Search and Enjoy: Geocaching in Los Angeles

Back of the Hollywood Sign | Photo courtesy of Joshua Gunther, Flickr

With a setting ranging from hard-core urban to completely rural, and terrain going from mountainous to desert to beachside, Los Angeles provides an endless playground for those engaged in the craft of geocaching, where people use their GPS devices as part of a high-tech treasure hunt of sorts. Geocachers (pronounced “geo-cashers”) follow a set of coordinates and clues to seek out caches, or containers holding anything from knick-knacks to coins from around the world to tributes to loved ones. Players that take one item from the cache must leave another. There are as many as 5 million geocachers seeking out about 1.2 million active caches worldwide, according to “Geocaching – The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site.” Locally, there are about 4,100 recorded geocaching items hidden within a 20-mile radius of Beverly Hills’ Franklin Canyon Park, which is considered the approximate geographic center of Los Angeles (yes, the geographic center of Los Angeles is actually in the city of Beverly Hills). For a fascinating way to experience the region, geocachers may want to seek out the 10 items listed below.

Even locals have a hard time figuring out how to get up close and personal to the Hollywood sign atop Mount Lee, and the area immediately surrounding the 45-foot-tall letters (which were originally constructed to pitch a local housing development) is fenced off, but this cache provides its own reward in addition to a prime photo opportunity from just beneath the iconic letters.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

Finding this cache is on the top of the geocaching difficulty scale – a five out of five – because it involves diving into the waters off White Point near the San Pedro-Palos Verdes border and swimming into hydrothermal vents that are between six and 35 feet beneath the ocean’s surface and emit 85-degree, hydrogenated water. You’ll get the funky smell of sulfur while you’re at it. Only the true, hardcore geocachers apply for this treasure, which has been hidden since August 2007.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

One of the few LA-area relics of the 19th century, the Bradbury Building and its light-filled atrium continues to stun and pleasantly surprise those dogged enough to find it. But in addition to this cache, there are lots of treasures along the eastern slope of Downtown’s Bunker Hill, from the dozens of food stalls at Grand Central Market to the shaded park adjacent to Angel’s Flight to the Old Bank and Jewelry Districts.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

This cache is within spitting distance of both the Village (formerly the Fox) and Bruin Theatres, which were Westwood Village’s first two movie theaters and continue to attract throngs with their combination of old-school opulence and architectural panache. One block away is the sprawling UCLA campus, which can take a few days to navigate itself.

The hills behind Dodger Stadium, where this cache is hidden, provide some of the more unusual perspectives of central Los Angeles. Go at the right time, and, in addition to a stunning view of the Downtown skyline, you may witness coyotes running through the brush, gunfire in the distance from the LA Police Academy and, if you time it right (in season of course), a glimpse of the Boys in Blue and Nancy Bea Hefly’s always joyous organ serenading a stadium crowd in the distance.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

If the person who first hid this cache is trying to make the point that fame is a riddle unto itself, he or she succeeded wildly. While getting to Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame certainly isn’t difficult, following directions that involve three-dozen Walk of Fame stars, an insane amount of math and a giant leap of faith will challenge even the most experienced geocachers. But it’s a great way to experience one of the world’s most famous boulevard stretches.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

This prize is only part of the reward, as the pursuant will also get a great view of Long Beach’s Shoreline Village, Rainbow Harbor and the Aquatic Park, and can celebrate by taking the short stroll over to downtown Long Beach’s Pine Avenue and its row of restaurants, bars and shops.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

This cache’s locale near a group of San Fernando Valley tract houses may appear unremarkable, but it was once the site of RKO Ranch, where a sweltering summer movie set was transformed into the mythic, snow-covered Bedford Falls in the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Nearby is also Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, where visitors can hike, golf or birdwatch.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

Nestled in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco (“dry creek” in Spanish) since 1922, the Rose Bowl has given college football fans countless great games as well as a fantastic view of the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance, and, in this case, provides a scenic backdrop for this cache. You can also indulge your architectural Jones by visiting Greene & Greene’s iconic craftsman Gamble House nearby or celebrate your find by heading into Old Town Pasadena.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE

It’s not exactly like sifting through sand, but this cache is close enough, and the rewards range from a nearby stroll to the Santa Monica Pier, a visit to the always-bustling Third Street Promenade or newly reopened Santa Monica Place. It’s not exactly a day at the beach – well, it is.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED GEOCACHE