Creating Your Own Geocache

Geocaching is one of the most exciting and adventurous things you can do with a GPS device. Since the activity first began shortly after the turn of the 21st century, people have been making caches all across the globe. After the thrill of finding a few caches, you may be inspired to create one yourself. You can't just drop a tube in the wilderness and expect people to find it however, there are some steps you need to go through in order to create a geocache.

You may know that there are several different types of geocaches, and not all of them involve finding the same type of thing. The traditional cache is a small container that usually includes a logbook and pencil, so geocachers can enter their name when they find it. Other types of geocaches contain clues to yet more geocaches, and some geocaches involve no physical object at all! The first step in creating your own geocache is to decide what type of geocache you want it to be. To keep it simple, this guide will stick to the traditional type of geocache.

To make a traditional geocache, you'll need a waterproof container (such as a plastic jar) with a logbook and pen to put inside. If you like, you can also leave some sort of tradeable items or trinkets inside for people to take as well. You should also clearly label the container as a geocache so passers-by don't mistake it as trash and discard it.

Now that you have a geocache ready to be planted, you need some way to make it available for others to see. There are plenty of websites that are made for this, such as the original Geocaching.com, or others like Navicache.com. These websites usually have requirements your cache has to meet in order for it to be listed there, so make sure you modify your cache accordingly.

Once you have the geocache together, you need to find a location for it. State parks work well, or any public land really, as long as it won't make people searching for your geocache look overly suspicious. After you've found a suitable location and put your geocache there, mark the coordinates, and submit the cache to one of the websites.

All that's left to do is to wait for people to start finding your geocache. You can check up on your cache at the website that you submitted to, but you should also visit the cache regularly to make sure its in good condition. Creating a geocache for others to find can be just as rewarding as finding a new cache yourself!