state park caching

[+crazypig88]

Have you ever cached in a state or national park? If so, does geocaching take you there or does the actual park grab your attention?

[+Uncle Alaska]

Have cached in both types (and many more, including native land, wilderness, every level of gov park)...usually the caching is just a side purpose, with the park visit being the main goal.

[knowschad]

In my case, caching took me to the state parks, not the other way around. Generally I don't care for state parks. Most that I've been too are over-managed and over-diversified. The last one I camped in, I could read by the light of the Coke machine, but didn't need to, 'cause I was listening to the TV in my neighbor's RV.

Edited March 14, 2015 by knowschad

[+K13]

I've found caches in several of the State Parks in East Texas, two of them I visited for the first time to FTF a cache. I own (by adoption) a cache in a State Park, and one just outside the park. They each get a couple logs per month from cachers with less than 5 find. There are only 5 caches in the park, so some folks must be new to Geocaching, learning about it at that State Park.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Have you ever cached in a state or national park? If so, does geocaching take you there or does the actual park grab your attention?

 

I have several state parks very close to me and have cached in all of them and had visited them all prior to when I started geocaching. There is one national park in NY and I went there for the first time to find a cache. Does a national park in Tanzania count? I went there to find a cache that was at the entrance to the park but spent several hours in the park on a day safari.

[+edscott]

Some times I go to a State Park specifically to cache.. sometimes I go to a State Park for other reasons, but usually look to see if any caches are there so I can find them along the way.

[+geodarts]

I have cached in several state and national parks - from Angel Island State Park to Zion. The state parks where I live in California are relatively friendly towards the game, although it is somewhat restrictive since park rules provide that physical caches must be placed within three feet of a designated trail. And virtuals or earthcaches are among the first thing I note when we visit national parks.

 

I probably would have visited all of the locations even if I had not been playing this game. Slot canyons in the Grand Escalante, Geysers in Yellowstone, rock sculptures at the Goblin Valley SP, granite domes in Yosemite, petroglyphs at the Valley of Fire SP and Canyonlands, or the sea stacks of the Olympics - all these places and more would have gotten my attention in any event. But caching has brought me to locations in parks that I might would not have otherwise discovered, or encouraged me to take a detour in the park itself that I might not have taken.

 

Would I have visited the Toroweap Overlook, 60 miles from the nearest polygamists at the Grand Canyon if not for the virtual there? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. But it was an added bonus in any event and helped seal the deal.

Edited March 14, 2015 by geodarts

[+Manville Possum]

I logged two FTF's in two different State Parks in Virginia yesterday. Our State Parks and their geocaching program is awesome!

 

My favorite park is for hiking and geocaching is Breaks Interstate.

[+PlantAKiss]

Hey Manville Possum Hunters--I have a possum living in my backyard you can hunt. (He/she will be living elsewhere soon).

 

I agree...I love VA State Parks!

 

I'm probably way behind the times but I thought caches weren't allowed in National Parks.

[+crazypig88]

Hey Manville Possum Hunters--I have a possum living in my backyard you can hunt. (He/she will be living elsewhere soon).

 

I agree...I love VA State Parks!

 

I'm probably way behind the times but I thought caches weren't allowed in National Parks.

On all of the caches in the Palo duro state park I found, there was explicit permission stated in the cache description with the papers for the permission in the welcome center. They knew all about them.

[vagabond]

in 2008 we volunteered to guest host at Casswell memorial state park just outside of Ripon Ca. just so we could be close to geowoodstock VI, we had a fun time and also possibly saved the caches in the park, as the ranger was considering banning caches in the park.

We checked the placement of them and let him know they were all within a step or two of the trails except one and it was in an open area

[+Manville Possum]

Hey Manville Possum Hunters--I have a possum living in my backyard you can hunt. (He/she will be living elsewhere soon).

 

I agree...I love VA State Parks!

 

I'm probably way behind the times but I thought caches weren't allowed in National Parks.

 

Uh, thanks but I have my own herd of possums now. The Civil War Adventure series was published by Virginia State Parks yesterday, I enjoy their geocaching program. I have a few listings published in Virginia State Parks, all cache placements on park propertys require a permit/permission. Really just nessary paper work, owner contact, ect.

 

As for national parks, physical geocaches are not permitted, but I have listed EarthCaches and other virtual type caches and waymarks with permission from the land manager.

[+badger10]

In my case it is the best of both worlds. I am volunteering at our Mega Event in June which happens to be in a State park. It has a cache already and probably have a couple more put out for the event. We used to go to Beverly Beach State Park on the Oregon Coast quite a bit. I think we will have to stay there again soon now that we are cachers so we can get their caches.

[+bflentje]

In my case, caching took me to the state parks, not the other way around. Generally I don't care for state parks. Most that I've been too are over-managed and over-diversified. The last one I camped in, I could read by the light of the Coke machine, but didn't need to, 'cause I was listening to the TV in my neighbor's RV.

 

Which MN state park would that have been? That's not my experience at all. And I've camped at over 30 of MN's state parks.

[+Ambrosia]

Hey Manville Possum Hunters--I have a possum living in my backyard you can hunt. (He/she will be living elsewhere soon).

 

I agree...I love VA State Parks!

 

I'm probably way behind the times but I thought caches weren't allowed in National Parks.

It is now up to each individual National Park to allow caches or not. A lot allow Earthcaches, of course - but there are a few that allow traditional caches with permits/permission.

[+PlantAKiss]

Uh, thanks but I have my own herd of possums now.

dadgum. lol

 

Thank you Ambrosia. That is good to know! That's great. So much changes in a few years. lol

[+hzoi]

It depends on the park and what it's preserving. Some are draws in and of themselves, such as Cloudland Canyon SP and Providence Canyon SP in Georgia, or Dead Horse Point SP in Utah. I'd go there regardless.

 

On the other hand, many state parks are just reservoirs with picnic tables. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed hiking and paddling around all of Alabama's state parks to complete the state park challenge. But I doubt I would have visited Paul Grist SP if Woodnutt hadn't made it into a geocaching destination.

[+coachstahly]

It's a little bit of both for me. Sometimes it's the caches and sometimes it's the parks. Turkey Run SP in IN is home to Turkey Run Stash (the oldest active unarchived cache in the state) but the park is well worth a visit on its own merits with a suspended bridge over the creek, great hiking trails, and a nice state run inn/hotel. Some of the state parks aren't nearly as nice, but I've been to a majority of them.