Ready for a summer adventure that boosts your wellness? Join the Get Outdoors (GO!) scavenger hunt, kicking off June 1 across South Central Pennsylvania.

Now in its 17th year, the Get Outdoors (GO!) program is a collaborative effort between WellSpan Health and local libraries, designed to encourage community members of all ages to explore the beauty of their local parks and trails while also engaging their minds.

The program kicks off June 1 in six counties – Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York – and wraps up in August, with various end dates depending on the county.

This year's theme, "Adventure Begins at Your Library," emphasizes the importance of reading and mental health, integrating these elements into the physical activities of the scavenger hunt.

“GO! is a fun and engaging activity for people of all ages,” said Sandra Gladfelter, health education coordinator lead for WellSpan Health. “Mental health is crucial and should not be viewed as separate from our physical health; everything is interconnected. When our mental and emotional well-being is optimized, handling life's challenges becomes more manageable. As the GO! program continues to grow and evolve, it remains a beacon of community health, wellness, and engagement in South Central Pennsylvania, proving that sometimes, adventure really does begin at your library.”

How GO! Works

• Visit your local library to pick up a guidebook – called an itinerary – to locate hidden wooden posts (called portals) across various locations in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties, along with a rubbing sheet to record your discoveries.
  • Each post features a unique etching that participants can log into a digital app called Beanstack to receive credit for their discoveries – and to be eligible to win prizes once the program concludes in August.
• Share photos of your GO! hunts and offer tips via the program’s county-by-county Facebook pages.
• Visit your county's GO! program website for county-specific information. Each dedicated GO! website includes directions to parks, information on prizes and clues to find the wooden posts. You can also download the guidebook on each of the GO! websites.
  • Adams
  • Cumberland
  • Franklin
  • Lancaster
  • Lebanon
  • York
• To increase accessibility to the GO! program, several parks and trails are wheelchair and stroller accessible, including an urban trail established near Keystone Kidspace in York.

The GO! program is partially funded through WellSpan Health's Community Partnership Grant Program. Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that improve the health of the communities and people WellSpan serves.

For more information on WellSpan's Community Partnership Grants and other ways which WellSpan promotes healthy communities, visit WellSpan.org/CommunityBenefit.