RAPID CITY, SD, August 26, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Geocaching takes treasure hunting to a new, digital level equipping an estimated 5 million people worldwide with a unique way to explore their surroundings. Armed with a simple GPS device, geocachers find hidden containers and log their experiences online. In Rapid City and the Black Hills, travelers and local residents are using more than 800 geocaches as a way to explore and experience the region.
"Geocaching takes you into the history of the Black Hills and to spots you would never go," says Jerry Cole, director of Rapid City Parks and Recreation and an avid geocacher. "It opens your eyes not only to the beauty, but also the vastness of this area."
Some of the most popular caches within Rapid City are located in Dinosaur Park, downtown along the President's Walk and on the bike path. Geocaches also await travelers at the Rapid City Swim Center and Roosevelt Park Ice Arena, M Hill bike trail and city parks.
In the Black Hills travelers will find that wherever they go, they won't be far from a geocache. Although geocaching allows people to explore their immediate surroundings, it also connects them with people around the globe. Cole comments that a travel bug, a type of cache, he found in Seattle originated in Piedmont, South Dakota and has made its way around the world.
Geocaching originated in 2000 when President Clinton deregulated GPS technology, making it available to the general public. The activity quickly caught on and today there are more than 1.1 million active caches around the globe.
Geocaching events are popular in the Black Hills. For instance, local geocachers and visitors to the region have met at attractions, such as the Fort Hayes Chuck Wagon Dinner and Music Show. Geocaching competitions are also held in the area. At this year's Black Hills Fat Tire Festival, 12 caches were planted along the bike path in Rapid City. Participants were given coordinates to the caches and the first three geocachers to find each cache received a cash prize. To find area geocaches log onto geocaching.com or blackhillsareageocaching.com.
The Rapid City CVB is a division of the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce. The CVB's mission is to market the Rapid City area as a convention and leisure destination and to promote economic growth that will enhance the area for visitors and residents.
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