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.

/ Eric Schudiske /

8 Tips to Answer the Eternal Question, “Is it even here?”

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The Eternal Question: “Is it even here?”

If you’ve geocached for any length of time, say 60 seconds, this question has run through your mind, “Is it even here?” You’ve checked the fence. You’ve checked under the bench. It’s not hanging from a branch on the tree. It’s not even close to your knee. It’s not there… And then you hear a whisper, “Or is it?” That haunting question is often a geocacher’s biggest fear. Here are a few tips to help increase your chances of knowing the answer.

  • Start by re-reading the title. It’s often another hint to the location.
  • Check recent logs on the geocache page. Find out if the geocache has been found in the last few days or weeks. What do the logs say? There might be a hint that helps direct you to the geocache location.
  • Check the terrain and difficulty ratings. If it’s a terrain 1 and you’re looking on a hillside, go back to the sidewalk.
  • Speaking of hints, geocaches often offer a real hint. Check that.
  • Still stuck? Try looking at any photos. Clues might be hiding in the pictures others uploaded to the geocache page. Still unable to find the geocache? Don’t worry, you’re not out of options yet.
  • You’re a social person. You’ve got friends. Maybe one of your friends has found the geocache that’s giving you issues. Try the old “Phone a Friend” or “PAF” as it’s known in geocaching circles.
  • Finding the geocache might be a waiting game. Some geocaches are easier to find in the spring or fall.
  • If all else fails, be sure to log your Did Not Find (or DNF). That lets others know they’re looking for a tough-to-find geocache.

And sometimes they’re just really, really well hidden. For example, check out this geocache with 247 DNF’s and 1 Find. Share your tricks for finding well-hidden geocaches below in comments or on the Geocaching Facebook page.

/ Eric Schudiske /

How to Bring Your Geocaching “A” Game

bring your geocaching a gameDon’t worry, it happens in every relationship. Your geocaching game might fall into a rut. But geocaching has more to offer than you have ever suspected. Here are a few tips to take your geocaching game to the next level and make it more rewarding than ever.

Check out your Geocaching statistics and push your comfort zone. See how many finds you’ve had in your more productive months. Try creating a goal to add at least ten more finds than your highest monthly total. If quantity isn’t your game, add some variety to your finds. Geocaching offers more than a dozen different geocache types to find, like Traditional geocaches, Multi-Caches and Puzzle Caches. Have you found five different types? Ten? There’s at least one more option in the realm of numbers: difficulty and terrain ratings. Can you push yourself to solve a D5 puzzle or complete an epic T5 hike?

Keeping geocaching fresh isn’t just about expanding boundaries; it’s also about expanding relationships. Bring new friends along for the adventure. First send them the new “What is Geocaching?” video, then take them to find a geocache with at least a few Favorite Points. Next you’ll be standing back, receiving praise and high-fives for introducing your friends to geocaching. And you? You’ll enjoy new geocaching buddies.

Finally, add another layer to your geocaching adventure by releasing a Geocaching Trackable into the wild. Launch a Geocaching Travel Bug® with a goal of bouncing from geocache to geocache until it lands on your favorite beach, in a new city or even a new country—and then make the return journey.
What are your tips for spicing up your geocaching life? Share them on the Geocaching Facebook Page, and in comments below.

/ Eric Schudiske /

31 Days of Geocaching in Review

31 Days of Geocaching SouvenirWe did it! Whether you found one geocache in August or a geocache every day of the month, you joined a global team of more than a half-million adventurers who geocached last month. How many completed the 31 in 31 challenge? An amazing 26,228 geocachers found a geocache each day in August. That’s 10 times the number from August of 2012.

Would you like to relive the 31 Days of Geocaching? Do you have 31 seconds? Check out the 31 Days of Geocaching in 31 seconds video. You can also relive the memories, over and over again with this printable 31 Days of Geocaching calendar.

/ Eric Schudiske /

DIY: How to Hide like You’ve Never Hidden Before

weekly mailer blog geocache hideDid you see that out-of-this-world geocache or maybe you’ve heard whispers of it in geocaching lore? It’s the geocache with King Arthur’s sword in a stone, that geocache placed at the scene of a Hollywood train wreck, or maybe it’s even a birdhouse that houses no birds or something else that’s magical, ingenious and never-before-seen in the history of the geocaching galaxy. Yeah, wow. So you’ve heard of it?

A quality hide inspires and invites other geocachers to flex their geocaching creativity. There are ways for you to find the best of the best and ways to get inspired to create amazing geocaches. Use Favorite Points to find the geocaches that made your fellow adventurers’ jaws drop when they found it and follow the Geocache of the Week on our blog. Check out the Geocacher of the Month to see innovators in the geocaching world. Many of these all-stars have geocaches that have hundreds or even thousands of Favorite Points. The Geocaching YouTube channel offers a whole video series dedicated to Creative Geocaches.

There’s one stop you should make before locking yourself in the garage to craft the perfect geocache hide. Check out Advice to Geocache Hiders from Law Enforcement. Then you’ll be ready! Join us on the Geocaching Facebook page to talk creative geocaches and show off your geocaching wonders to the world.

/ Christy /

Minelab Photo Contest in Final Months

PoteauPets - February Winners
PoteauPets – February Winners

Geocaching goes hand-in-hand with snapping a few shots of the wildlife and your adventure along the way. And sometimes combining two passions like photography and geocaching pays off.  Check out some of the early winners in Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt photo contest. Seven geocachers have already won the photo of the month award, including WherzaWiggTherzaWay and JonesPosse.

PoteauPets won the February Minelab photo contest for their sweet father-daughter portrait under the caption of “Love is in the air for this father/daughter pair.” PoteauPets enjoy geocaching as a family, and usually find caches in rural areas near where they live. “We truly LOVE geocaching and the time we spend together ‘on the hunt’ as a family,” said Dana of PoteauPets. “My husband likes the ‘evil hides’ while on the other hand, my daughter and I enjoy the cemetery caches. Our daughter loves to keep up with the trackables.”

The Adventurers in Michigan won the March contest with their snowy photo of the Minelab geocoin and a metal detector. “Winning the contest for that month was a complete surprise,” said David of the Adventurers. David and his girlfriend/best friend enjoy discovering trackables and going geocaching everywhere and in all seasons. Another winner, Gary of JonesPosse, came away with a pocketed vest. He wore it to Geowoodstock XI and during a three-day hike along the Appalachian Trail for his 6,000th find.

Adventurers - March winner
Adventurers – March winner

There are still nearly three months left to enter the monthly photo contests and earn a chance to win a trip to Mexico. For more information on Minelab’s Ultimate Geocaching Hunt, visit the Minelab Geocaching page. When you’re ready to enter, go to the Minelab Facebook Photo Contest page.

Monthly prizes include a $400 Minelab coupon, a Minelab hat & vest, and all monthly winners will still be eligible for the grand prize: a Mexican cruise for two!

The Minelab “Ultimate Geocaching Hunt” photo contest is solely sponsored by Minelab, Inc., a subsidiary of Codan, LTD. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and Canada who are 18 years and older at time of entry. Entry period for the contest commences at 12:01 a.m. (CST) on November 13, 2012 and expires at 11:59 PM (CST) on November 13, 2013. Void where prohibited. For details and restrictions, see the Official Contest Rules.