Helena Geocaching a National Award Winner!

Rand McNally has long pointed the way to destinations for travelers, but it’s now directing those who enjoy geocaching to Helena.

The company’s Best of the Road awards, which in past years has celebrated towns for most fun, most patriotic, friendliest, most beautiful and best for food, added a category this year for best for geocaching.

Geocaching is kind of a game of hide and seek. Caches, which can be small, hand-sized containers or metal boxes about the size of a shoebox, are hidden and people use GPS devices or smartphones with global positioning system technology to try to find those caches.

A cache can be little more than a logbook, pencil or a few trinkets for people to take with them as a souvenir in exchange for something they leave behind for the next person to find. The contents of a cache can also be more elaborate.

“Geocaches on the Helena GeoTour are so rewarding that even locals swear they learn new things about their town,” the Rand McNally website noted in its praise of Helena from among five finalists.

“I was convinced by the words taken directly from the geocaching community: This is an authentically engaging place to geocache. You can feel the historical connection to the gold treasure hunters from long ago while using today’s satellites and smartphone apps. The gorgeous scenery just adds to the adventure,” a judge wrote on why Helena was honored.

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