Belmont County Tourism Launches Explore More GeoTour
BELMONT COUNTY – The Belmont County Tourism Council, Inc. is launching a Geocaching Tour called Explore More GeoTour on August 14 at 9 am. This journey will take you across the beautiful and scenic landscapes of Belmont County, Ohio where a total of 25 geocaches await to be found. Once a participant finds all 25 caches and records the unique code for each in our printable Explore More GeoTour Guidebook, they will have a tee-shirt sent to them in the mail. Click here to download a Guidebook.
Geocaching (JEE-oh-cash-ing) is an activity that anyone can do at any time of day. The hobby began in Oregon in 2000 and was called “geostashing”. According to geocaching.com there are over 2 million active caches hidden all over the world. Caches are often cleverly disguised or hidden and must be hidden or contained in a weather-proof object. Caches must be at least 528 feet apart from each other. This can make hiding a cache difficult in some areas.
The goal is to take people to places they have never visited before. To play, one must download the Geocaching App or visit Geocaching.com and sign up for a free account. Then, players can select a Geocache they would like to find. They may use the app or GPS to navigate the cache. Click here for a step by step guide on how to navigate to a cache. Once found, players are encouraged to sign the logbook, exchange a knick-knack (object) and place the cache back where found for the next person to locate. Read this article for tips on using GPS and caching etiquette. Read this previous blog for more info about Belmont County’s geocaches.
The Belmont County GeoTour offers players and visitors the chance to embark on a treasure hunt across the county, all while social distancing. Some of the sites include the National Road, the Victorian Mansion Museum, the Black Horse Inn, and the Ohio River Scenic Byway. Players must download both the Geocaching App and the Belmont County Explore More GeoTour Guidebook to begin their journey. Once all codes are recorded and the Guidebook has been returned to the Belmont County Tourism Office, players will be rewarded with a tee shirt. The Tourism Office is located inside the Ohio Valley Mall and open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its mailing address is 67800 Mall Ring Road, Unit 485, St. Clairsville, OH 43950. Completed Guidebooks may also be dropped off.
