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South Mountain GeoTrail

Nestled in between Blue Mountain and South Mountain, Cumberland Valley Pennsylvania offers a rare and splendid balance of outdoor beauty, quaint downtowns and extremely accessible roadways. This balance is a hard one to strike and makes it a perfect spot for geocaching.

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Perfect for families, the South Mountain GeoTrail connects the agricultural, heritage and natural resources within the region through selected "cache" sites. The sites were selected to provide the opportunity to hunt for Valley treasures while exploring the area's natural beauty and communities. Get your GPS ready to lead you along the South Mountain GeoTrail to hidden vistas, tucked away historical sites and more. Found it.

What is Geocaching?

  • Geocaching and the GeoTrail are open to everyone with a Global Positioning System (GPS), Internet access and a sense of adventure! 
  • The game involves a hidden "treasure" (cache), with the exact coordinates published online at geocaching.com, allowing GPS users to "treasure hunt" to find it. 
  • This exciting sport/hobby is a great family activity and getting started is easy, all that's needed is a handheld GPS receiver and internet access.

Where do I begin my South Mountain GeoTrail journey and what will I find?

  • Pick up a South Mountain Passport at the Cumberland Valley Visitors Center, 33 W. High St., Carlisle, located inside History on High - The Shop. You can also download a copy here.
  • Log onto geocaching.com to find official South Mountain sites. Click Hide & Seek a Cache. Scroll down to Other Search Options and under hidden by username, type SMGeotrail.
  • A typical cache consists of a waterproof container, a log book, and trinkets.
  • Signing the log book proves you found it, and the trinkets provide trade items.
  • The idea is to take an item, then replace it with an item of equal value.
  • Once the log book is signed and trinkets exchanged, the container is put back in exactly the same place it was found, to await the next finder.
  • Each cache in the series contains a unique code located on an index card in the box, which participants can copy into their South Mountain GeoTrail Passport to verify that they have found it.
  • After logging the maximum caches available, trail-goers are eligible for a one-of-a-kind South Mountain GeoCoin.

    South Mountain GeoTrail User Reviews

    "This is my first South Mountain GeoTrail cache. I am delighted with the series. The passport is well done and this first cache took me to a spot that I didn't know existed."

    "This is our first find on the South Mountain GeoTrail and looking forward to many more in this series. We have lived around here all our lives and don't know a lot about the local history so this is great for our family to have some fun and learn at the same time."

    "I've biked by here at least 100 times and I had no Idea this was here. It's amazing the history here..."

    "We were hiking in the Boiling Springs area and used the opportunity to find a few caches. We've enjoyed the unique placements of caches that are part of the South Mountain series..."

    "... beautiful location. My wife has fallen in love with the SM series and we live close enough to pursue them at our leisure. Great that they are all regular size so there's loot to be had!"

    "This is one great series and this is my favorite so far....I do so love the history caches. Thanks for another code in the passport and bringing me to another local jewel I never knew existed. Very picturesque..."