Winter Caching?

[upto0013]

Hello, I'm brand new to Geocaching... I've found one cache with a friend but finally had some liquid income to get a GPS. I was just wondering how logistical it is to go geocaching in the winter... which starts very soon for me. I was just reading the "evil caches" thread and imagined myself standing on top of a snowy hill trying to find a log hidden in a piece of lint burried under a foot of snow...

Anyone have some input for me?

[+VO2WW]

Read the cache description carefully, there might be some indication as to if it is 'winter friendly' and of course check the Attributes. I am in Labrador so we have between 3 and 5m of snow fall with about 2m of snow cover in late winter. I guess 30% or more of the caches here are doable in winter but the snowshoe tracks are often a giveaway for the next finder. In general a lot of rural caches that are winter friendly are in trees. Also doable are a lot of the parking lot micros, guardrail caches and signpost magnetics. Also you can pop an email to the owner.

[upto0013]

Ahh, I see. Thanks for the info, maybe I'll do the wooded/non-winter friendly now and save the more urban caches for some winter activity.

[+briansnat]

Winter is my favorite time for caching. No bugs, no people and great reception. It does present some challenges and you will probably get skunked more often than you will in the summer. But caches can be found under the snow using your cache sense, visual clues and a little luck. I've found quite a few caches in the snow, some under as many as 3 feet of it.

 

No need to stick to the urban caches in the winter and miss the beauty of the snow covered forest.

[H to the Bizzle!]

Yeah, Winter has its pros and cons like any other season when it comes to caching. I'd have to say it is probably my favorite time to go caching. I get out of the house, and it's easier to find caches since I just follow other people's footprints.

[+gof1]

Huck, I can think of one or two of your hides that wil have too many footprints around to be of any help.

[+FamilyDNA]

Winter? That's the best time to get those caches I've been avoiding because of stickers all summer. Got to get them in the break between heat and mud.

(No snow here in the valley...)

[+DaveA]

Ahh, I see. Thanks for the info, maybe I'll do the wooded/non-winter friendly now and save the more urban caches for some winter activity.

 

That's a good idea, but one way to know if a cache is winter accessible is to add caches to your watchlist (or bookmarks if you are a premium member) and get the emails whenever something is logged for the caches.

 

This way you can easily see what caches in your area are being found after the snow flies.

 

When a cache is found you can either A: Go out before the next snow for a potentially* easy find or wait for the next snow to have more of a challenge.

 

* fresh tracks in the snow make it easy to see where the previous cacher went, but may or may not make it easier to find the cache depending on how long that cacher searched and how wide a radius they trampled over.

[+msrubble]

Welcome, upto0013.

 

I am new myself, and have not tried my hand at geocaching in winter. I am counting on being able to get to some caches more easily in the winter. If the lake or river freezes over, one might not need a boat to get to a cache on an island. If it's a reasonably short walk to a cache, bugs won't be a problem. If fewer people use an area in winter, there is less need for stealth.

 

Do you know about the Minnesota Geocaching Association?

[upto0013]

Do you know about the Minnesota Geocaching Association?

 

No, I didn't. Thanks msrubble I can't wait for some caches in the state parks!