Welcome to the 2016 Winter 33! - NYS Parks Saratoga-Capital Region's second annual series of winter geocaches located in three of our beautiful NY State Parks/Historic Sites! This year's Winter 33 honors go to Peebles Island State Park, Thacher State Park, and Schoharie Crossing Historic Site! This series of geocaches are placed due to the overwhelming success of the 2015 Winter 33, and such positive feedback received from geocachers far and wide who made the trek to our parks last winter - as tough as last winter's weather was! - and were happy to have the incentive to get some exercise, explore the trails, and find geocaches at the same time! There are no Passports to stamp, just logs to sign and smileys to be earned... and a great reason to get out and enjoy the parks in the winter-time!
We have placed 9 new caches in Peebles Island (denoted in the name by PI), 9 new caches in Schoharie Crossing (SC), and 14 regular and 1 "Bonus" puzzle hide in Thacher (TH)! Like last year, all of the 2016 Winter 33 geocaches are hidden in a winter-friendly manner and most are small camoed matchstick containers... with the exception of the new "Bonus" Puzzle cache placed in Thacher - if we get too much snow, that one may require a bid of "snow-removal” ...and don't forget to bring a pen to sign the logs!
Depending on the weather, you may be able to find these winter caches on snowshoes or cross-country skis, hiking shoes or winter boots, or maybe even by bike - but get out there and enjoy the trails! These caches will be available until early May when it will be time to say good-bye to the 2016 Winter 33 and hello to the 2016 Summer Passport Series! The seasonal hours for these parks differ from park to park, and are based on staff availability and the time of sunset, so please either check on the park's web-site or call first, and plan accordingly! Maps for the trails can be found on all of the individual park's web-sites - those may be very helpful if you are new to any of these areas!
We love feedback, so please let us know how you liked this series when you post your finds. We appreciate your support of the Sara-Cap NYS Parks geocaching programs and a big Thank You to you for visiting our parks! Please visit www.nysparks.com for more information, and "like" and follow the individual parks on Facebook!