Visit Rainier GeoTour

[+hydnsek]

The Visit Rainier GeoTour - 100 caches to celebrate the (2016) centennial of the National Park Service - highlights the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Mount Rainier region of Washington State.

 

The 100 caches are divided into four series of 25, each with its own passport and prize. Plenty of prizes remain for those who turn in completed passports, as well as a cool "completist" geocoin for those finishing the entire GeoTour (4 passports, 100 caches). Yep, you get five total prizes, including the trackable geocoin, if you complete the entire GeoTour.

 

 

The GeoTour launched in 2015 and ends Oct. 31, 2017, so start making your travel plans! The branded GeoTour promotion will end June 12, so the dedicated GeoTour page will go away then, but all caches will remain active through October, and we will accept completed passports until Nov. 10. Once the GeoTour page disappears, you can use the bookmark list below to locate the cache pages, and the Visit Rainier page will continue to have the passports, guidelines, and maps.

 

GeoTour page (caches, map, pocket query)

Visit Rainier page (passports, guidelines, printable maps)

Bookmark list (all 100 caches)

 

Note: Future updates on the VR GeoTour will primarily be posted to the Caching Northwest Facebook page, so we don't have to double post, so you may want to Like or Follow it if you want the updates.

Edited April 8, 2017 by hydnsek

[+hydnsek]

With three months left, there are 69 geocoins left for those completing the entire Visit Rainier GeoTour series (4 passports, 100 caches). In fact, we have more coins than Series 3 or 4 pathtags (and they won't be reordered): 48 Series 3 and 60 Series 4 pathtags left. But tons of Series 1 and 2 pathtags remaining.

The official GeoTour has ended, so the GeoTour page no longer exists, but the Visit Rainier series continues through Oct. 31, and all passports must be submitted by Nov. 10.

Visit Rainier page (passports, guidelines, printable maps)
Bookmark list (all 100 caches)

Note the updated mailing address:

Visit Rainier GeoTour
6947 Coal Creek Pkwy SE, #292
Newcastle, WA 98059

If you have a passport downloaded before mid-March, it has an outdated address that, if used, will require forwarding and thus a delay in receiving prizes.

[+hydnsek]

The Visit Rainier GeoTour is in its final two months! The good news: We still have 58 geocoins available for those finishing the entire tour. (The limiting prize factor is actually pathtags - Series 3 has only 36 left and Series 4 has 49. They won't be reminted, so some late finishers might get coins but not a complete set of pathtags.)

The bad news: forest fire and cave closure.

First, Boulder Cave (Series 3) closes October 1, a month before the GeoTour ends. Make your plans accordingly, as we won't waive finding it.

Second, the Norse Peak fire has impacted several cache locations, due to road/pass closures and evacuations. At present, 12 caches are inaccessible due to the fire, with others available but affected by proximity. Rather than cross-post updates on multiple pages, I am pointing everyone to the pinned post on the Caching Northwest Facebook page, where the status of caches will be updated regularly in the comments.

Resources for monitoring the fire and road/pass closures:

InciWeb - Norse Creek fire
Mount Rainier - Alerts & Conditions
WSDOT - Central WA Travel Alerts

Edited September 6, 2017 by hydnsek

[+kittyshrink]

Are the pathtags trackable?

[+hydnsek]

5 hours ago, kittyshrink said:

Are the pathtags trackable?

Not like geocoins on geocaching.com. Pathtags.com is the site where you can log a pathtag; look it up by the unique code on the back.

[+hydnsek]

The Visit Rainier GeoTour is in its final weeks! As of 9/21, there are 47 geocoins still available. The limiting prize factor is actually pathtags - Series 3 has only 29 left and Series 4 has 39, so some late finishers might get coins but not a complete set of pathtags.

Thanks to significant rain (and some snow), fire activity has decreased and most of our caches are being reactivated. Chinook Pass and Hwy 410 reopened today, and Mt Rainier reopened Sunrise a few days ago. All evacuation orders have been lifted.

At this point, 5 caches remain disabled, down from 19 at the peak. This includes 3 at Crystal Mtn (road still closed), one on the Pacific Crest Trail (closed in that area), and one at Bumping Lake (road only open for residents).

In addition, Boulder Cave closed for the season on Sept. 8, ahead of schedule. The  cache has been disabled and is now a Free Space on your Series 3 passport; just write in the code word TOLMIE.

Please contact me ASAP if you encounter any issues visiting a cache.

[+hydnsek]

The Visit Rainier GeoTour has only four weeks left! As of 10/2, there are 47 geocoins still available. The limiting prize factor is actually pathtags - Series 3 has only 29 left and Series 4 has 39. Reminder to send passports to the Newcastle address (listed on newer passports); if you send them to the old Ashford address, they will be forwarded but your prizes will be delayed. The address: Visit Rainier GeoTour, 6947 Coal Creek Pkwy SE #292, Newcastle, WA 98059.

Three caches are inaccessible for the remainder of the GeoTour; here are their codes for your passports:
Greenwater Lakes Trail (S2) - SNOWSHOE
Boulder Cave (S3) - TOLMIE
Tieton Dam (S4) - WOODROW WILSON

The 97 other caches are all available at this time. However, depending on weather, Mt Rainier predicts its road closures could begin around Oct. 23, which would affect several caches. We will not be crediting these caches, so plan your visits now, and check Rainier road status at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm.

[+LizzyRN]

Thanks for a GREAT event!