Canada's insider blog

Geocacher Don Richards of Three Hills, AB had driven this highway hundreds of times before. But today was different. He pulled to the shoulder and checked the GPS on his smart-phone. Then he tramped a couple hundred metres off-piste and found something great. It was a “buffalo rub” – a rough wall of ancient rock-cum-scratching post. Some hair of a long-dead bison was still stuck to it. A little tin container lay hidden nearby and Richards added his name to the paper inside. This teachable moment brought to you by one of the world’s newest, coolest sports.

Geocaching is a fab way to explore the geography and cultural history of a region. The desolately beautiful Badlands – home to one of the richest dinosaur bone beds in the world (not to mention a world-class paleontology museum) – lend themselves spectacularly to the pursuit. And word is spreading. Right now the Badlands geocaching community prepares to host the Best of the Bad, July 16, the biggest geocaching event in Western Canada (pre-registration closes June 1, but you can also just show up on the day).

Geocaching might just be the perfect family activity; it’s an irresistible treasure hunt. The game: someone stashes a notebook or a little surprise like a “geocoin” in a biscuit tin in the wild somewhere and posts the co-ordinates online. And then off you go, like a modern-day prospector to find the gold. Or the bones.