UPDATE: 3/1/2024:
2019 was the 100th 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.
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 a traditional cache hidden at the posted coordinates. You are looking for a Regular size container. Please return everything as good or better than you found it.
Thank you
Wandering Tracks
for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Lake Gogebic Camping
Lake Gogebic State Park:
Beautiful Lake Gogebic State Park is 360 acres of hemlock, cedar and balsam forest along with mixed hardwoods and nearly a mile of lakefront on the west shore of the largest inland lake in the Upper Peninsula. It is a wildlife, birding and fishing paradise. Lake Gogebic's 13,380 acres of prime fishing water teem with walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, jumbo perch and whitefish.
History:
In 1926 Gogebic County Board of County Park trustees obtained land on Lake Gogebic and deeded it to the State for the purposes of creating a park. E. J. Stickley and W. Bonafas donated additional property, and in 1930 the State Park was opened to the public. It is set in the midst of the million-acre Ottawa National Forest and provides visitors with excellent fishing, hunting, hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities in literally every direction. The park itself is 360 acres with almost a mile of lake frontage.
In 1962, two gravestones were discovered near the water′s edge. Considerable research has been done and it is thought that the graves, one marked John Key 1822, the other marked WITHA 1824, are occupied by fur traders doing business with the local Native Americans.
Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Activities:
Fishing is the primary draw to Lake Gogebic. The angler will find excellent fishing for perch, walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike. The local area chamber of commerce hosts fishing tournaments annually on Lake Gogebic.
Information:
For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to
Lake Gogebic State Park.
Special thanks to
scoutersteve
for help with this geocache.
Special thanks to Cherry Capital Cachers for the Upper Peninsula regional prize.
Resources: