Geocaching: The World's Largest Treasure Hunt

"Why do you enjoy tramping around looking for hidden treasures, Phil?"

I was accompanying my friend, an avid geocacher, on a search for a cache on a mountain trail in Montana. Not to be distracted, Phil consulted Geocaching.com on his phone for the GPS coordinates of his quest. Stepping off trail, Phil squatted to peer under a few fallen tree trunks and finally, a rock shelf. "There it is!" Retrieving a concealed jug, he began to examine its contents while answering my question.

"When I first started geocaching ten years ago, it seemed rather pointless and silly. It still is, but I love doing it. The joke among geocachers is that their hobby uses multi-million dollar satellites to find plastic containers."

"It didn't take you long to find this one, Phil," I offered. "Are they all this easy?"

He chuckled. "I initially thought 'How hard can this be?' You go to the coordinates and there it is. How wrong I was! I couldn't find the first two that I looked for and was certain that they weren't there. So I re-read the cache page and logs online and realized that they were really there. It took about 45 minutes until I found the first one and just as long for the second. GPS devices and phones can get you close, but not always exactly to the cache. Persistence is the key until you start to develop some 'geo-sense,' which is kind of knowing what to expect, based on the size of the cache, difficulty level and terrain."

Geocaches come in all shapes and sizes — some are large reusable containers while others are micro canisters the size of your fingernail. They never require digging. Cache sizes are described in the app to help you get on the right path.

All of this fun began the day after what geocachers call "Blue Switch Day." On that day, May 2, 2000, the US made more precise GPS technology available to the public. Prior to that, accurate GPS coordinates were restricted to the government and military. On May 3, 2000, the first geocache was hidden. The hobby has blossomed. In 2022, for example, almost 84 million find logs were posted by enthusiasts.

To gauge how prevalent geocaching is, consider that there are over three million active geocache players worldwide, trying to find about 3.5 million hidden caches in 191 countries on all seven continents. Geocaching.com is translated into 24 languages and Android and iOS apps are translated into over 20 languages.

For Phil, geocaching became as much about the hunt as it was about the find itself. Wherever he goes, he consults the geocaching site to see if any caches are along his route. This has included interstate rest areas, parking lots and city scapes as well as the great outdoors. "It's added a new dimension to travel," Phil said. "I pay more attention to where I am and think about where I would hide something if I was placing a cache."

Like other enthusiasts new to geocaching, Phil searched for easy-to-find caches first. These were the ones with difficulty and terrain ratings of 1 or 2. He also learned to consult the online cache descriptions and logs to look for hints or special instructions. Recent logs from other geocachers might include insights about the cache's condition or location.

Experienced geocachers avoid drawing attention to their quest. The goal is to protect the cache from non-geocachers (informally referred to as "muggles") who might tamper with a find. In a busy location, Phil will often return later to avoid being seen.

One time, Phil began to look for a cache hidden outside a museum. He noticed two people sitting on a bench next to the cache location. "I sat on a nearby bench and pretended to look at my phone. Sometimes you just need to wait someone out. Finally, the woman asked if I was looking for something. I smiled and we all immediately jumped up and started looking for the cache."

When Phil finds a geocache, he signs the log and then puts it back exactly where he found it. Geocaches are meant to stay hidden so others can have the same experience. After finding a cache, geocachers log their experience online and share any interesting details or difficulties encountered in the search.

Larger caches might contain "trackables," gamepieces that travel from geocache to geocache. Each trackable item has a unique tracking code which allows geocachers to log its movement online. This allows others to see its journey, location history and any goals set for the trackable by its owner. Trackables can come in different forms, including travel bugs (TBs) and geocoins.

Travel bugs are small items with a unique serial number attached that are meant to travel, often with a specific mission: Visit all 50 states, go to Germany, make it to Disney World, etc. Geocoins are custom-designed coins with a tracking number. Some are kept as collectibles, while others are meant to travel.

Some geocaches also contain pathtags. These are small, custom-crafted coins or tokens that may have a unique design on one side and a tracking code on the other. Geocachers trade or collect pathtags, using the tracking code to log online where they found or exchanged one. Pathtags typically don't travel, but are meant to be kept by the finder.

Besides trackables and pathtags, part of the fun of geocaching is finding some "swag." These are small, tradeable items left inside a geocache for others to discover and exchange. Swag can include toys, keychains, coins, trinkets and other inexpensive items.

Some geocachers personalize their swag by leaving items with their name or logo attached. The idea is to trade fairly — if you take an item from the cache, you should leave something of equal or greater value in return. Finding some swag adds an element of treasure hunting to the game, making geocaching ideal for families.

After ten years, Phil is hooked on the adventure and challenge of geocaching, looking forward to introducing the game to his grandchildren. Does he have favorite geocaches over the years?

"I like historical caches that are hidden near old battlefields or significant landmarks. It's also fun to find gadget caches or mechanical puzzles that require some tinkering to open. My ultimate favorite, though, are disguised caches that blend seamlessly into their surroundings. They might look like a rock, a bolt or a piece of bark that make them particularly tough to spot."

About his own geocaches, Phil said "I usually like to hide my caches in plain sight. I've made fake bricks, sections of concrete, logs, wasp nests, fungus, secret doors on little libraries and even a giant spider."

To Phil and millions of other geocachers, no grand reason need be attached to a game that might seem "pointless and silly." That it gets one outdoors on a treasure hunt by yourself or with loved ones is enough.

Geocaching.com is the official app where, once registered, users have access to geocache locations. The site is a great resource for beginners, featuring easy tutorials that highlight aspects of the game. A basic membership is free, but a paid upgrade (Premium) provides access to even more caches and features.

Jim Umhoefer is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in human interest, travel and outdoor stories. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Kansas City Star, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. His travel stories have been published in magazines  such as Better Homes and Gardens, The World and I, Snow Country and others.  He is also the author and photographer of four outdoor guidebooks about Minnesota and Wisconsin. Read More