Official start is Friday morning, Official end is Sunday afternoon. Every year, we gather on Rock Island, Wisconsin’s most beautiful and distinctive state park, for 2 to 4 days of geocaching, hiking, and exploring. Enjoy Wisconsin’s oldest lighthouse, the unique Thordarson estate, 3 cemeteries, some of Wisconsin’s best sand dune beaches, and camaraderie around the campfire, with our legendary beer and cheese & sausage tasting event.

Welcome to the BEST and LONGEST RUNNING member-hosted overnight campout of Wisconsin’s Geocachers in the state!

Annually held since 2005, eleven years and counting! Group Site II has been reserved from Friday through Sunday, but several people are arriving earlier in the week, and staying at an individual site until the group site opens up. Arrive on whatever day your schedule permits, including day trippers!

About The Island:

Rock Island is Wisconsin’s most remote State Park. Cars and bikes are not allowed on the 912-acre island, making for an experience unlike any other. The camping is considered rustic, but flush toilets, running water, picnic tables, and other limited amenities as well as souvenirs are available. Firewood is for sale or can be gathered from the woods for free. There is a short hike from the boat dock to the camp site, so using a cart or wagon is helpful for hauling gear. Your Geocaching friends are always willing to help haul your gear. Over the past eleven years, we’ve seen the use  of canoes and kayaks rise by attendees as well.

If you are unfamiliar with Rock Island State Park, check out these links to learn more:

Trip Advisor

Chicago Tribune

Voyageur Magazine

BackPacker Magazine

About the Weekend:

This event is typically scheduled for the summer solstice in June, which means long days and incredible sunsets over the water. This is to accommodate schools being out, but before the hectic pace of July/August summer activity begins. Typically, the days are warm but not hot, the nights are cool but not cold. A perfect way to celebrate the end of the school year! Some arrive Thursday; Some arrive Friday; Some arrive Saturday.

About the Event:

Rock Island Getaway XI is not just about accumulating a high number of geocaches in a short period of time. (although you could!) It’s about sharing knowledge and experience with less-experienced geocachers, partaking in planned activities, NOT partaking in any activities, reading a book, star-gazing, or just striking out on your own to explore the island’s geocaches and other interesting and historic sites. Although the group site is reserved, you can also reserve your own site, if you so wish. At this time of year, the campground is typically 1/3 – 1/2 full, so there will be plenty of solitude and other sites available. The group site is very spacious, so people can spread out quite a bit. This event attracts a broad spectrum of Geocachers: young, old, families, singles, newbie as well as experienced ‘cachers. All are welcome. Here are some of the planned activities (subject to change):

NEW THIS YEAR – GPS shootout – iPhone vs Garmin GPS

Role Playing Games ~ Kite Flying  ~ Astronomy/Star Gazing ~ Camping Technology Demonstration & Showoff ~ Hikes ~ Tours ~ Famous Beer, Cheese and Sausage Tasting Event ~ Cemetery Walk ~ and more!

Costs:

There is no cost for the event itself! However, the group site costs money to reserve, and a bit more for firewood, so we would like to recoupe  those expenses and not create a burden for your humble organizers. A suggested donation of $10 per group per night should cover the expenses of reserving the site and purchasing some firewood for the nightly group campfire This is quite a bit cheaper than reserving your own site for two nights. The Rock Island Getaway event generally breaks even; nobody is making a profit from this event. We will also pass the hat at the Saturday group campfire, and any donations over and above expenses will either be contributed toward reserving a spot for 2016, or be donated to the Friends of Rock Island for projects and maintenance on the island.

Need more information?

Post questions here on the cache listing page, on our facebook page, or visit last year’s event listing HERE to get more information about this event and what happened at previous years’ events.