The Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail is a unique journey through American history and across the landscapes of the Chesapeake Bay region. It commemorates the dramatic chain of events, people and places that led to the birth of our National Anthem during the War of 1812. The first-of-its-kind, multi-state initiative is sponsored by Friends of Chesapeake Gateways, the Maryland Geocaching Society, and the National Park Service.
Be sure to check out the Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail Photo Contest! Enter your photos here.
Participating cachers will have the chance to visit urban areas and rural farms, forts and museums, battlefields and nature preserves, each site telling its own unique story. The trail complements the congressionally designated Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, two National Park Service Initiatives. To see a list of sites on the Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail please click here.
Beginning February 27th, you’ll be able to download all the coordinates for the caches at here - a free membership to www.geocaching.com is required to see all the information.
What is a Geotrail Anyway?
A “geotrail” is a series of caches tied together by a common topic or theme. The Star-Spangled Banner GeoTrail unites more than thirty diverse sites that are part of the landscape of the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. Some hold national prominence, others reflect the all-encompassing nature of the conflict, during which the British raided and burned communities throughout the Chesapeake region. In addition, the majority of participating locations are also designated Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails, special places that share the story of the Bay and its rivers
A trackable geocoin will be given to the first 400 geocachers as an incentive for visiting at least 20 sites along the trail.
To be eligible for the coin, please download the passport available here. Then, as you discover caches along the trail, copy a code word (available at each cache site) into the appropriate place on the passport and take a photo of yourself at the cache, to be uploaded HERE! Please note – you will need Adobe Acrobat to view and print this document. To download Adobe Acrobat, click here. After visiting at least the minimum number of sites (20), send a completed passport to Friends of Chesapeake Gateways (410 Severn Avenue, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403) Once your passport is validated, you will receive a collectable coin.
Have technical questions about caches along the trail? Please contact calvertcachers@gmail.com
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This project is an exciting partnership between the National Park Service, the Maryland Geocaching Society, the Friends of Chesapeake Gateways, partner sites across the region and dozens of volunteer geocachers who donated their time and expertise getting the cache locations properly set-up. Without their assistance, the Geocaching Trail would not have been possible. We also thank Geocaching.com for their support of this project!
Photos on this page courtesy of Susan Kelley
