You heard about that treasure hunt called geocaching and want to know more? There are all kinds of explanations and definitions of geocaching on the web, some that scare possible geocachers away due to technological terms. We don’t want to do that, so we will give a simple explanation and hopefully you will leave the page as a cacher! Below we give a short explanation for many of the common geocaching questions, in which the “MORE” links will take you to more detailed explanations within our site. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments!

What is Geocaching?

Geocaching is a game played around the world where the player searches for  a container called a geocache. Geocachers are all ages, shapes and sizes…anyone can be a geocacher!  You find a hidden container, or designated location,  using clues and a GPS (or these days a smart phone),  logging your visit with your name and date on a sheet of paper found in the container.

Where do I go Geocaching?

Geocaching can happen anywhere. It can be in the great outdoors, or it can be cleverly hidden in what appears to be out in the open of a heavily traveled area….(MORE)

What is a Geocache?

The geocache itself can be anything from a container that can hold a small piece of paper, to a virtual cache where the place you visit itself is the geocache…(MORE)

What is in a Geocache?

Inside a geocache you will find a log book or piece of paper to log your find. There will also be “tradable” items. The geocaching exchange rule is if you take something, leave something of equal value.

What do I get?

This is actually a very common question. It is a treasure hunt, right? With geocaching, the tresure depends on what is in the cache, and depends on how you define treasure. While geocaching usually begins sitting at a computer desk, one of the biggest benefits is that it gets you away from the computer, into the outdoors searching, discovering new places.

How do I go Geocaching?

The first thing you need to do is register for a free account at Geocaching.com. Geocaching is usually done using a GPS. Don’t let that scare you off, it is possible to go caching without a GPS…(MORE).

A small geocache container

The geocache itself can be anything from a container that can hold a small piece of paper, to a virtual cache where the place you visit itself is the geocache. Cache containers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some may be obvious when looking at them, but most are not. For the most part it just has to be big enough to hold a slip of paper, or log, that people can sign. It can be a homemade container, or something that was purchased in a store. The best are the caches that appear to be a fixture that blends in with the environment. Common geocache containers include tupperwear, bison tubes, ammo cans of varying sizes, hide-a-key boxes, and other water tight containers.

A tricky geocache

There are other types of geocaches that actually take you to a place, called a Virtual Cache or Earthcache. Usually, for these types of caches there will be some questions to answer so that you can prove that you visited the site. These are often educational and/ or landmarks. Great when traveling. These geocaches can often be found without a GPS since they are usually taking you to a specific area.