The Best Smartphone Apps for Geocaching: a blog about cool technology and geocaching.
Geocaching is undoubtedly a fun activity that has been embraced by many people all over the world. Far from being just a simple treasure hunt, geocaching, especially with the help of technology, is now more accessible than ever before. With the help of smartphones and GPS devices, geocachers can now find caches with ease, compared to the traditional methods of having to look for each cache on their own.
Smartphones are now almost ubiquitous in society and most people have one, so it makes sense to use them when geocaching. There are many different smartphone apps that are available depending on both your phone’s operating system and how much you want to pay but they all serve the same purpose – they will help you find geocaches with ease.
Not only do these apps help you to find caches but they also include other features such as storing track logs or letting you know if there are any upcoming events near you that you might be interested in. To get started with geocaching, all you need is a smartphone and an app. Then, using your phone’s built-in GPS receiver and compass, the app can guide you
The Best Smartphone Apps for Geocaching: a blog about cool technology and geocaching.
Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a GPS receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, anywhere in the world.
A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook and sometimes a pen or pencil. The geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching shares many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing, waymarking, and Munzee.
The ability to use a smartphone for navigation and searching is one of the reasons geocaching has taken off as it has. When I first started, we were entering coordinates into handheld GPS devices and hoping for the best. But not anymore! Caches can be found with an iPhone or Android device, provided you have the right apps.
The Best Smartphone Apps for Geocaching
There are dozens of geocaching apps available across iOS and Android platforms. I’ve tried a whole bunch of them over the years, and I think these are the best of the bunch:
Geocaching Intro (iOS – $1.99)
This is probably my favorite app to use while caching. It’s simple to use, fast, and very effective. The interface is clean and it’s easy to find exactly what you’re looking for in just a few taps. You can filter caches by distance, name, type, size, terrain and difficulty. You can also search using simple queries like “caches near me” or “traditional caches.” Once you decide on a cache to find, detailed information about it will be at your fingertips including clues, logs from other cachers and a map showing its location relative to your current position. There’s even an integrated compass that
There are currently over 2 million geocachers around the world. Since geocaching is a fast-growing hobby, it’s no wonder that so many people have become interested in finding the best smartphone apps for geocaching. At this point, we feel that we’ve tested enough apps to provide you with a list of our favorites.
Geocaching is a fun outdoor treasure hunt where participants use GPS-enabled devices to locate specific coordinates. Participants then find and log so-called “geocaches.” These caches are usually waterproof containers placed by other geocachers. Inside, you’ll find a log book where you can record your visit.
Some geocaches contain small items that can be traded, but most of them only hold the log book and maybe a pencil or pen. The fact that these containers are waterproof means that they can be hidden in places where they will not get damaged by rain or snow.
The GPS units available in smartphones often allow for more accurate readings than standalone GPS devices, which is one reason why smartphone apps for geocaching have become popular.
If you are a geocacher and haven’t tried geochecking your smartphone, you need to get started. With a ton of great apps out there, it’s pretty hard to go wrong. But some apps are better than others.
Here are my top picks for the best apps to use for geocaching:
Geocaching – This is the official geocaching app. It has everything you need to find every cache on every continent (that’s right – even Antarctica!). This is a great app but one downside is that it’s not free! If you’re willing to pay $10/year for an app that has all the bells and whistles, this one will do the trick!
If you’re looking for a new hobby, geocaching might be just the thing for you. It’s fun, it’s inexpensive and the whole family can get involved. And though people have been geocaching since 2000, there are still plenty of places to find treasure. The best way to get started is with one of these free apps for your smartphone.
1. Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Larger containers such as plastic storage containers (Tupperware or similar) or ammunition boxes can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little monetary value, although sometimes they are sentimental. Geocaching shares many aspects with benchmarking, trigpointing, orienteering, treasure-hunting, letterboxing and waymarking.
According to David Letterman: “It’s kind of like an adult Easter egg hunt.”