New to the hobby? Keep these tips and pieces of advice close at hand at all times to make geocaching through geocaching.com easier.

Quick Tips

No GPS

Don’t own a GPS? Borrow one from a friend, or attempt a few caches without one. If you pick an easy cache it is often possible to find it simply by carefully studying the cache description, previous logs and any images that others have uploaded under “view images” to the right of the cache page.

1-5 Stars

Each cache is rated from 1 (easy) to 5 (hard) stars in two categories: terrain and difficulty. The terrain rating shows how demanding it is to get to the actual cache location. The difficult rating reveals how hard it is to find the cache when you are already at the location. Any riddles and such are included in the difficulty rating.

Cache Sizes

Caches exist in countless shapes and sizes, from so called “nano” caches to “large”. What’s most common vary from area to area, but smaller ones are easier to hide. The size is listed on the cache page – check it out to make the hunt easier! Also read our Cache Sizes article to learn more about them.

Traditional Caches

On the map, look for green icons as these represent the most basic type of caches that don’t require any riddles or special tasks to be solved.

Find 20 Before Hiding Your Own

Before attempting to hide your own cache, learn the basics of what makes a good hide by finding as many caches a possible. Some say 10, some say 25 and some say 100. We say that 20 is a suitable minimum number, because we think you’re smart, and by 20 you’ll have gotten the hang of it.

On The Website

Log Your Find

Found a cache? Go to the cache page and click “log your visit” in the upper right side. Here, you can pick “found” in the drop-down menu and write a comment about your hunt and what you thought of the cache.

Leave Comments Without Logging

Want to say something about the cache, for example that the cache is broken or that you tried to find it but couldn’t? Log your visit, but select “needs maintenance” or “write note” instead of “found”. Let the owner know what the problem is!

Upload Photos

Took a photo by the cache? Share it with others! On the page appearing after you have logged your find, click the link “upload images”. But be aware, some frown upon spolier photos.

Log a Trackable

To log that you have found a trackable (geocoin or travel bug) in a cache, go to “trackable items” in the main menu bar on geocaching.com. Here, type in the code for the trackable. Then, click “Found it? Log it!” on the right-hand side.

Find Other Members

Looking for a fellow cacher? Go to your profile and click “find another player” in the right side menu.