You are all about the geocaching community and Event Caches are totally your thing. You love meeting all of your fellow geocachers and have a knack for helping newbies fall in love with the game.
Use the Geocaching Event Calendar to find all of the geocaching events scheduled around the world by date.
Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter to receive a weekly list of the 10 most recently published Event Caches in your area.
Quick Tip for Social Butterflies: There are more than 1000Geocaching Space Events happening around the world this week. Don’t miss out!
Do you have additional tips and tricks for your fellow Social Butterflies? Tell us about them in the comments below. Don’t think this geocacher type fits you? Try taking the quiz again!
Where can you find this mysterious tool that lets you search for geocaches in no time?
Stop! Don’t look any further – search here! Sometimes it takes a hint to find something that is right there in front of you. It’s the search box on the Geocaching.com homepage.
Use a well marked. clear container whenever possible
Here are two words geocachers crave hearing when their geocache is published, “Found it.” And then there are two words all geocachers would prefer never to hear when talking about a geocache hide, “suspicious device.”
In an age of increased concern, geocachers must be increasingly diligent to follow the rules while hiding a geocache. Make sure to read and follow the Geocaching Listing Requirements/Guidelines. Also make sure to use common sense, and always keep in mind how your geocache container or the location of your container may be perceived by people who are not familiar with the game.
We asked law enforcement professionals and a bomb disposal tech with the U.S. Army to offer advice to geocachers. It’s easy to ensure your logs say “Found it” and your geocache hide never alarms authorities.
Here’s their advice.
Question: What are the do’s for geocachers when hiding containers?
Sgt. Kent Byrd answers this question. Sgt. Byrd has been featured in Geocaching videos, and is a Explosive Ordinance Disposal expert with the U.S. Army currently deployed to South Korea. He’s an avid geocacher with the username, JrBYRDMAN162.
Get permission: Sgt. Byrd says, “If you hide the container near a public building, make sure that you obtain permission from the business /property owner.”
Take pictures: “Also, try to give pictures of the geocache to the business/property owner. That way if the geocache gets called in, the owner has the option and ability to present those pictures to the personnel investigating/dealing with the geocache.”
Mark it clearly: The “Official Geocache” stickers are a huge help. Also, if the size of the geocache allows, write your phone number on the geocache itself in large numbers. This will give a law enforcement another option to deal with the geocache.
Be PROACTIVE: Talk to your local law enforcement entities. Offer to do a short workshop on geocaching. Get them involved. All it takes is getting one Bomb Disposal Technician involved in the game and they will start to solve the problem in your area for you, because of their personal love for the game.
Question: What’s your one piece of advice for geocachers?
Karin Fechner with the Austrian Polizei answers this question. Her unit, like many police departments, utilizes a complimentary Premium Membership to help them identify geocaches.
Karen says, “Always carry an id-card, passport or other document to be able to show it in case of a control. Show the navigation item or mobile-app you use in case of a control. We already had cases, when suspects claimed being geocachers but actually weren´t. So it is always a good advice to show your equipment to the officer in case of a control. There are still a lot of law enforcement-officers who don´t know geocaching – of course there are also a lot of geocaching police-officers – but be prepared to explain what geocaching means and what you are actually looking for.”
Question: What shouldn’t geocachers do?
Josh Nelson answers this question. He’s with the Department of Natural Resources at Wasatch Mountain State Park in Utah.
Josh says, “If you are geocaching in a State Park (Specifically speaking for Utah, but with my experience it’s universal) and are confronted by a park employee or law enforcement, don’t try to give some story of “I saw a cool bug” or the likes. These stories are great for other muggles, but just make you look suspicious to Rangers. Just tell them you are Geocaching, often they know the program and may even enjoy hanging out with you until you make the find.”
Question: What are the don’ts when hiding a geocache container?
According to Sgt. Byrd, “DO NOT put caution words on the outside of containers such as CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER, BEWARE, DO NOT OPEN, etc., regardless of what follows such words.”
Sgt. Byrd says, “Do remember, that some departments do have Standard Operating Procedure’s that require them to deal with all packages of a certain dimension in a destructive manner. Nano-caches, micro, and mini, caches are not only less likely to be spotted by a muggle, but are not of great concern to Bomb Squads… Use the common 9-volt battery as a reference. If it is smaller than a 9-volt battery, it is much LESS likely to be destroyed. Use clear containers whenever possible.”
Sgt. Byrd reminds geocachers that law enforcement are doing their jobs and their best to protect the communities they serve, whether it’s in Austria, a State Park in the U.S. or military serving abroad.
If you’re a Law Enforcement representative or Parks Personnel we offer a complimentary and ongoing Premium Membership for the purpose of monitoring geocaching activity in your jurisdiction. Learn more here at the Law Enforcement & Parks Professional resource page. Simply create a free basic account on Geocaching.com, choose a username that reflects your organization, and email us at geocaching.com/help for your upgrade.
The latest evolution of the Geocaching.com geocache details page serves up a new big button labeled “Log your visit.” And with big buttons comes big responsibility. With one click, you’ll uncover 5 different log types. Here’s a quick field-guide to help you navigate to the best option.Leaving the correct log type is all part of the geocaching experience. If you aren’t sure if you should leave a DNF or a Needs Maintenance, or you need help deciding if you should use the powerful Needs Archived option, try just leaving a note. Geocachers who have that geocache on their watchlist will see your note and will most likely be happy to help you out.
Found it – It’s a well-earned smiley when you choose this option. You’ve found the geocache and physically signed the log sheet. Now begin the over-sharing. What was your adventure like? Did you meet new people? Did you see a turtle? We want to know. Tell that story, upload a picture, thank the geocache owner, and you’re in business.
Didn’t find it (aka: DNF) – We all have these days. This is a really important option. It alerts other geocachers that this geocache might be more difficult than first thought or might not even be there. If you leave a detailed note they’ll know the whole story, like if there’s evidence of a critter making off with the geocache or too many muggles in the area to make the find. A DNF is a badge of honor and it’s easy to go back and turn a DNF into a “Found it.”
Write note – “There’s serious road construction leading to the geocache.” That’s a perfect example of a nice note. It’s not a “Found it” or a “Did not find,” it’s a way to ‘note’ify (yeah, we did that) other geocachers of conditions that affect finding the geocache, like “a new bee hive is in the area, bee* careful.” (*yeah – we did that too)
Needs Maintenance – The logbook is full, the geocache is cracked, or the camouflage is a little tattered—these are all good reasons to log your “Found it” then, log a separate “Needs Maintenance.” The geocache owner will appreciate your help and geocachers will appreciate the insight.
Needs Archived– Whew, well, this is the big one. Take a deep breath and count to 10, maybe even count to 100. This is a rarely used logging option and there’s more math involved. Use this option if the geocache has many DNF’s and “Needs Maintenance” logs without a “Found it” log.
Log Type Bonus Round! There are 2 more log types for Event Caches. An Event Cache allows you to meet your local geocaching community, swap stories, trade tips and plan geocaching outings.
Will Attend – It’s our version of RSVP’ing. This lets the event organizer know you’re planning on adding your wit, charm and presence to the event.
Attended – This is the “Found it” for events. You earn a smiley and an opportunity to leave a log with a great big ol’ ‘Thank You’ for the event organizers, as well as stories from the event.
It’s that time of year again for Rand McNally’s search for the best small towns across America! The annual Best of the Road program seeks America’s favorite towns with populations under 150,000 in multiple categories, including Most Beautiful, Most Fun, Friendliest, Best for Food and Most Patriotic. And, new this year, in association with Geocaching.com and the Rand McNally Foris Outdoor GPS, Best of the Road is searching for the Best Town for Geocaching. Help us during our campaign to find the towns with the best travel experiences and visit bestoftheroad.com to vote!
