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
- Public education and outreach
- Raise awareness of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary natural ecosystems
- Promote healthy lifestyles
- Engage children and adults in hands on experiential learning
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
Inwood Hill Park Nature Center http://coord.info/GC2RWV2
Gneiss Place for a Wigwam http://coord.info/GC2RQ4P
Landscape Architects of the Estuary http://coord.info/GC2RQ80
Kidneys of the Estuary http://coord.info/GC2RWCG
Shorakkopock Rock’s Deviant Past http://coord.info/GC2RWJ1
Sheltering Rocks http://coord.info/GC2RWJR
Bird Alley in an Urban Forest http://coord.info/GC2RWME
Glacial Pothole http://coord.info/GC2RWPQ
Whale Back Rock http://coord.info/GC2RWQK
Hudson River on the Rocks http://coord.info/GC2RWRK
Liberty State Park
Interpretive Center http://coord.info/GC2RW4D
Freshwater Pond http://coord.info/GC2T1ER
Urban Forest http://coord.info/GC2T1FV
Living on the Edge: Beach Habitat http://coord.info/GC2T1H6
Wet Meadow http://coord.info/GC2T1JQ
NY-NJ Harbor Estuary http://coord.info/GC2T1KZ
Remnant Salt Marsh http://coord.info/GC2T1MP
Communipaw Cove http://coord.info/GC2T1ND
Apex of the New York Bight http://coord.info/GC2T1N4
Black Tom http://coord.info/GC2T1NG
Mudflats http://coord.info/GC2TFHP
Partners
CUNY Hunter College Geography Department
Inwood Hill Park, NY
Liberty State Park, NY
NYC Department of Parks & Recreation
Urban Park Rangers
American Museum of Natural History Sidney Horenstein, Historian