Convert your Google Maps list into geocaching waypoints

A lot of geocachers end up keeping a personal Google Maps list, caches spotted on a drive, coordinates passed along by a friend, spots pulled from a forum thread, that never quite makes it onto an actual GPS device. Geocaching.com's own GPX export is gated behind a premium membership, which doesn't help if the list you're working from lives in Google Maps to begin with. The same problem shows up outside geocaching proper too, treasure hunt communities working a set of possible search locations from a shared Google Maps list run into the exact same wall getting those coordinates onto a device in the field.

MapsLinkQuest converts that list straight to GPX. Paste the share link above and download the file. What you do with it after that depends on what you're actually running, a GPS unit, an Android app, an iOS app, or desktop software, covered one at a time below.

Worth being clear about what this does and doesn't do: it converts the list you already built in Google Maps. It doesn't pull cache data from Geocaching.com itself, that's a separate service with its own export rules, and the official Geocaching app doesn't offer a way to import an outside GPX file at all, it only works from caches synced through your own account. Geocaching.com's Pocket Queries, the built-in way to export a batch of caches as GPX, are locked to a premium membership. This tool has nothing to do with Pocket Queries and doesn't need one, it's only ever converting the places already sitting in a Google Maps list.

c:geo (Android, free):

Free and open source, the most widely used third-party geocaching app on Android. Two ways in:

1. Find the GPX file in your phone's file browser, tap it, and choose c:geo as the app to open it with. Pick which list to import the caches into when prompted.
2. Or, inside c:geo, open an existing list or start a new one, then go Menu → Import → Import GPX. This looks in c:geo's configured GPX folder and lets you pick the file from there.

Cachly (iOS, one-time purchase):

Cachly is a $4.99 one-time App Store purchase, and GPX import is part of the base app, not locked behind its optional Pro subscription. A few ways to get a file in:

1. Long-press the downloaded GPX file, choose Share, then pick Cachly.
2. Use the Import from Dropbox option under Cachly's More tab if the file's sitting in Dropbox instead of on the phone.
3. AirDrop the file from another device and select Cachly when the share sheet comes up.

Any of these opens Cachly's import screen, where you pick an existing offline list or create a new one for the caches.

Looking4Cache (iOS and Android):

Looking4Cache ships in a free Lite version and a paid Pro version, and direct GPX import is a Pro feature, Lite doesn't have it.

1. On Pro, use the Open in… option from Mail, Safari, or Dropbox on the GPX file, and select Looking4Cache.
2. Or open the app's cache list manager and choose Load Pocket Query / load from file, then select the GPX file from there.
3. Pick an existing category as the destination, or create a new one, then confirm the import.

Large files, a few thousand caches or more, can strain iOS's memory during import. Splitting into smaller GPX files or closing background apps first helps if an oversized import stalls.

GSAK (Windows desktop, free):

The veteran power-user tool for serious geocachers, GSAK is desktop software for managing a large cache database, filtering, and prepping data for a GPS unit. It went fully freeware, no trial, no license fee. Windows only, no Mac or Linux build.

1. File → Load GPX/LOC from the menu, or Ctrl-O.
2. Or drag the GPX file straight onto the main GSAK window, or onto GSAK's desktop icon.
3. Point it at the downloaded file and it loads into your database.

GSAK also reads the older LOC format, but GPX is the better choice here since it carries the full waypoint data MapsLinkQuest produces. LOC is a stripped-down legacy format mainly kept around for compatibility with very old software, there's no reason to reach for it over GPX for a fresh conversion.

GPS units:

A Garmin handheld reads this GPX file the same way it reads any other waypoint file, drag-and-drop onto the device over USB or through Garmin Express. The full device-by-device breakdown lives on MapsLinkQuest's own Garmin guide, worth checking if a handheld is what you're actually loading this onto. If you're running a hunting or overlanding GPS app instead of a dedicated handheld, Gaia GPS and OnX both read the same GPX file directly, their own MapsLinkQuest guides cover those import steps.

Import paths, at a glance:

• c:geo (Android, free): file browser → open with c:geo, or Menu → Import → Import GPX
• Cachly (iOS, $4.99): Share → Cachly, Dropbox import, or AirDrop, GPX import included free
• Looking4Cache (iOS/Android): Open in… or Load Pocket Query / load from file, Pro version required
• GSAK (Windows, free): File → Load GPX/LOC, Ctrl-O, or drag onto the app
• Garmin handheld: USB drag-and-drop or Garmin Express, full steps on the Garmin guide

Troubleshooting:

• The official Geocaching app won't take the file at all. That's expected, it doesn't support importing outside GPX files, only caches synced through your own account. Use c:geo, Cachly, Looking4Cache, or a GPS unit instead.
• Looking4Cache won't show an import option. Direct GPX import is a Pro-only feature, the free Lite version doesn't have it. Upgrading, or switching to c:geo or Cachly, both fixes this.
• A large import stalls or crashes on iOS. Memory limits on the phone, not a bad file. Close other apps first, or split the list into smaller GPX files before importing.
• c:geo's Import GPX menu option doesn't see the file. It only looks in its own configured GPX folder. Either move the file there first, or use the file-browser method instead, tap the GPX file directly and open it with c:geo.
• GSAK won't open on a Mac or a work laptop. It's Windows-only, no exceptions. Windows in a virtual machine works if that's what you've got, otherwise c:geo, Cachly, or Looking4Cache cover the mobile side.
• Caches imported without their full listing details, ratings, or log photos. Normal for c:geo, extra data like GCVote ratings and photos isn't in a plain GPX file. Refreshing an individual cache online after import pulls that in.
• Not sure which app to even pick. c:geo if you're on Android and want free. Cachly if you're on iOS and don't mind a small one-time cost. GSAK if you're managing a big list on a Windows desktop before it ever gets to a phone or GPS unit.