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Park Quest 2019

Plan your group hikes/get-togethers, discuss caches in need of TLC/adoption plus new & favorite caches, as well as park/geocacher relations.
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littleblkdog
Former MGS Officer
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Park Quest 2019

Post by littleblkdog »

Not geocaching but this may be of interest to some. MD DNR sponsors a Park Quest with activities at a number of parks across the state similar to an activity based scavenger hunt. From the website:

"The goal of the Park Quest Program is to engage families in outdoor activities and adventures, while exploring a variety of Maryland’s State Parks. Now in its twelfth year, Park Quest provides families a unique opportunity to learn more about the world around them through discovery while personally experiencing the many natural and cultural resources that our public lands offer. The theme for Park Quest 2019 is “Off the Beaten Path- Arts, Activities and Adventures in Maryland State Parks”."

Find more information here.
fuzzydave
MGS Officer
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Location: Crofton, md

Re: Park Quest 2019

Post by fuzzydave »

We've park quested every summer for maybe 6 years now. You can definitely get your geocaching in too.

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lpaulriddle
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Re: Park Quest 2019

Post by lpaulriddle »

We've done Park Quest for a few years also, and I know a bunch of local cachers who are also avid Park Questers. The park service always does a good job planning it and including "quests" of varying degrees of challenge. Some of the quests are geared more towards younger kids, and others are more adventurous (e.g. longer hikes, orienteering, etc). In the past, a couple of the quests even included finding a cache in the park as one of the activities. It is worth mentioning that to "officially" participate, one of your team members has to be age 16 or under, so it's definitely aimed mainly at families with kids.
big315red
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Location: Catonsville, MD

Re: Park Quest 2019

Post by big315red »

This will be our family's 5th year participating in Park Quest. As the other cachers mentioned, it's a great outdoor program sponsored by the DNR. We often go questing and caching during the summer. This year's season begins May 1st and runs through October 31st. Unfortunately the Park Quest passports are sold out for this season. Registration was early this year and sold out in less than 12 hours. However, if you're interested in the program, you can check out this website: https://dnr.maryland.gov/parkquest/Pages/Home.aspx
If you visit the different parks that were selected, you should be able to complete most of the quests just for fun. However, you'd have to pay the park entrance fees. Getting a DNR yearly Park Pass might make that more feasible.
Turtle Seeker
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Location: Frederick, MD

Re: Park Quest 2019

Post by Turtle Seeker »

I tried to sign up for this on the day it opened and it was already full. At first I thought the page wasn't working so I called and the woman said it was really full already. I was surprised that there were that many teams who had signed up that fast. I may want to try again next year, do any of veterans of this have any hints on how to get signed up in time?
fuzzydave
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Re: Park Quest 2019

Post by fuzzydave »

They only take 1000 families and it usually fills up in a few hours. I think registration starts at 9am so your best bet is to be on the computer then. One year they did a lottery to make it more equitable.
You can still visit the PQ page and do the quests, you just can't get in the park for free.

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lpaulriddle
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Re: Park Quest 2019

Post by lpaulriddle »

Yes, Park Quest is extremely popular. It's a great activity for families with young and school-aged kids. Gets folks out of the house, much like geocaching.

I've often wondered if there is a way that we (MGS) could piggyback off the popularity of Park Quest to get more families involved with geocaching. Maybe work with MD DNR to get quest-themed caches placed at the parks each year.
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