Geocaching's Milestones

As geocachers we all have Milestones and Achievements we want to reach. What about geocaching, the game itself? Well, it too has reached several milestones over the years.

It's most obvious milestone was its first, on May 3, 2000 - The first GPS stash is hidden and the birth of geocaching takes place.

December 31, 2000 – The first year of geocaching ended with 75 geocaches listed on the new geocaching.com website.

December 31, 2007 - There are officially over 500,000 caches hidden around the world.

1 MILLION

March 8, 2010 - The number of active geocaches listed on Geocaching.com exceeded the 1 millionth cache mark.

The 1 Million Milestone

• Date Achieved: March 8, 2010.
• Time Taken: It took 10 years to reach one million caches.
• The Milestone Cache: Because the system count updated only once a day and hundreds of caches fluctuated between being hidden, archived, or temporarily disabled every hour, Geocaching HQ never singled out one individual cache for the worldwide 1 million milestone. Because of this tracking difficulties in 2010, the global 1 millionth remains an anonymous community achievement, however, it prompted Geocaching HQ to completely upgrade its live tracking tools to successfully name the exact 2 millionth ("Overwatch #1") and 3 millionth caches later on.
• Celebration: "ONE MILLION GEOCACHES!" Commemorative Cache. To mark the exact moment of the milestone, players in Virginia, United States, published a widely publicized tribute cache titled "ONE MILLION GEOCACHES!" (GC23MCF). It served as a digital and physical focal point for users to log congratulations and share their personal stories of how the hobby transformed their outdoor lives. The cache was archived in 2016 due to continuous maintenance issues of replacing the container.

2 MILLION

February 26, 2013 - Over 2 million geocaches are officially registered on Geocaching.com worldwide.

The 2 Million Milestone

• Date Achieved: February 28, 2013.
• Time Taken: It took less than 3 years to add the second million caches, compared to the 10 years required for the first million.
• The Milestone Cache: The exact 2 millionth active cache published was titled "Overwatch #1" (GC46N4E).
• Location: It was hidden at a scenic city lookout in Alice Springs, Australia.
• Celebration: Geocaching HQ celebrated by releasing limited-edition profile souvenirs to any user who logged a find or attended an event around that date.

3 MILLION

April 18, 2017 - Geocaching reaches 3 million active caches hidden worldwide.

The 3 Million Milestone

• Date Achieved: April 18, 2017.
• Time Taken: It took just over 4 years to grow from 2 million to 3 million active listings.
• Community Scale: Reaching 3 million active caches meant the community had collectively contributed millions of hours creating containers, researching hiding spots, and reviewing cache submissions.
• Celebration: Geocaching HQ hosted a global celebration weekend on April 22–23, 2017. Players who found a cache or attended an event during those days earned a special 3 Million Active Geocaches Souvenir. The official shop also released commemorative geocoins, tags, and charms.

The global count currently (in 2026) stands at roughly 3.4 million active geocaches spread across more than 190 countries. The game celebrated its major 25th anniversary milestone in 2025.

The Breakdown -

The following is a breakdown of the net growth and average annual growth rates across the four distinct eras, highlighting the shift in growth:

Key Takeaways from the Trends

• The Early Ear (2000-2010): The first decade had slow and steady growth and was the result of the market only having dedicated GPS units, unlike later eras which were dominated by cell phones and apps. This era was also defined by innovation and experimentation, from Trackables and marketing promotions to different types of caches.
• The Smartphone Boom (2010–2013): This era represents the absolute peak growth rate for the game. The rapid transition from specialized GPS units to GPS-enabled smartphones allowed millions of new players to hide and log caches instantly, tripling the annual creation rate.
• Sustained Expansion (2010–2017): While slightly lower than the 2010–2013 explosive peak, the total seven-year stretch maintained a massive average of over 280,000 new active caches hidden annually.
• The Maturity Plateau (2017–Today): The growth rate dropped sharply over the last decade. This decline does not mean people stopped playing; rather, it reflects a mature network. With over 3.4 million caches globally, high-density areas are heavily saturated, and stricter community guidelines require older, neglected caches to be archived before new ones can take their place.

The official counter rolls over the first 1,000,000 active geocaches!

References:

Geocaching.com Forums: 1,000,000th Cache Publication - https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/228820-1000000th-cache-publication/

Geocaching.com Forums: Was there a 1 Millionth Active geocaching notice?  - https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/308109-was-there-a-1-millionth-active-geocache-notice/

Geocaching.com Forums: And the One Millionth cache is…: https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/243556-and-the-one-millionth-cache-is/

PR Newswire: Geocaching.com Publishes One-Millionth Active Hidden Treasure - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/geocachingcom-the-worlds-1-location-based-recreation-portal-publishes-one-millionth-active-hidden-treasure-87107182.html 

GeekWire: Milestone – Geocaching.com Approaches 2M Geocaches - https://www.geekwire.com/2013/milestone-geocachingcom-approaches-2m-active-geocaches/

Official Geocaching Blog: Celebrating Two Million Geocaches - https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2013/02/two-million-geocaches/

Official Geocaching Blog: 2 Million Geocaches – The Infographic -https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2013/02/2-million-geocaches-the-infographic/

Official Geocaching Blog: 1,000,000 Reasons to Get Outside Now Hidden Throughout the US - https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2014/09/1000000-reasons-to-get-outside-now-hidden-throughout-the-u-s/

Searchlogistics: Is Geocaching Still Popular in 2026? - https://www.searchlogistics.com/learn/statistics/geocache-statistics/

The Jasmer & Fizzy Grid Challenges

        

There are two geocaching achievements that I feel many avid geocachers strive to complete - the Jasmer Challenge and the Fizzy Challenge.

The Jasmer Challenge

The Jasmer Challenge is a geocaching achievement that requires finding at least one geocache hidden in every calendar month since the beginning of the game in May 2000. The challenge is named after geocacher jasmerb, who created the first official Jasmer Challenge cache (GC1GBC1) in 2008, hidden near Mountain View, California.

To complete the challenge, the geocacher must fill a "Jasmer Grid"—a table where rows are years and columns are months.

Jasmer Challenge Grid Example

Because geocaching is ongoing, the challenge is "infinite." To maintain a completed status, a cacher must find a new geocache hidden in the current month every single month. The challenge becomes progressively harder to achieve due to the rarity of early caches.

Caches from the year 2000 are extremely rare, and there are fewer than 120 caches from that entire year still active worldwide. August 2000 is famously the hardest month to fill because only four active caches from that month and year remain in the world: three in the USA (Utah, Georgia, Michigan) and one in Sweden.

GC3B Potter's Pond (Utah)

GC36 Geocache 612 (Michigan)

GC21 Lake Lanier (Georgia)

GC4D Match Stash (Stockholm, Sweden)

My Challenge -

As someone who enjoys accepting and conquering reasonable goals, I appreciate the clean feeling of crossing the finish line and moving on. Because the Jasmer Challenge keeps expanding every single month, I’ve decided to establish my own strict parameters for completion. 

I will focus entirely on the original grid as it was laid out on the original Mystery Cache page: May 2000 through December 2008, totaling 104 historic months. And while only finding these 104 caches may seem to some cachers as not fulfilling the challenge, I will wrap up my epic journey by making my way to Mountain View, California, find and log the original challenge cache, GC1GBC1 The Jasmer Challenge, located right between San Francisco and San Jose, which is something only approximately 350 other geocachers have done.

Location of GC1GBC1 - The Jasmer Challenge

My Current Challenge Status: (As of Jul 26, 2026)

• 2000 - Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2001 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2002 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2003 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2004 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2005 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2006 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2007 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• 2008 - Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• GC1GBC1 The Jasmer Challenge

Read more about the Jasmer Challenge: Geocaching.com Blog Article 

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The Fizzy Challenge

The Fizzy Challenge, also known as the "81 Grid" or "Well-Rounded Cacher" challenge, is another popular geocaching milestone, which requires finding at least one geocache for every possible Difficulty and Terrain (D/T) combination, as well as finding at least one of each type of the following geocaches: EarthCache, Event Cache, Letterbox Hybrid, CITO Event, Multi-Cache, Traditional Cache, Unknown Cache, Virtual Cache, and Webcam Cache (APE and MEGA caches were excluded because they are "few and far between" and Locationless Caches have been phased out).

The challenge was named in honor of geocacher FizzyMagic, who created a statistics program that first generated the D/T matrix. The first actual challenge cache, Well Rounded Cacher (The Fizzy Challenge) (GC11E8N) was placed in California by the user Kealia.

Every geocache is rated on a 1–5 scale (with 0.5 increments) for both Difficulty (how hard it is to find/solve) and Terrain (how physically challenging it is to reach). In total, there are combinations (e.g., 1/1, 1.5/3, 5/5). The goal of this challenge is to "fill the grid" by posting a "Found It" or "Attended" log for at least one geocache or event in each of the 81 unique D/T slots.

Geocachers typically track their grid progress using the official Statistics tab on Geocaching.com (for Premium members) or third-party tools like Project-GC, which provides automated "challenge checkers" to verify qualifications. 

Fizzy Grid Example

This challenge is a bit more straight-forward, as it is very possible to find all 81 D/T combinations and all 9 geocache types nearly everywhere. But there are still several D/T combinations that are challenging, which is what makes this achievement a milestone in a geocacher's career.

My Challenge -

Like the Jasmer Challenge, in addition to completing the D/T Grid and geocache type finds, I have also emplaced a final requirement upon myself of completing the challenge by finding the GC11E8N Well Rounded Cacher (The Fizzy Challenge) geocache in Boulder Creek, California (located between San Jose and Santa Cruz). Currently, this cache has only had 138 "Found It" logs posted to its listing page.

Location of GC11E8N Well Rounded Cacher (The Fizzy Challenge)

My Current Challenge Status: (As of Jul 26, 2026)

1/1, 1/1.5, 1/2, 1/2.5, 1/3, 1/3.5, 1/4, 1/4.5, 1/5

1.5/1, 1.5/1.5, 1.5/2, 1.5/2.5, 1.5/3, 1.5/3.5, 1.5/4, 1.5/4.5, 1.5/5

2/1, 2/1.5, 2/2, 2/2.5, 2/3, 2/3.5, 2/4, 2/4.5, 2/5

2.5/1, 2.5/1.5, 2.5/2, 2.5/2.5, 2.5/3, 2.5/3.5, 2.5/4, 2.5/4.5, 2.5/5

3/1, 3/1.5, 3/2, 3/2.5, 3/3, 3/3.5, 3/4, 3/4.5, 3/5

3.5/1, 3.5/1.5, 3.5/2, 3.5/2.5, 3.5/3, 3.5/3.5, 3.5/4, 3.5/4.5, 3.5/5

4/1, 4/1.5, 4/2, 4/2.5, 4/3, 4/3.5, 4/4, 4/4.5, 4/5

4.5/1, 4.5/1.5, 4.5/2, 4.5/2.5, 4.5/3, 4.5/3.5, 4.5/4, 4.5/4.5, 4.5/5

5/1, 5/1.5, 5/2, 5/2.5, 5/3, 5/3.5, 5/4, 5/4.5, 5/5

EarthCache, Event Cache, Letterbox Hybrid, CITO Event, Multi-Cache, Traditional Cache, Unknown Cache, Virtual Cache, and Webcam Cache

NOTE: This geocache is a Premium Member only cache, and as of August 21, 2020 has been disabled due to the container being located in the heart of the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. Currently, Geocaching HQ has asked volunteer reviews to check in periodically for updates and the last entry from the Cache Owner stated that the area still hadn't been opened to non-residents of the area (March 2025), so the geocaching community waits for the geocache to be enabled again.

Read more about the Fizzy Challenge: Geocaching.com Blog Article

EarthCaches & The EarthCache Master Program

Background: EarthCaches are a program of the Geological Society of America (GSA) in partnership with Geocaching.com, and other partners around the world intended to provide geocachers an educational lesson and experience in geology. EarthCaches are a great alternative to placing and finding physical containers in areas where they are not allowed or would be detrimental to the environment, such as within National Parks and other environmentally-sensitive areas.

History: The first EarthCache was GCHFT2 Earthcache I - a simple geology tour of Wasp Head, published on January 10, 2004. It was placed by Gary Lewis "geoaware", Director of Education and OUtreach for the Geological Society of America, at Wasp Head in Murramarang National Park, New South Wales, Australia.

The EarthCache was on an isolated coastal rock platform and headland that featured fossilized worm burrows, giant dropstones from ancient floating icebergs, and evidence of local weathering and past glacial/seismic activity. Instead of a physical container, visitors learned earth sciences by answering location-specific questions on-site.

10 years later, geoaware wrote an article for the Official Geocaching Blog about the first EarthCache as well as the decade since then.

My Experience with EarthCaches: The first EarthCache I logged online as "Found" was GC1Q5ZW Bubblicious, located in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. That was on July 22, 2008, and since then I have been to, and logged an online "Found It" post for a total of 100 EarthCaches. I have also placed 6 EarthCaches, one of those, my first, GC1JPJH Helena Has Its Faults (hidden December 6, 2008), having been transferred/adopted by a geocaching friend, urd1_eeyore.

EarthCache Master Awards: The GSA provides recognition to geocachers for visiting and developing EarthCaches through its EarthCache Master Awards program. When the program first began, geocachers could submit an online form requesting recognition for each level, and receive in the mail a small letter of accomplishment, a window sticker, as well as a pin concurrent with the level achieved.

There are four EarthCache Master Award levels:

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Bronze EarthCache Master -

Requirements: Visit and log three (3) or more EarthCaches in two (2) or more states/provinces/ countries.

Visited & Logged:

GC1Q5ZW Bubblicious - Pennsylvania 07/22/08
GC1G3TF The Continental Divide - Montana 11/23/08
GC14ZQY Yellowstone Talus Slope - Wyoming 07/16/09        

States/Provinces/Countries:

Pennsylvania

Montana

Wyoming

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Silver EarthCache Master -

Requirements: Visit and log six (6) or more EarthCaches in three (3) or more states/ provinces/ countries and have developed one (1) or more EarthCaches.

Visited & Logged:
GC14G6A Yellowstone Caldera at Madison Junction - Wyoming 07/16/09
GC14ZQZ Mammoth Hot Springs - Wyoming 07/16/09
GC1H7AW Big Springs - Idaho 07/16/09
GC1H93P Rouring Mountain of Yellowstone - Wyoming 07/16/09
GC1D9RQ Way Up On the Great Divide - Idaho - Idaho 07/16/09
GC1JY47 Rainbow's End: Grand Prismatic Spring - Wyoming 07/16/09
GC1E2ZT The 1959 Earthquake - Montana 07/16/09
GC10HZW Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming 07/16/09

States/Provinces/Countries:

Wyoming

Idaho

Montana

Developed:

GC1C6E2 Ringing Rocks - Montana 05/14/08

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Gold EarthCache Master -

Requirements: Visit and log twelve (12) or more EarthCaches in four (4) or more states/ provinces/ countries and have developed two (2) or more EarthCaches.

Visited & Logged:

GC1YF6T Saint Anthony Falls - Minnesota 11/05/09
GCQV4P South Mountain Metamorphic Core Complex - Arizona 02/15/10
GC24TT3 Hey Look a Wall - Montana 05/10/10
GC18FEW Castle Mountain Fault - Houston, Alaska - Alaska 05/18/10
GC1FY8P Gros Ventre Landslide - Wyoming 05/25/10
GC1D3B9 Grand Teton - Wyoming 05/25/10
GC2BQCV Elkhorn Mountain Volcanoes - Montana 08/07/10
GC23PM1 The Land Before Time - Colorado 08/18/10
GC23F6P Red Rocks Unconformity Earthcache - Colorado 08/18/10
GC34DDD Souvenirs of the Ice Ages - Montana 05/07/11
GC1BGAJ Glacial Lake Missoula: Hellgate Canyon - Montana 05/07/11
GC2CTGR Tower Rock State Park Earthcache - Montana 06/18/11

States/Provinces/Countries: 

Minnesota

Arizona

Montana

Alaska

Wyoming

Colorado

Developed:

GC1JPJH Helena Has Its Faults - Montana 12/06/08 (adopted by urd1_eeyore)

GC24TAQ Phoenix Zoo - Arizona Trail: A Geology Lesson - Arizona 03/01/10

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Platinum EarthCache Master - 

Requirements: Visit and log twenty (20) or more EarthCaches in five (5) or more states/ provinces/ countries and have developed three (3) or more EarthCaches.

Visited & Logged:

GC2X6XE Adel Mountain Volcanics - Montana 06/18/11
GC2ZP1Z Dorothy's Popcorn - Bentonite EarthCache - Alberta, Canada 07/15/11
GC1H9ZG Star Coal Mine Earthcache - Alberta, Canada 07/15/11
GC2ZP21 Rosedale Burnt Shale EarthCache - Alberta, Canada 07/17/11
GC2ZP1X Atlas Coal Mine EarthCache - Alberta, Canada -7/17/11
GC2BN03 Dinosaur Ridge - Ripple Marks - Colorado 09/20/11
GC2BKPA Dino Egg or Alien Artifact? - Colorado 09/20/11
GCMQGG Dinosaur Ridge EarthCache - Colorado 09/20/11
GC2BZ3D Jefferson River Canyon - Montana 10/18/11
GC1GJ7E Garden of the Gods - Sentinel Rock - Colorado 10/20/12
GC1GJ7K Garden of the Gods - The Three Graces - Colorado 10/20/12
GC2176K 7-Minute Spring (of Manitou Springs) - Colorado 10/20/12
GCND0E Garden of the Gods Earthcache - Colorado 10/20/12
GC2QQH4 The Love Struck Camels - Colorado 10/20/12
GC2QQGY The Amazing Balanced Rock - Colorado 10/20/12
GC3P9RH Pikes Peak Granite - Colorado 10/21/12
GC1PPXP Lyons Sandstone Tafoni - Colorado 10/22/12
GC1PQTH More Fins Than a School of Fish! - Colorado 10/23/12
GC1PPXV Soil Formation in Red Rock Canyon Open Space - Colorado 10/23/12
GC1FG53 The Palisades of Cimarron Canyon Earthcache - New Mexico 10/25/12
GC331A3 Excelsior Geyser Crater - Wyoming 05/31/15

States/Provinces/Countries:

Montana

Alberta

Colorado

New Mexico

Wyoming

Developed:

GC2R3NE Dakota Ridge Flatirons - Colorado 02/27/12

CAWJ75 Crystal Park - Montana 08/14/2024

GCBQ1GM Tizer Dolmen - Montana 05/15/2026

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Achievements

ACHIEVEMENTS

An achievement is defined as a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill. Many achievements completed by geocachers tend to center around challenges - from finding the most geocaches, to finding the highest (or lowest), the furthest, or oldest.

My list of Geocaching Achievement Goals:

• 31 Days of Geocaching (Completed 05/31/2025)
  
  
• 100 Geocaches in 24 Hours (Completed 07/16/2011)
  
  
• 365 Days of Geocaching (Completed 10/01/2025)
  
  
• 366 Days of Geocaching (Completed 10/01/2025)
  
  
• Difficulty/Terrain "Fizzy" Grid
  
  
• Jasmer Challenge

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STATISTICS

Countries Geocached In:

1. United States
2. Mexico
3. Canada
4. United Kingdom (Scotland & England)
5. Germany
6. Jordan
7. The Bahamas

States Geocached In:

1. Montana
2. Utah
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Pennsylvania
6. Idaho
7. Wyoming
8. Minnesota
9. Arizona
10. Alaska
11. Washington
12. Kansas
13. Iowa
14. Virginia
15. Nebraska
16. New Mexico
17. Mississippi
18. Missouri
19. South Dakota
20. Nevada
21. Florida
22. Texas

Milestones

MILESTONES

As geocachers, we measure success not just by the total accumulation of 'Finds' we acquire, but celebrate certain achievement levels. The following are my personal achievement milestones:

1st Geocache - GCK8QC Hidey-Hole Park #3 04/14/2007

50th Geocache - GCW23Q Buffalo Jump 06/25/07

100th Geocache - GC13TBN Wild Montana Rose 01/06/08

250th Geocache - GC16187 Rattlesnake Butte 04/07/09

500th Geocache - GC30 Mingo 11/02/11

1,000th Geocache - GC7D4F Mustangs Virtual Cache 01/25/13

2,000th Geocache - TBD

3,000th Geocache - TBD

4,000th Geocache - TBD

5,000th Geocache - TBD

10,000th Geocache - TBD