SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — There’s a secret world of adventurers in San Diego, and they’re hiding in plain sight armed with GPS devices, smartphones, and a serious love for the outdoors.
They’re geocachers, and this year they’re celebrating something big: the 25th anniversary of geocaching, the global game of high-tech hide and seek that’s been turning everyday locations into treasure hunts since 2000.
If you’ve ever seen someone poking around under a park bench, examining the hollow of a tree, or combing the edge of a trail with purpose chances are, you’ve witnessed a geocacher in action.
Over 2,000 hidden caches in San Diego
With more than 2,000 geocaches hidden within 10 miles of downtown San Diego, the city is a hotspot for treasure hunters of all ages. From Mission Trails to Torrey Pines, Coronado to Carlsbad, there are containers cleverly tucked into bushes, tree trunks, even disguised as bolts on benches each waiting to be discovered.
And yes, some are even underwater. (Bring your snorkel.)
What is Geocaching, exactly?
For the uninitiated, it’s like Pokémon GO meets Indiana Jones:
- Someone hides a container called a geocache somewhere outdoors.
- They post its GPS coordinates and hints on geocaching.com or through the free geocaching app.
- You head out to find it, sign the logbook inside, maybe swap a small trinket, then re-hide it for the next explorer.
- You log your find online and share your adventure.
Caches range from easy finds you can grab on a lunch break, to tricky puzzles and physically demanding hikes that take hours to complete. It’s a global scavenger hunt but with real-world locations and community-built challenges.
From Earth to space (and Mars!)
Geocaching began in 2000 with just 75 geocaches. Today, there are over 3.4 million geocaches in more than 190 countries, including one on the International Space Station and a geocaching tag onboard the Mars Rover.
In 2024 alone, players logged a record-breaking 88.5 million “Found it!” logs and since the game’s inception, more than 1.2 billion finds have been recorded worldwide.
New twists on the adventure
To mark its silver anniversary, Geocaching Headquarters has added some extra sparkle to the game:
- Treasures: A new digital collecting game where players earn themed rewards by finding specific caches.
- Adventures: Self-guided, GPS-based experiences that take geocachers on historical, cultural, or scenic tours. San Diego has several, including an adventure through the Gaslamp Quarter’s past.
There are also more than 100 major geocaching events happening around the world in 2025 including Block Parties, Mega-Events, and Giga-Events drawing thousands of players together to celebrate community, discovery, and outdoor fun.
Join the hunt
You don’t need special equipment or even much experience to get started just curiosity, a smartphone, and a sense of adventure.
Who knows? That trail you jog every weekend or that statue you pass on the way to work might just be hiding a secret one that’s part of a game being played by millions of people across the globe.
To start your own geocaching journey or find anniversary events near you, visit geocaching.com.
