Over 100 people will gather on Saturday, April 30 at the Grand Hotel for a highly-celebrated Mackinac Island geocaching event: the 10th Annual Spring Fling.
While the Mackinac Island event is held at the Grand Hotel, it’s organized and hosted by Tom and Madelyn Le Page. The couple, who has been involved in the sport for about 12 years, is noted in the geocaching world as “Cyclops” and “Wife of Cyclops.” They have exclusive permission from Mackinac Island State Park to place caches on park property.
On Saturday, participants will meet at 10 a.m. in the lower lobby of the Grand Hotel in the Museum Room for a brief get-together prior to venturing out to search for the island caches. Coffee and tea will be provided for attendees. There will be no admission charge into the hotel.
Event participants who want to stay for the weekend can get a discounted room at the Grand Hotel. For more information, contact the Reservations Department at 1.800.334.7263.
Plan your Mackinac Island Geocaching Vacation
- How to Get There
- Biking
- The Grand Hotel
Participants should bring their own bike as the caches are located around the perimeter and throughout the interior of the island. There is an additional $8 charge to bring a bike on the ferry. If you’re unfamiliar with Mackinac Island, be sure to also take a map.
The number of caches on the island changes from year to year. “We are constantly archiving older ones and placing new ones,” Madelyn says. Once cachers “clear the island” (meaning they have found all of the geocaches placed), new ones are hidden. At any given time, there are 120-140 active caches on Mackinac Island.
There is an “easy” series of caches placed along the perimeter road of the island and more difficult caches hidden along interior trails. “My husband is an engineer, and engineers typically like to place very difficult and challenging caches,” Madelyn says. “My personal favorite cache on the island is one named Ginger. Without giving anything away, this cache has been designed to be very unique, and many cachers have told us that it is the most memorable cache that they have ever found.”
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