Woods Woods Everywhere and No where to hide.

[wolfbait]

Hey all,

Seems that whenever I want to hide a cache the only place that I find to hid a decent size cache is the metroparks. Unfortunately the metroparks have strict rules and require you to fill out an application, get that approved have the site checked... then submit it online and have the reviewer check it there. Not having much time to cache and hide as it is I don't want to deal with the hassle. Any suggestions of other places I could hide a decent size cache?

[+StarBrand]

Out of town in rural areas. In privately owned natural lots (with permission of course).

 

Just 2 ideas.....

[knowschad]

There seem to be no shortages of caches in your area. But I will say that it is odd that there are almost no caches in that huge Rocky River Reservation area. I do see a few, so it must be possible to get permission, but so few that I can only assume they are very restrictive (the general online park rules don't cover geocaching).

 

Edited to show Rocky River geocaching rules:

 

Wow!! They have an entire website devoted to geocaching in their Metroparks!

 

They even have the form that you need to fill out available online. The only part that I find distasteful is the 1 year limit. Limitations like that (I think) tend to lead toward thoughtless caches buried under a pile of sticks. Who's going to put a lot of thought and work into a cache that can only be there for one year?

Edited October 16, 2007 by knowschad

[Keystone]

The OP is from Northeast Ohio. I am one of the cache reviewers who covers this area.

 

1. The Cleveland MetroParks, Geauga Park District and Medina County Park District are cacher-friendly. They sponsor events, hide caches of their own, and allow geocachers to hide caches under a permit system.

 

2. The Lorain County MetroParks (west of Cleveland) are also cache friendly and allow caches under a permit system with less formality.

 

3. The Summit County MetroParks -- bordering some of these other counties -- has a flat out ban on geocaches, although the letterboxes hidden in this park system were featured in a recent local newspaper article. Lake County, east of Cleveland, is still trying to get its act together to allow caches with a permit.

 

4. There is a big cacheless hole in the middle of the Cleveland/Akron metropolitan area. This is because of Cuyahoga Valley National Park (NPS managed -- no caches allowed) and the adjacent Summit County park.

 

5. The State Parks in Northeast Ohio are very cache friendly. They sponsor an annual event and hide a series of caches for a contest that runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year. Geocachers can hide caches in State Parks by asking for permission from the local site manager -- no paperwork required. State Forests work the same way, but the nearest state forest is quite a distance away.

 

6. With rare exceptions, caches are not permitted in State Nature Preserves and State Wildlife Areas (hunting/fishing grounds).

 

7. Caches are permitted at Ohio Historical Society properties under a formal permit system.

 

Well, those are some of the more than 25 land manager policies that we cache reviewers keep track of in Ohio. (Remember that when you wonder why it's taking awhile for your cache to be published!) If you hide a cache in an area with a published geocaching policy, we will verify compliance with the policy.

 

Despite the paperwork, there are many caches hidden in permit areas. There are thousands more caches hidden elsewhere. Ohio is one of the top dozen states for cache density and number of caches. Study those maps and find a nearby neighborhood park without a cache. Share your favorite fishing spot or bike trail with other geocachers.

[+welch]

Hey all,

Seems that whenever I want to hide a cache the only place that I find to hid a decent size cache is the metroparks. Unfortunately the metroparks have strict rules and require you to fill out an application, get that approved have the site checked... then submit it online and have the reviewer check it there. Not having much time to cache and hide as it is I don't want to deal with the hassle. Any suggestions of other places I could hide a decent size cache?

 

Do these forms have to be filled out in person??? Or can you fill out the form in your own time and mail it in for example?

 

Otherwise maybe check to see what other park systems do, maybe there's one near that that had a less formal (faster?) system. Or you could just skip the hiding and stick to hunting till you have more time.

[+Isonzo Karst]

I own quite a lot of caches with permits. I can't say as I find the time in doing that permit work especially demanding. Waiting on the permits to come back can be time passing, but it's not like I'm caged up waiting, I'm just waiting.

 

Once the permit is in hand, it's just the usual cache submit form on GC.com with a reviewer note that references having DOF geocache permit #321 for the hide. That's all the reviewer wants to see.

 

Some of the state agencies have their permits online - so it's pretty easy and fast to do the permit app. A number of the county systems want you to pick them up from their offices, though they will mail them. It takes a few minutes on the phone.

 

If you don't have the time a permit application takes, it's likely you won't have time for cache maintenance either. Perhaps stick with finding until your schedule opens up some.