What is Letterboxing?
Letterboxing is an increasingly popular outdoor hobby in the United States.  Letterboxing consists of hiding a waterproof plastic box.  Within this treasure chest are stashed a rubber stamp, inkpad and logbook.  Hunters set out to find this prize armed with a pencil, personal rubber stamp and logbook.  Following a set of clues, letterbox hunters uncover the booty and brand their logbook with the stamp within the box.  Using their personal stamp they leave their mark on the box’s logbook, perhaps with a note to the person who placed the box.   You can learn more about letterboxing and find clues to boxes all over Connecticut by going to www.letterboxing.org.

Reminders When Looking for Letterboxes at Earthplace

• Do not leave the trail. All boxes are easily accessible from the trail. 
• Don’t let others see you uncovering a letterbox. (It’ll ruin the fun for them.)
• Carefully re-hide the box and leave it as you found it.
• HAVE FUN!

What to Bring for Letterboxing

• You will need a compass to find at least some of these boxes.
  (A limited number of compasses are available to borrow from the museum front desk.  A deposit is required.)
• Pencil
• Logbook (such as a spiral bound 3 x 5 notebook that you can stamp with the Earthplace stamps)
• Personal rubber stamp (optional, to leave a record of your visit for others to see)

Note:  All boxes are placed very close to the trails – please stay on the trails as much as possible. 

Don't forget to visit the Earthplace Museum building which houses a Natureplace, the Ecology Resource Lab, the Animal Hall with a collection of domestic and rehabilitated wild animals, and the Native Plants Courtyard.

Letterbox #1 
Find a “watchful mother”.  From here turn to 300º and proceed to the green sign.  Turn right and follow trail.  Look for a bench overlooking the field. Behind this bench is an old sugar maple.  This tree was hit by lightning long ago, leaving a large cavity.  Look inside the tree under some pieces of bark and you will find letterbox #1.

Letterbox #2 
Double back to the green sign.  Turn right and proceed down the hill onto the Swamp Loop Trail.  Bear left at the fork. Just before the boardwalk look for a rock with the number 2 painted on it (between two beech saplings).  Behind the rock, under a pile of smaller rocks is box #2.  Carefully move the rocks and be sure to re-hide the box well.

Letterbox #3 
Cross the bridge and follow the trail.  On your left will be a platform overlooking the stream.  Under the North East corner, behind the platform leg, will be box #3.

Letterbox #4 
Continue down the Swamp Loop Trail, passing through a field where you’ll see many nest boxes.  When the trail reaches a small pond look to your left and notice three wooden tables.  Look under the tables to discover box #4.

Letterbox #5 
Cross the bridge and continue on the Swamp Loop Trail.  You’ll come to a fork at a stone wall – turn right.  You’ll pass a post with a red 9 on your left.  Continue until you come to a tree with an orange blaze on your right.  To the North of this tree you’ll find a large boulder.  Behind some smaller rocks on the left side of this boulder you’ll find box #5.