My kids recently got into geocaching after we stumbled on one at a park. Seems perfect for hiking trips. Any recent reviews on the app? Are the caches still maintained or is it all abandoned stuff now? Might be a good way to get my screens-addicted kids to actually leave the house lol.
Perfect summer activity tbh. Gets kids outside, gives them a 'goal' instead of just walking, and they feel like little explorers. Way better than dragging them to another park
Started us on this too actually. Honestly the best part is watching my kids use problem-solving skills to figure out hiding spots. Some caches are diabolical. Download the app, check your first few nearby, and you'll see immediately if your area is active or not.
Geocaching is still super active actually. App gets updated regularly and most caches in populated areas are maintained. Urban areas especially - people are always placing new ones.
Geocaching is 100% still active. The app is solid and gets updated regularly. Main thing is stick to newer caches (posted in last 2 years) because the ancient ones are sometimes trash or missing
Did your kids actually care about FINDING the cache or was it more about the hike itself? Because that'll tell you if it's worth doing regularly or just a fun one-time thing
The Official Geocaching app is worth the premium version if you'll do this regularly. Filters out the abandoned stuff so you're not hiking 40 mins to find an empty hole. But yeah it's very much alive.
Download the app before you go hiking because cell service is iffy in a lot of places. But yeah most caches are maintained. Community is still really active about replacing broken ones
Honestly the app works great but like 30% of what you'll find is either wet/moldy or the 'treasure' is just old fast food toys. Still fun though if you go in expecting an adventure, not a reward
My 8 and 10yo got obsessed last summer. We probably did 50+ caches over a few months. The app is solid, maintenance is generally good except for really rural areas. Fair warning though - my kids wanted to go out constantly. It's a good problem to have but be ready for 'can we do one more cache' every weekend.
One heads up - bring hand sanitizer or gloves. You don't know what's been in those little boxes or what animals have left their opinions on them. Otherwise it rules for getting kids outside and moving without it feeling like exercise.
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Still very much a thing. Local geocaching groups on Facebook are wild - some people have found thousands. Most caches in the last 2-3 years are well maintained because active caching communities monitor them.