The third hiding theme of 2026 is go, go gadget. This theme celebrates geocaches that go beyond the logbook, inviting finders to interact, explore, and engage, as well as geocaches that showcase beautiful water locations. Think gadget caches with buttons, switches, lights, or electronic puzzles, require a kayak or other watercraft to reach, or hides that are underwater or require water to get the log sheet.
Category: Learn
Whether you’re about to find your first geocache or your ten-thousandth, you’ve come to the right place to learn more about the game.
The second 2026 hiding theme—hiking and nature 🌲🍃
The second hiding theme of 2026 is hiking and nature. This theme covers hiking routes in natural areas, suitable for all experience levels. From beginner-friendly trails to more challenging hikes, we are looking for geocaches across a range of outdoor experiences.
Each quarter, we will introduce a new hiding theme to celebrate geocaches published in 2026. We will also feature geocaches from each theme on the Geocaching Blog and social media.
We asked you: what makes a quality geocache?
When you find a cache, what makes it stand out as a quality cache? For some, it’s about creativity. For others, it’s about location, storytelling, or thoughtful placement.
While it’s easy to point out what doesn’t work—like damaged containers or soggy logs—defining what makes a cache great is much more subjective.
We asked geocachers to share what quality means to them.
Gladys West and the GPS revolution: Blue Switch Day 2026
When geocachers step outside with a GPS-enabled device, they’re tapping into decades of brilliant science and mathematics that make those coordinates possible. Behind every successful find stands a brilliant mathematician whose work helped make modern GPS possible: Dr. Gladys West.
Image from the New York Times.
New in the Geocaching® app: Tools for hiding a Traditional Cache
Whether you’re out on a hike or visiting a local park, sometimes you come across a spot and think, “That would be a great place for a cache.”
With the latest Geocaching® app release (version 10.7.0+), you can now record a hiding spot, add cache details, and submit a Traditional Cache for review—all from the mobile app!
