Contest turns summer hikes into treasure hunts across the North

People heading out on trails across the North can turn their hikes into a treasure hunt this summer.

The Great Trail, formerly known as the Trans Canada Trail, is touted as the longest recreational trail in the world. In celebration of it, geocaches with GPS locators are hidden on points along the trail. In Nunavut, there are two hidden in Sylvia Grinnell Park near Iqaluit and Katannilik Park near Kimmirut. This section of the trail connects Iqaluit to Kimmirut via the Itijjagiaq Trail.

People can use their smartphones to find a treasure box, which contains a coin. 

Leesee Papatsie works with Nunavut's environment department.

"It's meant to bring people outdoors," she said.

"What they call the GPS co-ordinates, they're the numbers that you enter into your phone and you go out then you go to the park here and you start looking for the treasure. It's a really, really fun game."

The coins are in the treasure boxes. The boxes are labelled with a redemption code. With the code, a person can go to The Great Trail website and enter for a chance to win a prize. 

There are numerous prizes, which include a Nikon camera, silk map of Canada and a month's supply of CLIF Bar products.

There are hundreds of treasure boxes hidden in parks across Canada. In Yukon, a box is hidden on the Klondike Millennium Trail in Dawson City, on Whitehorse's Millennium Trail, and Haines Junction's Pine Lake Trail. In the Northwest Territories, a box is hidden near Tulita on the Two Rivers Trail, in Yellowknife on the Frame Lake Trail, on Fort Smith's Des Nedhe' Trail, and in Inuvik on the Boot Lake Trail.

All winners are also entered in a draw for the grand prize — a cruise for two provided by One Ocean Expeditions.

 Papatsie said she isn't sure if anybody in Nunavut has found a coin yet.

The hunt is hosted by Nunavut Parks and Special Places along with The Great Trail and the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

It runs from June 18 to Aug. 18.