What is letterboxing?

Letterboxing is fun and exciting. It is about the adventure of finding your way through the woods, and the thrill of reaching your goal. In letterboxing, you visit interesting locations and collect unique stamps to mark your visit. The letterboxes that DEP's Division of Forestry is placing in Connecticut’s State Forests provide the means and inspiration for you to visit the State Forests and learn something about the state’s history, wildlife, and, of course, the forests!

Letterboxing involves a plastic container hidden in some specific location out in nature, along with a set of clues as to how to find that container. Inside the container is a stamp and a stamp pad. The visitor uses this stamp to mark his or her visit to this letterbox site into the visitor’s own, personal record book – which you bring with you. Additionally, there is a record book in the letterbox container. The visitor uses his or her own stamp – again, also brought with you - to mark this record book, leaving a record of your visit to this letterbox.

Letterboxing in Connecticut State Forests

What Do I Need to Hunt for Letterboxes?

At the very minimum you will need the clues. You should also have a personal stamp, inkpad, personal logbook, and a pencil (for writing in the box's logbook, if you want). Depending on the clue, you may also need a compass, map, or other tools. For my personal logbook, I use a hardbound unruled art sketchbook. I like the unruled paper because the stamp images look better. I also use a dye-based acid free ink; inkpads can be gotten at many art stores (preferred) or some discount department stores. Some people use multiple ink pads for a multi-colored effect, and some people use pigment-based ink. I prefer the dye-based as it dries faster and seems less messy, but this is all up to personal preference.

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