Treasure awaits in the forest

There’s a great reason to go on a geocaching mission in Land O’ Lakes. You’ll never come up empty-handed. Even if you fail to find a cache, you’ll still discover something special – this is one of the world’s great wilderness regions and a hunt for caches here will lead you into a land of beautiful forests and sparkling wild lakes.

New to geocaching? It’s essentially a high-tech treasure hunting game. People use their phones (there are geocaching apps) or other GPS devices to hunt for caches that are hidden in public places. The caches are small and contain fun little trinkets you can see and log books you can sign. You can plan your hunt and log your finds on www.geocaching.com.

The Land O’ Lakes area is home to dozens of geocaches. You’ll find drive-up caches off roads like Highway B and Highway 45 as well as backcountry caches on places like the Agonikak National Recreation Trail that will give you a chance to lace up your hiking boots. You’ll also find caches on the shores of crystal clear Black Oak and Donahue lakes. A day geocaching here can cross state borders – there are caches you can find in the Ottawa National Forest north of the state line as well as plenty of finds to the south, in the Dairy State.

Some treasures can’t be logged.

While you’re on the hunt, keep your eyes on the sky for eagles and ospreys, share the trails with white-tailed deer and porcupine and scan the waters for loons, beavers and otters. Take time to enjoy the solitude. Consider turning off your geocaching phone app for a moment to use your camera to capture the beauty of the undisturbed wilderness around you.

Good luck on the hunt and have fun discovering the treasure – and rewards – of geocaching in Land O’ Lakes.