Tucked deep within Chestnut Ridge Park, the Eternal Flame Falls EarthCache (GC10VMY) is a natural phenomenon – a natural gas leak underneath a waterfall that just happens to be burning.

Thanks to Eric and Joe, a.k.a Szuchie and TWU, the natural gas leak under the waterfall is also a difficulty 1, terrain 3 EarthCache located in Western New York that geocachers can explore.

The flame under the cascade of water embodies the spirit of nature that gives the spot an almost sacred feel. It is said that the combination of the falls and the natural gas leak is the only one of its kind on the planet, giving geocachers all the more reason to embark on an adventure to witness nature at its best.

Szuchie and TWU’s inspiration for an EarthCache at this location was simply due to their amazement by what they saw when they first visited the park. Szuchie says, “From a caching standpoint – you don’t get too many things more fantastic than this.”

According to the cache page, ‘upon entering the gorge and approaching the base of Eternal Flame Falls, cachers will notice a change in the ambient aroma.’ That aroma is methane, the natural gas that leaks from the cave, which lies at the base of the waterfalls. The natural gas can be lit to produce the flame.

The 403 geocachers who logged a “Found it” have shared over 500 incredible images and written the most elaborate logs about their experience.

One geocacher writes, “Wow – what an exceptional place and phenomenon. The Eternal Flame Falls came on my radar when I started checking caches by favorite points and I knew I really wanted to see this. Today was the day since LCSM and I were in the Buffalo area for the Cache-a-Day Challenge Finale. We continued here for our second goal of the day and it did not disappoint. Although the trail is well marked, we missed a turn (when we were distracted by another cache) and ended up on the Orange Trail which took us above the flame where we could see it but not reach it. We circled around, consulted the map at the kiosk, and redirected ourselves for the appropriate approach. I was especially delighted that there was still some water here in the falls despite the dry summer, as it is really the fire and water combination that is mesmerizing. Took our photos and observations, and headed back along the beautiful creek bed. Many thanks for this exceptional EarthCache – I guess there really is natural gas here in NYS! Brought a BBQ lighter but did not need to use it as the flames were already flickering away.”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.

The Geocache of the Week takes us to a place with beautiful views of  the countryside, the Carpathian Mountains, and Dracula’s Castle. That’s right, Dracula’s Castle (GC5D8).

The castle is not only a national monument and landmark in Romania, but home to the country’s oldest published geocache.

Over the centuries, Dracula’s Castle, a.k.a. Bran Castle has been used in defense against the Ottoman Empire, served as a customs point, and has housed a number of residents, including Queen Marie (and let’s not forget Bram Stoker’s Dracula). It is now a museum, displaying art and furniture collected by the queen.

Since 2001, nearly 230 geocachers have logged a smiley and awarded the difficulty 3, terrain 3.5 traditional cache over 30 Favorite Points.

The cache owner, Team Romania (now maintained by DJ Storm) was kind enough to include a few essentials, such as a large pencil that could be used as a wooden stake to ward off vampires. Over the years, geocachers have created their own weapons against Dracula when setting out to find this cache. Recently, a hand-made cross was spotted at a “grave” site near the cache.

Locals and cachers from a number of nearby countries and across the seas have traveled far and wide to visit the castle and log the cache.

A geocacher from the UK writes, “What a climb! Totally worth the effort though… Not only did I escape the crowds for half an hour, but I was rewarded with the most spectacular view to the mountains and beyond. Nice, clean, and well maintained cache. Great to bag Romania’s first geocache as well. Over 10 years old and long may it live. I was a bit skeptical about the ‘grave’ nearby, marked with a cross. But now I understand!  …Brilliant. TNLNSL [Took Nothing Left Nothing Signed Log]. Thanks for hiding and greetings from the UK.”

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Latitude 47 blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@groundspeak.com.