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 multi-cache with a field puzzle and is not at the posted coordinates. To determine the location of the cache, go to the posted coordinates and answer the following questions with information there. At posted coordinates, find the small round plaque on the south side of the Ranger Station by the door to answer the following questions. The final is at:
- N 43° 29.ABC W 085° 33.XYZ
- A = Number of letters in first word.
- B = Number of letters at bottom of plaque by southern Michigan.
- C = Numeric value of the 4th letter in the first word.
- X = Number of letters in second word plus 1 .
- Y = Add up the number of R's, E's, & S's in the third word.
- Z = Number of Great Lakes seen on plaque.
- Checksum: A+B+C+X+Y+Z = 36
You are looking for a Regular size container. Please return everything as good or better than you found it.
Thank you
Kneel More
for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Boating and Fishing on Hardy Dam Pond
Newaygo State Park:
Newaygo State Park covers 257 acres in Newaygo County, Michigan. The state park sits atop tall bluffs overlooking the Muskegon River impoundment better known as Hardy Dam Pond. The park is a short 15-mile drive from the city of Newaygo.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Trail along Hardy Dam Pond
History:
The park was created in 1966 when the state leased the acreage that included nearly a mile of water front from Consumers Power Company.
Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Activities:
The park offers swimming, fishing, boat launch, picnic areas, playground, and 99 rustic campsites. Hardy Dam impoundment is a great place for waterskiing and kayaking also. Wildlife in the area is abundant and seeing deer is a great possibility while you enjoy a leisurely walk through the park′s wooded acreage. Waterfowl of all species can be seen while hiking the high banks of the Muskegon River.
Newaygo State Park has been the location of several yearly geocaching events and continues to be home of several of the more highly favorited geocaches in Michigan. With several hiking trails within the park, it is possible to walk several miles and find several geocaches at the same time.
Information:
For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to
Newaygo State Park.
Special thanks to
Roland Kent
for help with this geocache.
Special thanks to Cold Cache Crew and Silent Whistles for the Southwest regional prize.
Resources: