Geocaching Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Mystery Cache
Mystcache
Icon

Status

Active for creation

A mystery cache (also referred to as Unknown or Puzzle cache) is a type of geocache.

Description[]

"The "catch-all" of cache types, this form of cache can involve complicated puzzles you will first need to solve to determine the coordinates. Due to the increasing creativity of geocaching this becomes the staging ground for new and unique challenges."[1]

As the Groundspeak description says, Mystery caches truly are the "catch-all" of cache types. Design a non-traditional cache that doesn't fit into one of the other cache types and you have a Mystery cache. There is no set sub-types of Mystery caches, though cachers will refer to some common types by name. Examples include:

  • Puzzle Cache - involves some form of puzzle to solve
  • Challenge Cache - find caches that meet certain challenge requirements to complete
  • Night Cache - a geocache that can only be found at night.
  • Bonus Cache - a cache that can be found by gathering clues hidden in other caches.

Each of these common themes have their own variations.

When placing a Mystery cache, a cache owner typically does not post the coordinates of the cache container on the cache page. Instead, Bogus Coordinates are listed. To find the Final Coordinates, you must follow the instructions laid out in the cache description. Many cache owners will also provide links to various 3rd party websites referred to as "coordinate checkers" where geocachers can verify if they got the correct final coordinates.

It has become common for some geocachers to automatically ignore all Mystery caches due to an avoidance of puzzles. This, in combination with the higher difficulty involved in solving a Mystery caches compared to traditional caches can often result in a lower find rate for Mystery Caches.

New icon on Geocaching.com:

Mystery new

References[]

Advertisement