Virtual Geocache

[+rvexpress]

My husband and I like to camp in National Parks & Monuments. I've seen several virtual geocaches in National Parks & Monuments. A physical geocache isn't possible in a National Park or Monument so people place virtual ones.

 

Is geocache.com allowing new virtual geocaches?

[RuideAlmeida]

Is geocache.com allowing new virtual geocaches?

 

No.

Your alternatives are Earthcaches or Waymarks.

[+cerberus1]

Is geocache.com allowing new virtual geocaches?

No.

[+palmetto]

A physical geocache isn't possible in a National Park

 

At one time, getting permission to place a physical geocache in a U.S. National Park was quite difficult. Certainly not possible for the traveling, passing through, vacationer. It's still not easy.

 

However, there are physical caches in National Parks now. Including (in Florida) those placed by geocachers who are not NPS employees, ie, just local cachers.

 

I link to two Geotours, caches mostly physical, both in U.S. National Parks, and hosted by the NPS,

 

Captain John Smith GeoTour

Find Your Park GeoTour

[Pup Patrol]

My husband and I like to camp in National Parks & Monuments. I've seen several virtual geocaches in National Parks & Monuments. A physical geocache isn't possible in a National Park or Monument so people place virtual ones.

 

Is geocache.com allowing new virtual geocaches?

 

No.

 

What you have been finding are the grandfathered virtual caches.

 

Also, "vacation caches" aren't allowed without a stated maintenance plan.

 

Earthcaches would be a possibility for the travelling cache owner. Though...timely maintenance can still be an issue.

 

Read the Guidelines thoroughly a few times.

 

https://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx

 

And the Help Center section "Hiding a Geocache"

 

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=19

 

B.

Edited August 31, 2016 by Pup Patrol

[+hzoi]

Odd. My post got eaten, perhaps by a grue. Let's try that again.

 

Though virtuals are no longer allowed, earthcaches are similar and can be hidden on National Park Service property with proper permission. Getting permission from a government agency can be time intensive, though, so I suspect most cachers just haven't had the patience for it. I do, though, and I've had some success at it.

 

This spring, I visited Mesa Verde National Park, which had one earthcache. It looks like a great earthcache, and I wish I'd been able to complete it, but it required a tour of one of the cliff dwellings, and tours had already been sold out in advance when I visited. So I was out of luck. That earthcache also wasn't an option for all geocachers, as it required a hike and climbing up and down ladders to access the alcove. So I designed an earthcache that would be doable from 1-star terrain across the canyon from another cliff dwelling, that taught a different geology lesson. After I eventually got permission from park staff, I got it published in short order.

 

The key with dealing with national park staff, or even state or local park staff, is patience. They are part of a government bureaucracy and have to follow rules and pass things through different levels for approval. (I'm a federal employee as well, so I know how it goes.) I've developed a standard approach to getting earthcaches published on public land, as well as astandard follow-up email that park staff can use to satisfy their approval authority. So far I've used it to get 4 caches approved on NPS property, as well as several other caches on state or local park land, so I'm pretty happy with it.

[+Manville Possum]

I much prefer Waymarks over Earthcaches because they don't require any government bureaucracy.

[+rvexpress]

I much prefer Waymarks over Earthcaches because they don't require any government bureaucracy.

 

What is a Waymark?

[+Manville Possum]

I much prefer Waymarks over Earthcaches because they don't require any government bureaucracy.

 

What is a Waymark?

 

Waymarking was Groundspeak's alternative to Virtual geocaching.