One for the Little People — Geocache of the Week
Geocaches come in all styles, types, shapes, and sizes. But did you ever stop to think about the area around geocaches? They can vary greatly too. This Geocache of the Week is a Virtual Cache located in a city park, but with a twist. After all, it’s the little things that count.
Welcome to Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon. The official city park is a small circle 2 feet (0.6 meters) across, with a total area of 450 sq inches (0.3 sq meters). That makes this the smallest park in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
The park is located in the center of a busy parkway so logging this Virtual Cache doesn’t take much besides answering a couple of easy questions and carefully following crosswalk signs. But once you’re there, you must make sure to stop and smell the… flower?
Originally, the plans were to install a light pole on the spot but it never arrived. In 1948, a local newspaperman planted flowers in the hole and named it after his column “Mill Ends,” a lumber mill reference. It became an official city park on St. Patrick’s Day in 1976 as “the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland.”
Over the years the park has showcased many types of landscaping including miniature evergreens, shrubbery, perennials, cacti, and tropical flora. The landscaping is enhanced even more when local decorators indulge. Past decorations have included a swimming pool, Easter egg hunt, Ferris wheel, zoo, dinosaur exhibit, and of course holiday decor.
So geocachers, look right around you. You never know where you may find a clever little geocache.
Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world.
Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.
