MSPCGT:Seven Lakes SP Multi-Cache

Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour (GT93)

UPDATE: 3/1/2024:

2019 was the 100^th Anniversary of Michigan State Parks and we're still celebrating!. Join the Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Geocaching.com for the first official GeoTour in Michigan.

This tour was originally scheduled to run for three years, kicking off on Friday of Memorial Weekend in 2019 and continue through May 31, 2022. The success of this awesome tour has not gone unnoticed. On February 2, 2022, The DNR announced the extension of the GeoTour through September 24, 2024! Join us in making a final push to complete this very popular and very successful GeoTour before the sun sets on it.

Each geocache is in one of Michigan's state parks. The geocaches are arranged by MiGO Region, with twenty-five geocaches per region. The Ticket to Celebrate 100 is available for download from the DNR's Geocaching page. It explains how to qualify for prizes in each of the four regions and for the GeoTour as a whole.

Day use areas of state parks are open from 8AM to 10PM. Geocaching is limited to those hours. Entry into Michigan's State Parks requires a Michigan Recreation Passport. See the Resources section below for more information.

The sun will set on the MSPCGT at midnight Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The MSPCGT will go off the air as a GeoTour and the caches will disappear from the map. There is a lot of construction going on in our State Parks in 2024. Some of the GeoTour caches will have to be pulled earlier. The remaining geocaches in the tour will be archived October 1, 2024. Players will have until December 31, 2024 to claim any prize they have earned. Hiders will be contacted to request removal of the geocaches they hid unless they have made arrangements with park managers and have their own permit in place to keep the geocache in play, with a new GC Code.

Construction projects in 2024 at the modern campground will not impact access to this geocache.

Now for some good news: MiGO and the DNR are busy working on a new project that will kick off in the Spring of 2025, code named MSPGT 2.0. Are you interested in helping? Keep your MiGO Membership up to date and stay tuned to the website.

Cache:

This cache was hidden as part of the Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour, presented by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Geocaching Organization. Record the codeword printed on the log book and on a label inside the cache container to the appropriate box on the Ticket to Celebrate 100 form. See the instructions on the form to claim prizes.

This is an simple four stage multi-cache with a field puzzle and is not at the posted coordinates. To determine the location of the cache, navigate to the various stages and find the information from signs. The coordinates to each stage are in listed waypoints.

Stage 1: Simply proceed to stage 2

Stage 2: At this location you will see a sign telling of an ongoing project here at Seven Lakes. Use the information on this sign to get "ABC". Not including the title or the logo in the bottom left corner, how many E's appear on this sign? Take that number and multiply it by 2. That will equal ABC.

Stage 3: At this location you will see a sign with lots of information and pictures of some of your favorite critters. Here you will find the answers for X, Y and Z.

1. X = Not counting the DNR logo, how many Es in the light text on the dark title banners.
2. Y = Number of critter drawings are in the column on the left hand side of the sign. (Partials count as one, photos don't count).
3. Z = The number of times the letter J appears in first paragraph of the brown box with the image of a person walking their dog.

Final: is at N 42 49.ABC W 83 39.XYZ.

Checksum: A+B+C+X+Y+Z = 23

You are looking for a Regular size container. Please return everything as good or better than you found it.

Thank you GLC for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.

^{Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources.}
Sunset at Seven Lakes State Park.

Seven Lake State Park:

Seven Lakes State Park, located in Oakland County, Michigan, consists of over 1400 acres, with 230 of those acres made up of water found in six named lakes. Our 170-acre Big Seven Lake is the largest. The next largest, Dickinson Lake, is 44-acres. Both are popular with boaters and have docks for launching your vessels. We can't forget our other lakes too: Little Seven Lake, Mud Lake, Sand Lake, Spring Lake.

^{Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources.}
Sand Lake Campground at Seven Lakes State Park.

History:

The park's roots lie in a failed development scheme. In 1967, private parties built a dam on Swartz Creek in the Flint River watershed to create one large lake, DeCoup Lake, from several smaller lakes. When the developers gave up their efforts, the state purchased the site in 1969, and named it Seven Lakes State Park. The park opened in 1977 and the campground on Sand Lake was opened in 1992.

^{Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources.}

Activities:

Recreational facilities in the park include campsites, swimming beaches, picnic areas, boat launches, trails for hiking. mountain biking and cross country skiing, hunting areas, and even geocaching!

Information:

For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to Seven Lakes State Park.

Special thanks to HelloLola for help with this geocache.

Special thanks to beenhere, LynnGeoGin and HNY Event Staff for the Southeast regional prize.

Resources:

• State Parks Centennial GeoTour - Download the Ticket to Celebrate 100
• Michigan.gov/StateParks100
• Michigan DNR Recreation Passport
• When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?
• Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO)