Geocaching Favorite Points

Let’s talk about favorite points and geocaching. I recently watched a YouTube video by a fellow geocacher which was about favorite points and what they mean. It really got me thinking about what they are for and why we should or shouldn’t award them.

According to Geocaching.com, “Geocaching Favorite points are a simple way to track and share the geocaches that you enjoyed the most.” They are available only for Premium members to give. Every 10 finds earns 1 favorite point to give. 

To me a favorite point should be given for a cache that’s special to the finder for one reason or another. 

I tend to give them to caches that are creative and different. I like to award a favorite point to a new hide style that I hadn’t seen before. I also give them out to a cache that was fun to find or an enjoyable puzzle or an unusual container. 

The favorite points I like to award the most are for the caches that were a memorable journey along the way, whether it was physically getting there or solving a puzzle behind the scenes. 

It’s also about the location. A spectacular view gets awarded a favorite point every time. One of my favorite things about geocaching in general is where it takes me. When I find a cache, whether it’s a park and grab or a mile long hike, if it’s in a location that gives me great joy, I will give it a favorite point.

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I tend to not give out favorite points to your everyday average geocaches. I’ve seen thousands of pine trees in parks and lamp skirts in front of a strip mall. I also don’t like to award a favorite point if I know (or think I know) that the cache owner created the cache for the sole purpose of receiving favorite points. Geocaches should be created for the joy of creating and for other peoples’ enjoyment in finding, not to boost ones ego.

I’ll step off my soap box.

According to Project-GC, the most favorited cache in the world is Lego – einer ist zuviel in Berlin, Germany. It currently has over 30,000 finds and almost 12,000 favorite points!

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Of the current top 50 most favorited caches, the majority are in Germany and other European countries. Only 4 are in the US!

1. Geocaching Headquarters (#11) 4904 favorite points, 41% of finders awarded a favorite point
2. Original Stash Tribute Plaque (#21) 3909 favorite points, 46% of finders awarded a favorite point
3. HQGT: Chairy Tree (#42) 3030 favorite points, 48% of finders awarded a favorite point
4. HQGT: Ode to the Golgafrinchan Phone Workers (#45) 2965 favorite points, 45% of finders awarded a favorite point

Our beloved Mingo, the oldest active geocache in the world, comes in at #52 with only 52% of finders awarding it a favorite point. I did, did you?

Of the 5 US caches mentioned above, I have found only 2 of them – Original Stash and Mingo. Here are My Top 30 Favorites, which definitely include those two! What are some of your favorite geocaches?