there are some near you.
Geocaching is a very affordable way for families to go on an adventure. You don’t need any expensive equipment to do it. You can simply use a free app on your smartphone.
While some are easy to get to, you can potentially do a lot of walking, depending where your caches are located.
Recently, we went out to Hamburg State Park to find some caches. There are caches hidden in many state parks across the United States.
How to Go on a Geocaching Adventure with Your Family:
To get started geocaching, you’ll first need to take a moment to set-up a free geocaching account online. Then you’ll want to download a geocaching app. There are a variety of free apps available. I am currently using the free Geocaching Intro app. It is available for both Android or iPhone.
The app will help you locate nearby caches, and provide tips and tricks along the way. Most apps are a very user friendly, so you will quickly be on your way.
Before heading out, be sure to gather some swag. There are a variety of different caches out there. Some will be just a medicine bottle wrapped in duct tape, with a log inside for you to sign. Other caches might be a box that is filled with swag. When you find one of these, you’ll want to have some small objects (swag) that you can add to the box.
If you put some swag in the box, you can take something else that you like. Just make sure that if you take something from the geocache, that you add something of equal or greater value. Smaller children really enjoy this aspect of geocaching. The geocaching app will tell you which type of cache it is. There are currently over a dozen different types of caches, including trackables which are pretty neat. You can follow their path as them move across the country, or the world.
Geocaches can be found in a lot of different places. Some are easy and quick to find, while others require a lot of work. Your app will tell you the difficulty and distance required to find a cache.
I absolutely love geocaching in State Parks. The scenery is lovely and it’s usually a great workout. After having some record cold temperatures last month, the warmer weather that kicked off February was perfect for walking the trails at the park.
Our treasure hunt took us deep into the woods. There a few times when our cell signal dropped, but as long as we stayed on the red trail we were fine. The trail was pretty well marked, although we did get off trail a few times because of some downed trees. It just added to the adventure.
The trail took us around a scenic lake.
It was such a beautiful winter day. The scenery was breathtaking.
This was an advanced geocache and we walked A LOT to find this hidden treasure. It was totally worth it though.
The geocache was hidden just where the app said it would be, behind one of the red-marked trees.
This was a great find.
There was a lot of fun swag in the box.
The log book was full of people who had been there before us, as recently as the day before.
Once you find the geocache, sign and date the logbook, re-hide the geocache exactly how you found it. When you get home, be sure to share your experience online.
That cute little Woodstock figure pictured above now lives on the dash of Jacob’s truck.
It’s so easy to go geocaching with your smartphone. I hope you’ll take advantage of the next warm day, to get outdoors and go on a treasure hunt with your family.
There are a lot of geocaches in my area but we have never gone looking for them. It seems like a fun thing to do as a family.
This sounds like an awesome adventure with the family.
Geocaching sounds like a great activity! I miss the days when we just go out in the woods and enjoy!
I think this would be so much fun to do with my family. Sadly, I think a few of my kiddos are a bit young yet but I can’t wait to be able to do this!
We’ve never done geocaching. It looks fun. I’m sure the kids will love this.
I love the idea of geocaching, but we’ve never gone before. Super cool! Maybe we just need a good breakfast to get going!
I have never been on a Geocaching adventure but would love to. I wonder if my kids would enjoy going with me? BTW I had no idea Hungry Jack had Belgian Waffle Mix. I order mine online but will have to give this a try, we only use Maple Syrup however.
I never heard of geocaching adventure before. It sounds like fun. I bet my girls would love to do it.
I agree, my boys would love this, sounds so much fun!
I have been wanting to do geocaching with my kids for awhile. It would be a great homeschool lesson for them!
What fun! I’ve always wanted to try geocaching. I might have to do some research about places to do it in our area.