Let's go on a treasure hunt in Boise! Even though we may be a few hundred years late for the Idaho Gold Rush, we're right on time to scour the City of Trees for a new kind of treasure. Saturday, August 15th, is International Geocaching Day and it's the perfect time to discover the unique gems hidden in plain sight! We challenge you to find these unique treasures hidden in the Treasure Valley.

Geocaching 101

What is geocaching? In a sense, it's the ultimate scavenger hunt! Geocaching is a modern-day outdoor treasure hunting game that spans the entire planet! A geocache, also known simply as a "cache", is a unique trinket or group items usually concealed within a container. Items could be anything and geocache capsules can be any size, though typically most geocaches are small tokens hidden inside containers the size of coffee cans.

Instead of using a physical paper map, geocaches are marked with GPS coordinates online. These coordinates point geocachers to a general location, such as a local park. A clue is then tied to the GPS coordinate to give the geocacher a specific hint as to where to look, such as by the monkey bars in the park. When you find the geocache, there will usually be a small logbook where you can add your name to the list of those who have successfully found it. While you shouldn't remove the geocache, you are allowed to take a token from it as long as you replace it with a token of equal value.

Geocaching in Boise

Before you set out on a quest to find all of the geocaches around Boise, you must first become an official geocacher. Signing up is easy and free on the geocaching website. Unfortunately, you won't be able to view the list of Boise geocaches unless you are a member so be sure to sign up ASAP. Now that you're ready to go on your treasure hunt, allows us to point you to a few of our favorites geocaches:

• Veterans Memorial Park – 930 N. Veterans Memorial Pkwy., Boise, ID 83703
• The Military Reserve – 750 N. Mountain Cove Rd., Boise, ID 83702
• Camel's Back Park – 1200 W. Heron St., Boise, ID 83702
• Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve – 5301 N. Maple Grove Rd., Boise, ID 83704
• Ivywild Park – 416 W. Ivywild St., Boise, ID 83706

Of course, you don't need to geocache to have outdoor fun in Boise. If you need to stretch your legs and get a breath of fresh air with the family, we encourage you to check out one of these great local parks. Just be sure to keep your eyes peeled for geocaches; you never know where one might pop up!

• Manitou Park – 2001 S. Manitou Ave., Boise, ID 83706
• Williams Park – 201 W. Williams St., Boise, ID 83706
• Winstead Park – 6150 W. Northview St., Boise, ID 83704
• Willow Lane Athletic Complex – 4623 Willow Ln., Boise, ID 83703
• Molenaar Park – 2815 S. Maple Grove Rd., Boise, ID 83709

Searching for a gem of a home in the city? We have the GPS coordinates of the best Boise homes for sale!