DMOZ - Recreation: Outdoors: Letterboxing

Letterboxing

Letterboxing is a outdoor recreational activity which combines collecting, puzzle-solving, and treasure hunting. Briefly, letterboxing enthusiasts hide and hunt weatherproof containers in remote or scenic places. Each container holds a guestbook, a rubber stamp and stamp pad. The planter of the letterbox distributes clues to its location; solution of these clues may require a combination of skills such as mapreading, orienteering, and puzzle-solving. Letterboxers carry their own stamp book and personal stamp when hunting for hidden boxes. Upon finding a letterbox, they will impress their own book using the found stamp, and leave their own stamping or personalization in the letterbox guestbook. Letterboxing has its roots in Dartmoor, England, in 1854.

Related categories 5

Sites 35

Letterboxing North America

US-based portal offering FAQ, links, forums, and a members-only section where clues can be submitted.

Aisling Dart

Artist from Salem, Massachusetts describes her boxes.

Atlas Quest Letterboxing

Community with forums, searchable clues, trip planner, recording of finds, event listings, trackers, tutorials, photo galleries, and chat room.

Chowder's Southern California Letterboxes

Search for boxes in Long Beach, San Bernardino and Lake Arrowhead, California.

Chuck's Letterboxing

Chuck and Molly's letterboxes in Connecticut.

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection: Letterboxing

Official site supports letterboxing in publicly owned state forests. Includes clues and a map of letterbox sites in state forests.

Dartmoor Letterboxes Club

Includes information and a map, also with catalogue of letterboxes.

Dartmoor Letterboxing

Includes a forum, image gallery, map of the area, contact details, and the history of the activity.

Dartmoor National Park: Letterboxing

1854 origins and how to get started, related links with contacts in Devon, UK.

Der Mad Stamper

Rubber stamp carver Mitch offers instructions on how to carve a stamp and clues to the many boxes he's planted in the US.

First Finds

Posts first finds submitted by new US letterboxers, organized by state.

Fleur de Lis' Letterboxing Journal

Weblog about his letterboxing hobby.

Have Feet Will Travel

Introduction, contact details, and guidelines for letterboxing in the Dartmoor area.

History of Dartmoor Letterboxing

Account first published as "More Dartmoor Letterboxes" by Anne Swinscow in 1986.

I-95 Letterboxes

Clues to quick and easy letterboxes to find while traveling on Route I-95, from Maine to Florida.

Kansas Letterboxes

Clues for letterboxes located in Kansas.

Letterbox Stamper

Guide to compass use on Dartmoor, local photo gallery, design and carving rubber stamps, with examples and terms for sale by Paul Hopkinson, Devon, UK.

Letterboxers Anonymous

Forum with clues and discussion topics. Includes helpful hints on methods and supplies.

Letterboxing Minnesota

Includes letterboxing basics and clues for Minnesota letterboxes.

Letterboxing North America WebRing

Links to dozens of forums and clue sites.

The Mapsurfer Treasureboxes

Challenging letterbox clues by Randy Hall, the author of The Letterboxing Companion.

Mark and Sue Pepe

Couple from Kensington, Connecticut describe activities in eleven states and the island of Aruba.

NeeDeep's State Stamp Letterboxes

Ambitious family project placing letterboxes in each state, patterned after the US quarters series.

New England Area Letterboxing Gatherings

Mark and Sue's weblog of letterboxing events in New England.

New Zealand Letterboxing

Clues, views, and news including boxes from Team Psychokiwi, Judi, Linton, and the Bunny.

Rhode Island's Bored Nocturnal Adventurer's Guild

Informal group and clues to the boxes they've planted.

Wanda and Pete's Letterboxes

Clues for boxes placed primarily in Rhode Island, but a few in other states as well. Also includes logs of the movement of hitchhiker boxes, primarily in New England.

We Live and Breathe Letterboxing

Accounts, photographs, and memorabilia of the 2008 event as well as an online recreation of the letterboxing museum.

Yahoo! Groups: Letterboxing Northeast

Discussion group for the northeastern US.

Yahoo! Groups: Letterboxing USA

Discussion group for US letterboxers.

Yahoo! Groups: New Letterboxers Group

Discussion forum and articles for those new to letterboxing.

New Times: Carved in Rubber

Introductory article by Ashley Schwellenbach featuring a letterboxer and the founder of Atlas Quest. (June 17, 2009)

NPR : Letterboxing

Radio host Linda Wertheimer and Thomas Johnston, an enthusiast in Washington, D.C., find a letterbox near the White House. [audio] (April 10, 2004)