What’s the Most Underrated Type of Geocache?

[+hamsterdude10]

Hey fellow cachers,

 

We all have our favorites, but I wanted to ask—what type of cache do you think is seriously underrated?

 

Do you think EarthCaches deserve more love for the cool places they take you?

 

Are Wherigos more fun than people realize?

 

Maybe you’re a fan of letterbox hybrids or virtuals that don’t get the appreciation they deserve?

 

Or maybe people skip over multis, but you know they offer some of the best adventures?

 

 

Tell us:

 

What’s your pick for most underrated cache type?

 

Why do you love it?

 

Any standout examples you’ve found that changed your mind?

 

 

Let’s give some love to the hidden gems of the geocaching world!

[+niraD]

3 hours ago, hamsterdude10 said:

What’s your pick for most underrated cache type?

Anything other than

 

 

Oh, wait, that's an attribute, not a type...

[+The_Jumping_Pig]

Puzzle Caches.

Over 3000 cachers are coming to Morgantown this month. I've had so much fun solving the puzzles in advance. You know how many solves the average puzzle cache has? Max 50-75. And that's with 3000 people coming.

 

My puzzles, in Pittsburgh? Many have 7 solves, almost all out of towners who will never find it. 

[+arisoft]

5 hours ago, hamsterdude10 said:

what type of cache do you think is seriously underrated?

 

Adventure labs are underrated and so be it...

[+hamsterdude10]

9 hours ago, arisoft said:

 

Adventure labs are underrated and so be it...

Agreed 

[+Goldenwattle]

15 hours ago, hamsterdude10 said:

Do you think EarthCaches deserve more love for the cool places they take you?

Yes they do, although, some are much better than others. I used to mainly ignore them, until I did a challenge cache that wanted 400 finds of four types of caches. Traditional - tick, multi - tick, puzzle - tick. That left one more and although way off 400 finds Earthcaches were the closest and the most likely to make it to 400 finds first of the other types, so I added Earthcaches to my preference list. Added Virtuals too, as although I haven't a challenge yet that needs  a lot of them, one day I might find one and my Virtual find is not that high. Now seeking out Earthcaches I have discovered some wonderful places I might not have otherwise. I now have 380 Earthcache finds so getting close to the 400 needed for the challenge, up from maybe a 100 when I started to preference them. Not the top of the preference list (SideTracked, a cache in each Australian & NZ county, in each country and the like are higher), but higher than other ordinary caches which aren't those. At present I will find almost any Earthcache to get that magic 400, but once I reach there I will become more selective of the Earthcache finds and certainly won't go back to ignoring them. Just another granite memorial might not get my attention and interest, but say, recognisable fossilised tree roots poking out of a beach - one of favourite Earthcaches - would get my interest. This cache with my log and photographs: https://www.geocaching.com/live/log/GL1839A96 Oh that all Earthcaches could be this interesting.

 

16 hours ago, hamsterdude10 said:

Or maybe people skip over multis, but you know they offer some of the best adventures?

Some do give the best adventures. I got a FTF (or rather I claimed [FTF] who undertook the drive and actually visited the WPs) on a multi cache that went from Canberra to Darwin, and it didn't go the shortest, most direct route. The first to log did the many WPs in his armchair. GC63GEW was published 18/Sep/2015. I completed and was able to log it on 14/Aug/2016. It took me more than one trip.

10 hours ago, arisoft said:

Adventure labs are underrated and so be it...

I think they are overrated.

[+arisoft]

1 hour ago, Goldenwattle said:

12 hours ago, arisoft said:

Adventure labs are underrated and so be it...

I think they are overrated.

 

You must explain this. Are you overrating them? If not, then who is?

[+Goldenwattle]

6 hours ago, arisoft said:

 

You must explain this. Are you overrating them? If not, then who is?

No I meant ALs are overrated as a concept, and was not talking about the rating/number of stars given to them. 

[+brekkcaching123]

PUZZLES.

Puzzles are my FAVORITE part of geocaching.

[+barefootjeff]

These days, I'd have to say anything with a terrain rating of 2.5 or higher is likely to get few finds. Most of the higher terrain caches I've found that were published in the last year or two still only have single digit find counts, with a similar story on my own higher terrain hides.

[+brekkcaching123]

2 minutes ago, barefootjeff said:

These days, I'd have to say anything with a terrain rating of 2.5 or higher is likely to get few finds. Most of the higher terrain caches I've found that were published in the last year or two still only have single digit find counts, with a similar story on my own higher terrain hides.

Some cachers would definitely go out on a long hike to find a cache back in the early 2000s. A cache hidden by a local cacher near me that has a 5.0 terrain STILL hasn't been found and it's been almost a year! 

[+barefootjeff]

19 minutes ago, brekkcaching123 said:

Some cachers would definitely go out on a long hike to find a cache back in the early 2000s. A cache hidden by a local cacher near me that has a 5.0 terrain STILL hasn't been found and it's been almost a year! 

 

Yes, unless it's a rare publication date or D/T combination that people need for challenges, anything requiring a hike is mostly ignored now. Just over three years ago, one of my friends published a terrain 3.5 traditional (GC9QR5W) at a beatiful series of waterfalls that's about a one kilometre hike each way from the road. I dashed out the day after publication, hoping to get FTF, but I needn't have hurried as it was another six months before the second finder came along. To date it's still only had 6 finds (and 5 FPs), the most recent last October.

[+JL_HSTRE]

OP has been asking an unusually large number  of questions lately. Is he writing a book about geocaching?

[+fizzymagic]

On 5/18/2025 at 12:30 PM, The_Jumping_Pig said:

Puzzle Caches.

Over 3000 cachers are coming to Morgantown this month. I've had so much fun solving the puzzles in advance. You know how many solves the average puzzle cache has? Max 50-75. And that's with 3000 people coming.

 

My puzzles, in Pittsburgh? Many have 7 solves, almost all out of towners who will never find it. 

I spent the entire day of GW finding solved puzzle caches in and near Morgantown.  We ran into < 10 other cachers all day.

[+Sottiwotti]

On 5/30/2025 at 1:33 AM, JL_HSTRE said:

OP has been asking an unusually large number  of questions lately. Is he writing a book about geocaching?

I'm going to be famous!!!!

[+Sottiwotti]

Multi-caches. There can be lots of effort necessary to do them, and it's not really worth it when it's just a micro or nano. But there are a lot that are really fun and unique, there are even pretty short ones if you don't feel like doing a long multi-cache

[+sernikk]

Despite my pure hate towards geology  I believe earthcaches

• they are always there to log
• they are placed in parts of the world where maintaining a regular container may be impossible
• most of the time they show you something unique

Edited May 31 by sernikk

[+arisoft]

2 hours ago, Sottiwotti said:

There can be lots of effort necessary to do them, and it's not really worth it when it's just a micro or nano.

 

How do you measure the "worthiness"? By the size of the box?

[+Smitherington]

If there is such a thing as “worthiness” I sometimes would apply it to some otherwise un-noteworthy caches such as a guardrail cache when it is the only cache in a county necessary to fill in my map. There are some counties with only one cache so it becomes worthy of finding to reach my goal.

[+TrailGators]

I think Earthcaches can be really fun. There are a lot of good ones around Bend and I've learned quite a bit about the local geology from doing them.

[+MNTA]

20 hours ago, Sottiwotti said:

Multi-caches. There can be lots of effort necessary to do them, and it's not really worth it when it's just a micro or nano. But there are a lot that are really fun and unique, there are even pretty short ones if you don't feel like doing a long multi-cache

 

One of my favorite caching memories was a multi cache since archived due to public phone booths becoming a thing of the past.  Stage one was a phone booth outside a grocery store in Vancouver Washington. Stage two got a few weeks later was a phone booth at the University of Washington in Seattle, which I got with my dad while visiting them for the weekend. Then went over to GCHQ and the next day did the tunnel of light project ape cache wonderful caching weekend.  Stage three, yep a phone booth down on the central Oregon coast. Father drove down the following weekend and wanted to get the FTF. Lots of driving and yes effort.

[+niraD]

4 hours ago, MNTA said:

One of my favorite caching memories was a multi cache since archived due to public phone booths becoming a thing of the past.

One that might have been a favorite (if I had completed it) was a multi-cache that started at a public phone booth outside a nature center. You had to call a toll-free number that would recognize that phone number and respond with the coordinates of the final. Unfortunately, the final was 20+ miles away, and I never did get around to finding it.

[+Weber_and_Sons]

I know this is gonna be SUPER controversial but I actually think that lab caches are overrated and not that fun as I usually find my self walking or driving around counting windows on building or looking for a date on a plaque. I also think that earth caches can be cool but only if there at a cool location not a random rock in a forest or a wall in a building, half of the time I think that there pushing the boundaries of what can/should  be consider an earth cache.

[+Goldenwattle]

On 6/2/2025 at 12:58 PM, Weber_and_Sons said:

I know this is gonna be SUPER controversial but I actually think that lab caches are overrated and not that fun as I usually find my self walking or driving around counting windows on building or looking for a date on a plaque. I also think that earth caches can be cool but only if there at a cool location not a random rock in a forest or a wall in a building, half of the time I think that there pushing the boundaries of what can/should  be consider an earth cache.

I wrote similarly about ALs. I agree with you about Earthcaches too. Some are great, but others it's just another piece of 'granite'. I need 400 Earthcache finds for a challenge cache, so not being too particular with Earthcaches until I get the 'magic' 400 finds (only 20 to go), but after that I will be more particular and maybe won't go out of my way for another memorial for instance.

[+GeoElmo6000]

On 5/18/2025 at 5:25 PM, arisoft said:

 

Adventure labs are underrated and so be it...

 

I'd call them overrated.

 

On 5/18/2025 at 11:51 AM, hamsterdude10 said:

what type of cache do you think is seriously underrated?

 

I'd say mystery and multi-cache.  I love solving mystery caches, and often solve them without finding them.  I used to subscribe to the puzzle cache of the day blog and try to solve those puzzles but they were pretty tough.  Multi-caches are underrated because you only get credit for one find for doing multiple steps.  My most favorite cache in existence is The Bridges and Arches of Central Park, which requires going to 32 locations in Central Park NYC just to get 32 numbers which will then take you to the 33rd location, the final.  All for one smiley.  But you do get a cool coin for finishing.

 

In my opinion the most overrated cache type is an earthcache.  I love science but if I have to answer another question about tides or layers of sediment I'll cry.

[+Sottiwotti]

On 5/31/2025 at 2:48 PM, arisoft said:

 

How do you measure the "worthiness"? By the size of the box?

Usually yes. But if the cache looks really interesting, I'll definitely attempt a search

[+Sottiwotti]

Earthcaches would be lot better if they weren't limited to geology. Imagine how interesting they would be if they could be about zoology, geography, history, botany, biology, physics,...

 

That's like my biggest wish for geocaching honestly

[+GeoElmo6000]

1 hour ago, Sottiwotti said:

Earthcaches would be lot better if they weren't limited to geology. Imagine how interesting they would be if they could be about zoology, geography, history, botany, biology, physics,...

 

That's like my biggest wish for geocaching honestly

 

I think the fact that they're called earth caches sorts of limits them to earth science, plus Groundspeak partnered with the Geological Society of America (I believe) with those.  But I like your idea, maybe rename them "science caches" and open up the topics.  Then I can learn more than tides, sediment, erosion, etc.

[+MNTA]

4 hours ago, Goldenwattle said:

I wrote similarly about ALs. I agree with you about Earthcaches too. Some are great, but others it's just another piece of 'granite'. I need 400 Earthcache finds for a challenge cache, so not being too particular with Earthcaches until I get the 'magic' 400 finds (only 20 to go), but after that I will be more particular and maybe won't go out of my way for another memorial for instance.

So true

 

Had one EC where the sign was long gone. and folks were using google to answer the questions. CO deleted my log was not happy.

 

Favorite EC find was at a public (BLM) mining site for sun stones. Way out in the middle of nowhere. Had to take a picture of our collected gem stones. Was great fun and the thing I love about caching is it bring you to spots you would probably never know about.

[+MNTA]

6 minutes ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

 

I think the fact that they're called earth caches sorts of limits them to earth science, plus Groundspeak partnered with the Geological Society of America (I believe) with those.  But I like your idea, maybe rename them "science caches" and open up the topics.  Then I can learn more than tides, sediment, erosion, etc.

There are a lot of different classes of earth caches. https://coord.info/GC2J533 is probably a grandfathered challenge but the checker gives you a clue to the options.

 

Historical Site: Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Earthcache (GC11RAR) on 2023-05-01 in Alberta
Glacial Feature: Kiger Gorge (GC37E2P) on 2024-10-05 in Oregon
Mining Site: Calcite Mine (GCQV53) on 2019-12-01 in California
Igneous (Plutonic) Feature: Cape Foulweather (GC37YCP) on 2021-11-21 in Oregon
Metamorphic Feature: Golden Gate NRA Serpentinite (GC3BPP5) on 2018-10-13 in California
Coastal Feature: Thar She Blows! (GC1WHDT) on 2025-03-28 in Cayman Islands
Igneous (Volcanic) Feature: Mount St. Helen's Earthcache (GC2RM23) on 2022-10-09 in Washington
Geologic Time: Owyhee River Basin Overlook Earth Cache (GC2YT1C) on 2020-09-25 in Oregon ** RARE **
Hydrologic Feature: Levees in the Delta Earthcache (GC1Z2Z4) on 2020-02-01 in California
Fault Feature: The Anaconda-Pintler and Flint Creek Mountains (GC2K9R4) on 2023-05-05 in Montana
River Feature: Gold Ray Dam & The Wild Rogue River (GC28BFP) on 2019-10-13 in Oregon
Geomorphological Feature: Artists Pallet (GC2W5ZY) on 2025-02-09 in California
Cave/Karst Feature: Not Found
Impact Feature: Not Found
Structural Feature: Crack in the Ground (GC31WJJ) on 2020-06-14 in Oregon
Soils: Not Found
Fossil Site: Fossils: Direct or Indirect? (GC5T94B) on 2020-03-29 in California
Mineral Site: Oregon Sunstone Earthcache (GC1HWTV) on 2018-08-08 in Oregon
Other Feature: The Secret of Rolling Stones (USA) (GC2FFRV) on 2025-02-10 in California
Sedimentary Feature: Limestone Peaks Meet Hills of Coal (GC3W0Y9) on 2023-05-01 in British Columbia
Erosional Feature: Hello Devil, Welcome to Hell (GC4F4XY) on 2025-03-25 in Cayman Islands
Fold Feature: Ribbon Chert and its Folding (GC7PVGY) on 2018-10-13 in California
 

 

One other cache not on this list showed the environmental impact of man made handling of nuclear materials. Since archived as the island has started being developed  Treasure Island ☢ Ionizing Radiation EC GC5N6TJ

[+barefootjeff]

7 hours ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

Multi-caches are underrated because you only get credit for one find for doing multiple steps.

 

It's only because of ALs giving out smileys at each location that people would expect anything different. Some of the most enjoyable caches I've done have been long multis and I do them for the experience, not the smiley count.

[+Goldenwattle]

5 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

 

It's only because of ALs giving out smileys at each location that people would expect anything different. Some of the most enjoyable caches I've done have been long multis and I do them for the experience, not the smiley count.

I like some long distant multicaches too. Some are hundreds or thousands of kms long with MANY WPs. Great to achieve those. Now comparing them to ALs, shows how much ALs have 'cheapened' the game. A smilie for each😒🙄, and you mightn't have had to leave a chair for some. 

No comparison!

[+niraD]

6 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

Some of the most enjoyable caches I've done have been long multis and I do them for the experience, not the smiley count.

Same here. Several of my favorites have been long multi-caches. Or long multi-stage puzzle caches. Or even well-camouflaged D4 traditional caches that required multiple trips before I spotted them. Smileys per hour is a lot less important than smiles per hour.