Here’s why geocaching might be your kids’ favorite new hobby

Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks have new geocaching activities for the adventure-seeking kiddo and family members in your life.

The park’s geocaching activities combine the outdoors with a little bit of technology, and can be a fun and exciting way for kids to explore the parks and learn more about their environment while perfecting a set of unique treasure-hunting skills. Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure-hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.

Geocaches can range from large containers to micro-containers and can contain anything from trinkets to larger surprises. Once a geocache is discovered, participants can sign the log book, take a trinket, and leave a trinket of their own.

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Columbus Metro Parks offers geocaching for kids of all ages. The programs are designed to teach kids about their environment and how to use a GPS device. Geocaching is a great activity for adults, kids and families. The activities are ADA-accessible and there are 10 caches at different parks. Once all 10 caches are found, go online to www.geocaching.com to claim an 11th clue for the final cache to win a special prize.

How to participate:

Go to www.geocaching.com to sign up for a free membership and create a cache handle.
Go to the coordinates using your GPS unit and search for a camouflaged, plastic container.
Sign the log, trade trinkets, and log your find on www.geocaching.com
Don’t forget to post comments or photographs.
Search for Tour Columbus Metro Parks to Uncover Metro Parks GeoTour.
Search for Tour Columbus Metro Parks to find the annual GeoTrail.

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