Waymarking

For me, Geocaching has always been about an excuse to go somewhere I haven’t been before. The hidden ”treasure” one finds is great for kids, but the find simply signifies the completion of the task. In the end, I’ve always remembered the area the cache was in and never the cheap trinkets I found. This is why I’ve transitioned from geocaching to waymarking.

Waymarking is a spinoff from “virtual caches”. A geocache with no hidden treasure other than the location itself. A particular location marked with latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates simply “placed” for others to find, see, appreciate and enjoy.

There are over a thousand different categories in waymarking. These categories include such things as public memorials, sundials, compass roses, trailheads, scenic viewpoints, public swimming pools, town clock towers, astronomical observatories, recycling centers, treehouses, car washes, breweries, quarries, pick your own farms, self serve pet wash, stations of the cross, wind harps, statues (bears, dogs and dinosaurs to name a few), bookcrossing zones, historic locations, pictographs and petrosomatoglyphs, orientation tables, public fitness trails – the list goes on.

orientation table waymark

One can either post a new Waymark for others to find and see, or you can simply find and enjoy what others have already found.

While geocaching is “officially free” Waymarking is truly free. You don’t even need a GPS receiver to take advantage of this. Many of the locations include a physical address in addition to the GPS coordinates. In my humble opinion, they should use only GPS coordinates, but that is not the case. You don’t even need to play the game by logging your finds. You can simply use it as a resource for homeschooling or for spicing up your trip.

fresno sit by me statue waymark

For homeschoolers, if you are doing a unit study on a particular topic while traveling, you might want to learn by seeing and doing. Perhaps you are studying life sciences. Then bird-watching locations, fish hatcheries and turtle crossings might interest you. How about engineering, or environmentalism? You might be interested in seeing LEED buildings. Does your child want to be an architect - let him or her see historic styles such as Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance.