How to find a cache so far from home in Alaska?

[binky11]

I'm failry new to geo caching and have found several but close to home. I am however going on an Alaskan cruise next week and will be taking a day excursion trip from Skagway to the Klondike Trail & suspension bridge. I thought how neat it would be to maybe find a cache so far from home, I live in Kelowna, BC Canada. But I sure don't know how I would go about finding this info out. I did go type in a skagway zipcode and a couple came up , but have no idea if they are anywhere near where I am going to be? Any suggestions? Thanks

[+Team Crime Scene]

How about the hide and seek a cache feature. You could always use the address where you'll be staying.......

 

I personally like Google Earth.....

[+nittany dave]

You could search for caches near one that is in Skagway - GCJY3N for example. It looks as if there are a few along your route to the suspension bridge too. Since you're not a prem. member, you can't run pocket queries but if you search for caches near the one above, you'll see those that are closest to Skagway.

[+traildad]

I did go type in a skagway zipcode and a couple came up , but have no idea if they are anywhere near where I am going to be? Any suggestions? Thanks

Go to the cache page you found with the zip code search. Part way down the page is a place to click to find nearby caches. Click on it. Then look at the different cache pages and check out the maps for each cache. Use the map to figure out where it is and if it would be a good location to try when you are on your trip.

 

You could also just go to the map on the cache in your zip code search and move the map to the area you will be visiting. Any caches in that area will be displayed on the map.

[binky11]

Ahhhhh, great tips, thanks a bundle fellow cacher's!

[+GEO.JOE]

Contact the cache owners and ask for suggestions. They know their area and will be able to give you suggestions of which cache to grab while you are there and what is along your route. I have had three people contact me through the years that will be coming to my town on the Delta Queen and will not have transportation so I lay them out a nice walking route with distances and places to eat or shop along the way.

GEO.JOE

[+Zemmy]

I'm failry new to geo caching and have found several but close to home. I am however going on an Alaskan cruise next week and will be taking a day excursion trip from Skagway to the Klondike Trail & suspension bridge. I thought how neat it would be to maybe find a cache so far from home, I live in Kelowna, BC Canada. But I sure don't know how I would go about finding this info out. I did go type in a skagway zipcode and a couple came up , but have no idea if they are anywhere near where I am going to be? Any suggestions? Thanks

 

Hi Binky,

 

I recently took a cruise in Alaska and found about 20 caches from Prudhoe Bay all the way down to Ketchikan. Since, like you, I wasn't sure exactly where I was gonna be I took the info for all the caches in all the cities I knew I'd be in. I had set up Pocket Queries for these cities (I filtered out everything except virtuals and traditional caches). Since my GPS accepts 1000 waypoints I had plenty of room.

 

Skagway has a few that are within an easy walk from the docks. I got 4 there.

 

Here is a bookmarked list of "Alaska Cruise Caches"

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...2c-54ceae87c5e7

 

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions

Zemmy!!

Edited September 9, 2007 by Zemmy

[+PeterNoG]

Google Maps are a quick alternative to Google Earth.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/gmnearest.a...;zm=13&mt=m

Here is the Skagway area. If you haven't used Google maps before, you can zoom and pan.

 

During our day in Skagway last year we only had time to find 2 in Skagway (Skagway Treasure & Camp Skagway No.1) since we took the White Pass and Yukon Railway Excursion into the Yukon (and managed to find Caribou Crossing cache int the Yukon).

[binky11]

Great tips! I was thinking there would not be time to find any caches during the excursion trip, as you are with a tour that I'm sure isn't going to stop while we go off galavanting. But good to know there is maybe at least 4 that are walking distance to where the ship goes in to port. Would be kinda neat to find one so far from home!! Thanks for the suggestions peeps!

[+SweetBell]

I was new at Geocaching when we took our trip to Alaska last year. I sort of new where we would be and I printed out every caching page I thought we would be near. I used zip codes and the maps feature. I programmed them in by hand on our way there. We traveled with other family members so I probably didn't cache as much as I would have liked to but I feel fortunate that we were able to get as many as we did. I now know how to use pocket queries, GSAK to transfer them to my GPS and a palm for my information. I don't have a lot of finds but learn something new each time we go out. Have fun on your trip!!!!!

[binky11]

Thanks kindly, getting excited!!!! The link that was included in one of the posts took me to "Alaskan Cruise Caches"!!!!!!!! I just sent most of them to my GPS! If I only find one I'll be happy but seems would be a shame to go to Alaska and not even look for one!!!

[+TheManInStripes]

Thanks kindly, getting excited!!!! The link that was included in one of the posts took me to "Alaskan Cruise Caches"!!!!!!!! I just sent most of them to my GPS! If I only find one I'll be happy but seems would be a shame to go to Alaska and not even look for one!!!

Yes, that would be a crying shame!!! Where does your cruise end? Seward by chance? Looks like you may already be on the way.

 

We have LOTS of great caches and cachers up here.

 

Be sure to also check out www.geocachealaska.org.

[binky11]

Well we are back from our cruise and unfortunatley did not have the engery or time to even look for one cache! Our first stop was Skagway where we went on an excursion to the "yukon suspension bridge" so that took up most of our time at this first port. Our second stop was Juneau and we forgot to bring the gps!!! Then our last stop was Ketchikan and it just poured rain that whole day but was still very impressed with "Creek Street"! Wonderful time but no caches (

[binky11]

Well we are back from our cruise and unfortunatley did not have the engery or time to even look for one cache! Our first stop was Skagway where we went on an excursion to the "yukon suspension bridge" so that took up most of our time at this first port. Our second stop was Juneau and we forgot to bring the gps!!! Then our last stop was Ketchikan and it just poured rain that whole day but was still very impressed with "Creek Street"! Wonderful time but no caches (

[+Kealia]

Contact the cache owners and ask for suggestions. They know their area and will be able to give you suggestions of which cache to grab while you are there and what is along your route. I have had three people contact me through the years that will be coming to my town on the Delta Queen and will not have transportation so I lay them out a nice walking route with distances and places to eat or shop along the way.

GEO.JOE

 

 

THis is GREAT advice. don't get stuck in the technology. I've met a LOT of great people in the places I've traveled and there's no better way to get recommendations for local caches.

[+FourRiverRatz]

though it is too late for he orig. poster as his trip is done, bor future use or anyone else, I've done a few differant things for out of state trips that seem to help.

 

Once you find one cache in the zip code area, click into the profiles of some of the finders..if they happen to be locals, alot of times you can just see what ones they have done in the same area.

 

also check on the right hand side of the cache page and see if anyone has used this cache in a list of any sort...sometimes cachers make a list of the caches in a certain area....this was a big help when we went to the OBX...there were lists of ones out on the banks that sorted them out from the mainland ones for us.