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Geocaching the Estuary

Welcome to Going Coastal’s Estuary Geocaching Trails, where technology and nature meet! The two trails invite you on an adventure to discover nature, nurture the environment, and expand your understanding of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary.

Discover with Tech

Experience the Estuary Geocaching using GPS on your smart phone or GPS device. Dive into an exciting journey through time, learning about the formation and management of the estuary. Geocaching transforms this into an interactive outdoor lesson. As you traverse the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Discovery Trails, you’ll find yourself delving into the heart of two of the region’s most exquisite parklands. This unique experience isn’t just about the destination; it’s about the process of discovery. From the stunning landscapes to the fascinating stories etched within, every step of your journey unveils a new facet of the estuary’s allure. 

Connect with Nature

Our mission is to engage people of all ages with the Harbor Estuary. Whether you’re young or old, join in building a community that values environmental stewardship and sustainability. Uncover the estuary’s stories and learn its history. Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan Island is a glacial formed hilly, rocky forest featuring twenty unique geocaches or earthcaches of ecological sites within its landscape. In New Jersey, Liberty State Park provides a completely different hunting ground of marshlands and harbor views to locate twenty caches. We have created maps and guides to each park, which can be downloaded here. 

Start Your Adventure Today!

Immerse yourself in nature’s beauty and history, capturing moments at each site. Join hundreds of explorers worldwide in this adventure.

START YOUR ESTUARY ADVENTURE TODAY!

Project Objectives

Products

Inwood Hill Park Earthcache Discovery Trail, Manhattan map, brochure, website, videos, GPS devices

Liberty State Park Earthcache Discovery Trail, New Jersey map, brochure, website, videos, GPS devices

Explore on your own

What is Earthcaching?

EarthCaching is a “virtual” geocache that has no physical hidden container. EarthCaching is a hunt for natural and geological “treasures.”  All EarthCaches have an educational component that involves reading a description of the location or feature, locating the feature using a GPS device and completing a logging task or solving question. Instead of leaving or removing anything, EarthCachers report their observations or answers in a Field Guide and on the Geocaching website and via an email to the cache manager at estuarycache@gmail.com

What you will need to start exploring

 

  •  GPS device or use your iPhone or Smart Phone.
  •  Create a FREE membership account online at geocaching.com   
  • A pen or pencil
  • Enthusiasm to explore the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary! 
  • Be sure to upload your discoveries.

For School Field Trips:

These activities are offered to schools and organized groups through the Inwood Hill Nature Center Urban Park Rangers and the Liberty State Park Interpretive Center to support research and education efforts. Contact the park directly to schedule your group discovery.

Going Coastal: A Walk in the Park 

An animation created by The Other Side of the Tracks’, David Roberts while in Kazakhstan during the summer of 2011.

Inwood hill park

Printable version

1- Inwood Hill Park Nature Center   http://coord.info/GC2RWV2

2- Gneiss Place for a Wigwam  http://coord.info/GC2RQ4P

3- Landscape Architects of the Estuary  http://coord.info/GC2RQ80

4- Kidneys of the Estuary  http://coord.info/GC2RWCG

5- Shorakkopock Rock’s Deviant Past  http://coord.info/GC2RWJ1

6- Sheltering Rocks   http://coord.info/GC2RWJR

7- Bird Alley in an Urban Forest  http://coord.info/GC2RWME

8- Glacial Pothole   http://coord.info/GC2RWPQ

9- Whale Back Rock  http://coord.info/GC2RWQK

10- Hudson River on the Rocks   http://coord.info/GC2RWRK

Liberty State Park

Printable version

  1. Interpretive Center  http://coord.info/GC2RW4D

  2. Freshwater Pond   http://coord.info/GC2T1ER

  3. Urban Forest   http://coord.info/GC2T1FV

  4. Living on the Edge: Beach Habitat    http://coord.info/GC2T1H6

  5. Wet Meadow   http://coord.info/GC2T1JQ

  6. NY-NJ Harbor Estuary   http://coord.info/GC2T1KZ

  7. Remnant Salt Marsh  http://coord.info/GC2T1MP

  8. Communipaw Cove   http://coord.info/GC2T1ND

  9. Apex of the New York Bight  http://coord.info/GC2T1N4

  10. Black Tom  http://coord.info/GC2T1NG

  11. Mudflats   http://coord.info/GC2TFHP

Free printable maps