Robinson Nature Center

The James and Anne Robinson Nature Center is a nature education facility situated on 18 acres of park land adjacent to the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. Their mission is to facilitate the enjoyment and understanding of our natural resources and to bridge the gap between people and nature. By inspiring sound environmental awareness, the Center promotes responsible stewardship of all of our natural resources and strive to connect people of all ages with nature through experience-based education.

The posted coordinates are for the entrance to the Robinson Nature Center. The puzzle will require cachers to enter and explore the Center to find information needed to complete the coordinates for the final. Cachers will need to walk and explore the Center to find six pieces of information throughout that will allow for the final coordinates to be determined. The Center itself is not very large, and the pieces of information needed will be found in a logical order that will not require the cachers to do any backtracking. You will not have to interact with any staff. 

Final: N39° 11.ABC W076° 53.DEF

A: Upon entering the Center, just after the front desk to your left you will find the “Discovery Room." This room contains a number of tanks and enclosures that house various small animals, many which are found in Central Maryland. On the far wall you will find enclosures containing two different types of snakes. One is a black rat snake. The other is a ______ snake. A = the number of letters in the name of that other type of snake.

B: After exiting the Discovery Room, just a little further on your left you will see an exhibit that starts with the title “Changing Lives, Changing Landscape." This gives a brief history of Native Americans in the Chesapeake Bay region and the impact of colonialism in the area. It also includes a timeline that discusses the Simpsonville Mill and development of the city of Columbia. Displayed here is a replica of an 18th century musket, along with lead musket balls and gun flints. B = the number of musket balls minus the number of gun flints.

C: At this same exhibit, you will also see a display titled “Simpsonville Mill at Work.” The ruins of this historic mill are located on the grounds of the Robinson Nature Center and are easily accessible – check them out later if you have the time!  At this display you will find a model of the inner workings of a grist mill, which shows the milling process used by the Simpsonville Mill. One of the components highlighted by this model are millstones. C = the number associated with the millstones in this model.

D: After leaving this history-focused exhibit, look down at the floor. As you may have already noticed, there is an image of the Chesapeake Bay and some of its major tributaries shown. Walk towards the top of the Bay and you will see a frosted glass panel with some statistics about this body of water and its health. D = the number of days it once took the Bay’s oysters to filter all 18 trillion gallons of water in the Bay.

You have now collected all of the information needed on the entry level of the Center, and it is time to start descending to the lower level through the "Life of the Forest". 

E: This exhibit features a large tree made with painted glass panels, information on animals in the native forest, and their behaviors through the seasons. As you begin your descent, look for the portion of this exhibit titled “Preparation and Adaption.” Here you will find information on animals during the fall season, including some examples of where animals get their calories. E = the number of red oak acorns on this informational plaque.

F: Continue descending down to the forest floor display on the lower level. No need to get any information during this portion of the exhibit, but enjoy seeing and learning about different animals and plants, including those which are nocturnal. Once you exit this exhibit, you will find yourself outside the Center’s planetarium. Walk a little further and you will find the “Backyard Habitat Exhibit” (which includes a live bee hive) in a room to your right, classrooms to your left, and a large sign directly in front of you titled “How do you measure UP?” F = on the sign, the approximate height (in feet) of the black bear.

As listed above, the cache location is N39° 11.ABC W076° 53.DEF. You may now exit the Center. The cache you seek is located off the Sycamore Stroll Trail on the Robinson Nature Center grounds. You can either view the trail map below or descend the hill to the informational sign. 

Access / Hours

• Hours of Operation
  • Wednesday - Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • Sunday, noon to 5:00 PM
• Access Fee
  • Adults: $5.00
  • Children 3-17: $3.00
• The Center is closed on January 1, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday) and December 25. In addition, on days with high winds, the trails on Nature Center grounds may be closed to the public. You may call the center at 410-313-0400 to check on the status.
• Vehicles parked in the lot after 5:00 PM will be locked in!
• No dogs permitted
• Visitors will be required to follow any mask mandates by the Robinson Nature Center or the county.

Details on the Robinson Nature Center can be found here.

A map of the trails on its grounds can be found here.