Looking for ways to raise the bar on your local, outdoor adventures and spend more time outside? Turn your next hike or family nature walk across Cape Cod’s miles of magnificent beaches and trails into a bona fide quest with Geocaching—the anytime, anywhere modern-day trek for treasure.
Use a GPS device or Geocaching app to begin the adventure and play the ultimate game of hide and seek where you search for hidden “caches” using online clues and leave something fun behind for the next treasure seeker. Wondering how much booty there could possibly be on Cape Cod? There are literally hundreds of unique caches just waiting to be discovered.
Check out the “Cape Cod A-List” on geocaching.com and these premium Cape geocaching destinations to get you started!
Go cache crazy in Brewster, where you’ll be amazed to discover hidden hollows and trailheads you never knew existed alongside well-traveled sites full of surprising relics. From a quick P&G (that’s geocache slang for pedal & go) at the little park adjacent to the beloved Brewster General Store to the educational EarthCache at the majestic Brewster Tidal Flats, there’s no telling what you might uncover. Don’t miss the Capecodgirlz cache placed especially for kids around Cliff Pond in Nickerson State Park, and the picturesque half-mile Eddy Sisters Trail that passes through a maple swamp, forest, and 18thand 19th- century farm fields!
Grab a pair of binoculars along with some swag to trade and head to the extra-wide trails at Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich, perfect for geocaching, bird watching, dog walking, and children! Keep an eye peeled for the Cape’s year-round resident blue jays and the Cape Cod Bird Club’s 45 nest boxes placed throughout the trail system.
Channel your inner explorer a little further down the road in Harwich on the West Reservoir Ramble, which takes you down sandy power line roads and shoreline paths for a multi-stage cache with a three-star difficulty rating.
Input coordinates for Ryders Cove in Chatham and test your group's decoding skills against the geocache hidden by the Marconi Maritime Center’s STEM campers; it incorporates science, math, history, and nature into a real-world experience students of all ages will love!
Chances are high you’ve logged a lot of miles on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, but did you know there are stashes of caches camouflaged along the path? Explore the Cape’s stunning terrain as you ride, walk, or run to solve clues alongside soft, sandy pond shores, cranberry bogs, and serene woodlands. Rumor has it the Ring Around the Rotary cache is a quick find!
Take a road less traveled in Yarmouth on the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth trails to the virtual mystery cache with over 800 finds. A Real TreeT is exactly that, and perfect for a quick hike on a cold winter’s day that will enchant children and adults alike.
Get lost in a mesmerizing vista of Cape Cod Bay while you search for the High Dune cache at the Crowes Pasture Conservation Area in Dennis. Activity abounds at low tide when you can walk the expansive sand flats teeming with marine life and watch the oyster farmers in the distance. Serenity is a sure thing on the many walking trails and ponds seemingly painted across the landscape. Discuss aquaculture on your way home—or Google it! You’re always sure to learn something new when you geocache!
Don your wellies for a muddy expedition at the Mashpee River Woodlands where you may have to use your Geo-senses to hone in on this Upper Cape cache rumored to have a trackable (more geoslang). Not a tall order as you’ll be perfectly attuned with nature on the 3.7-mile trail surrounded by forest and pristine river views. Be on the lookout for mallards and swans at this little-known gem loved by locals.
These are just a few of the hundreds of geocaches waiting to be discovered all across Cape Cod. Make it your mission to find them all!
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