Any Easy Way To Find Caches At Rest Areas?

[+MF61]

Does anyone have an easy way to identify caches along the interstate highways that are in the rest areas along the way while traveling? I have found a few that people were nice enough to name with the highway number in them through searching but is there another way of locating more? Thanks.

[+wandererrob]

I tend to stop fairly infrequently when I drive so I rarely need to seek out more than a cache or 2 every few hours. For me, the easiest thing I've found is to fire up Google Earth with the geocaching .kml file loaded.

 

You can pan along your route and see what's there at a glance. Just click on the cache icons to see a brief blurb.

 

This doesn't however guarantee they are in a rest area, but it's a good overall visual scan of the route.

Edited January 25, 2006 by wandererrob

[+The Jester]

Some state websites list the rest areas for freeways. You may have to plot those on a map, and then search by their lat/lon. Some local org's have lists of caches to find nearby, they might have a rest area list.

[+Ballooner]

For me, the easiest thing I've found is to fire up Google Earth with the geocaching .kml file loaded.

 

So how do you load this file?

[+JohnTee]

For me, the easiest thing I've found is to fire up Google Earth with the geocaching .kml file loaded.

 

So how do you load this file?

Full instructions here:

Geocaching KML

 

Pretty cool! I have to go to a coffee shop to get high speed internet so I can use Google Earth . . .

 

JohnTee

[+Miragee]

A few people have been requesting a "Rest Area" attribute, which would be very handy. Then you could order your Pocket Queries based on that attribute.

 

You could order Pocket Queries that are Difficulty - 2/Terrain - 2 or below and then use these instructions to get caches within .25 miles of your specific route.

[+Faith the Aquariaqueen]

Try: www.geotruckers.com

 

It's a group of truckers/RVers and they have started a rest stop category....it's a friendly group of folks.

Edited January 26, 2006 by Faith the Aquariaqueen

[+cudlecub]

Here's a link to TN Rest Area caches. I hope this helps for at least one state.

[+The_Proffens]

I was just thinking about this earlier today for my upcoming drive to FL. Thanks for all the good info.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Florida Rest Stop caches from the floridacaching.com (FGA) website.

[+The_Proffens]

Florida Rest Stop caches from the floridacaching.com (FGA) website.

Wow, Great Link! Thanks

[+T-bone's Team]

I use Google Earth as well. If you zoom in close enough you can a get a pretty good idea of whether it is in the rest area or not....there is however an intentional error you have to watch out for.

 

If you find them, clcik on it and book mark it, then run a PQ on the bookmark, create PDX file and drag into temp place folder in Google Earth...... Just found out that it is very accurate.

 

Ac ouple of other ideas would be great to see in the future.....

 

1.) A rest area filter in Google Earth

2.) A keyword search for an entire cache page instead of just the title.

[hide & seekers]

Thanks for the info everybody! The links will help me too as we drive from Northern Indiana down to Florida in March.

 

The rest stop attribute would be excellent!

 

If anyone would like a list of caches in rest areas along the Indiana Toll Roll and Ohio Turnpike (I80/I90) let me know. I've visited some and know of others.

[+grueinthedark]

If you do a keyword search for "Mass Pike" you will find several along Interstate 90 in Mass.