Property lines.

[+GPS_Runner]

Is there a place on the net where I can enter GPS coordinates to see if the location is on Federal, State, BLM, or private property? As I drive to the local lake there are several places I see that would be great places to hide a cache. There are no signs or barbed wire fences, but it would be nice to check.

 

Is there a Google Earth or Virtual Earth overlay/plug-in (or something) for this?

[+NightPilot]

Not that I'm aware of. You might try your county government site, if there is one. Property ownership records are usually maintained at the county level, not above that, and it would be very labor intensive to get the data for every county in the US, or even in one state.

[+GPS_Runner]

How about just BLM/State/Federal land? There has to be someplace to see those!? I can't imagine they change that often.

[mtbikernate]

The issue with a lot of that data is that while it's out there and it's typically free, the software you would use to view it is either exceptionally expensive or it has a huge learning curve. Google QGIS for a free option.

 

Google Earth maintains SOME park boundaries in its database, but it's likely that they would only have NPS property...not USFS or BLM property. In my area they have the large city and county parks, but zippo for SOME of the smaller township parks, yet others are displayed. State parks have coverage, but state game lands and state forests do not. The Allegheny National Forest is covered, though. Google Earth might have coverage (just check parks & rec areas on the coverages window), but don't assume too much from GE.

[+potshot]

I know most of the state land in So. Cal. is pretty much off limits unless the state has a means of charging you for entry and or policing your visit.

 

BLM boundaries change frequently. The Feds have been quietly selling off parcels cheap to left wing orgs like The Wilderness Conservancy and other foundations that promise to preserve the land by keeping people off of it of coarse. Keeps the government from having to deal with litigation by those who want it closed for crackpot reasons and those who want it opened back up for public use like hunters and off roaders that are paying for licenses and green sticker fees.

 

You can go to any BLM office and pay for a map book that shows their boundaries or look at their wall maps for free but they are probably not up to date. BLM also sets up booths at gun and motorcycle shows. They have some online resources and maps just do a Google search but none of it is by coordinates that I've found.

 

Good luck.

 

Happy Hunting!

[+Lacomo]

Try Topozone I'm not sure what all you can do with it but it might work.

[+edscott]

Try Topozone I'm not sure what all you can do with it but it might work.

 

Topozone uses USGS data which may be more or less correct but is often out of date. The boundary lines of a local state park a few miles from me changed significently over 30 years ago and have still not been updated by the USGS. The other map sources tend to use this data so these omissions continue in their data. County tax maps are probably the most current sources. They may be on line, but you may need to wade through volumes of paper at the court house.

[+bkmit]

All of our local county websites here have a GIS page that will show a map of property lines/ownership of every bit of land in the county including city/state/government land.

Edited September 26, 2007 by bkmit