Geocaching: Fun for the Entire Family

I love any activity that is fun and can get us out of the house.  A couple years ago, I heard about something called Geocaching and it sounded like fun.  We decided to try it out and now it’s one of our favorite weekend activities.

If you’re not familiar with Geocaching, it’s a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game where you use a GPS-enabled device.  Using GPS coordinate, you go to a specific site to find a hidden container, called a cache.

Geocaching can be done by the old and young alike.  There are different difficulties of Geocaching, so there’s something out there for everyone.  There are caches where you can just park your car and go and hunt and then there are ones where you have to hike miles into the woods.  It just depends on what your mood is for the day.

To get started with geocaching, the first thing you need to do is sign up with Geocaching.com.  Once you’re signed up, use your zip code to find caches in your area.  When you’re first starting, I recommend you look for the beginner caches, which are highlighted in green on the search page.  That will help you get oriented with the game.

The second thing you will need while geocaching is a GPS-enabled device.  You can use an actual GPS unit or a phone that has GPS.  

I started out using my iPhone as my GPS device for geocaching and it worked really good for a beginner.  Geocaching.com has a free app you can download as an intro to geocaching.  It will show the closest 3 geocaches to you.  This is a great app for a beginner because you don’t have to invest any money.  After you become a more active geocaching, I recommend downloading their paid app if you would like to continue using your iPhone.  It’s only $10 and will show you all the geocaches around your location.  

Once we became more active geocachers, I decided it was time to upgrade to an actual GPS device.  Since we were out in the woods hiking, I thought it would be a good idea to use something a little more durable that would hold up to nature.  I didn’t want to get stuck in a rain storm and get water damage on my phone.  Now we’re using the Magellan Explorist GC and it’s a great little device.  This GPS is specially made for geocaching and is linked to geocaching.com.  

If you’re looking for a great activity for your family, I highly recommend you check out Geocaching.  It’s a great way to get outside and have some fun.