Parking Garage Caches

[+TwistedCube]

These types of caches are among my favorites, the ones I found were extremely clever, such as a little tin box on a magnetic beam 30 feet up. Oh yeah, and you can only see it from the ground! It took me and four others like 30 minutes to spot it, you had to go up to the top floor of the parking garage to retrieve it. And another where you had to CLIMB 20 feet up the garage to get the cache, or reach it from the inside, you can probably guess which method I went with : ).

Parking garage caches aren't common and I was wanting to place one near me. Ideas are helpful. Also, the more difficult/evil the better!

[+cerberus1]

Even the community parking garages in our area are private property, and we know (asked) that none will give permission. 

 - Probably why they're not common.  Sorry, can't help ya.   

[+niraD]

Most of the parking garage caches I've found haven't been very different from other urban caches. But there were a few that used the fact that it was a parking garage to interesting effect. An obvious approach is not to say which level your cache is on, so seekers have to search all the levels, but that's just a needle-in-a-haystack technique. A multi-stage cache can use the number of steps or the number of flights of steps to lead to the next stage. And there was one "think outside the box" cache that was on the outside of the parking garage a couple floors up, accessible from the stairs.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

19 hours ago, TwistedCube said:

These types of caches are among my favorites, the ones I found were extremely clever, such as a little tin box on a magnetic beam 30 feet up. Oh yeah, and you can only see it from the ground! It took me and four others like 30 minutes to spot it, you had to go up to the top floor of the parking garage to retrieve it. And another where you had to CLIMB 20 feet up the garage to get the cache, or reach it from the inside, you can probably guess which method I went with : ).

Parking garage caches aren't common and I was wanting to place one near me. Ideas are helpful. Also, the more difficult/evil the better!

There used to be a parking garage (in a five story garage) cache near me that had one of the best hints I've ever seen.  The description mentioned that, while hiding the cache, they were able to obtain very accurate coordinates with their GPS.  The hint was "think laterally" .  

The only place one could obtain accurate coordinates with a GPS was on the top floor where there was an unobstructed view of the sky.  

[+dprovan]

5 hours ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

There used to be a parking garage (in a five story garage) cache near me that had one of the best hints I've ever seen.  The description mentioned that, while hiding the cache, they were able to obtain very accurate coordinates with their GPS.  The hint was "think laterally" .  

The only place one could obtain accurate coordinates with a GPS was on the top floor where there was an unobstructed view of the sky.  

I think the only garage cache I've found that wasn't on the top floor was at the bottom level of the parking garage under San Francisco's Union Square, and the whole point of that one -- now archived -- was that you had to figure out where it was laterally without being able to use you GPS once you went inside.

[+Rebore]

A few days ago I found one of those and it was more fun than I expected. It was hidden at an underground car park, so I went looking for GZ on the surface before . Ok, there it is, just one story lower.

I thought I would easily remember where to go, but nope. Everything was different down there and I lost orientation very soon, so I went to the next car ramp where my GPSr had contact with the powers above again .Okay, 100m in 'that' direction, so I counted my steps  and ended up right at the box. I still wonder how the hider managed to get precise coordinates.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

I've used a fake 4 X 4 electrical box and magnetic numbers with the log on back.

[+egroeg]

I once hid a puzzle cache that used the pillars and floors as an x,y,z coordinate system.  You solved simultaneous equations to know which floor and post to search.  Had to archive it over permission issues.  Dang, I was proud of that one, too.

[+boisestate]

I was in Las Vegas a few months back and looked for a couple of different parking garage caches at the resort I was staying.  The first one I found quickly because the clue gave away which floor to look. The second one (different parking garage at the same resort) I DNF after two good long searches, it got pretty frustrating. Not to mention there were security cameras EVERYWHERE so I was fully prepared to the explain to the security crew what the heck I was doing loitering in the parking garage...after all I was a guest at the resort so I'm sure I would have been OK.  I saw a third similar cache about a block away, after the DNF on the 2nd resort parking garage cache I decided to not even bother looking for it.

(Totally my opinion here) I am not a fan of caches that use multi levels (i.e. parking garages, stairs, small bridges etc.) to add difficulty to a hide. For sure it can add difficulty to the hide...especially if you don't give much information in the clue. If that's what you are going for then you will enjoy creating such a cache.  If there is not already a cache of this type in your area, I would say go for it.  Different cachers like different types of hides and I know some will enjoy it. - Have fun.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

18 hours ago, dprovan said:

I think the only garage cache I've found that wasn't on the top floor was at the bottom level of the parking garage under San Francisco's Union Square, and the whole point of that one -- now archived -- was that you had to figure out where it was laterally without being able to use you GPS once you went inside.

I found one like that in Hamburg, Germany but it wasn't in a parking garage.  It was in a tunnel that runs underneath the harbor: Der Alte Elbtunnel

[+TwistedCube]

11 hours ago, boisestate said:

I was in Las Vegas a few months back and looked for a couple of different parking garage caches at the resort I was staying.  The first one I found quickly because the clue gave away which floor to look. The second one (different parking garage at the same resort) I DNF after two good long searches, it got pretty frustrating. Not to mention there were security cameras EVERYWHERE so I was fully prepared to the explain to the security crew what the heck I was doing loitering in the parking garage...after all I was a guest at the resort so I'm sure I would have been OK.  I saw a third similar cache about a block away, after the DNF on the 2nd resort parking garage cache I decided to not even bother looking for it.

(Totally my opinion here) I am not a fan of caches that use multi levels (i.e. parking garages, stairs, small bridges etc.) to add difficulty to a hide. For sure it can add difficulty to the hide...especially if you don't give much information in the clue. If that's what you are going for then you will enjoy creating such a cache.  , If there is not already a cache of this type in your area I would say go for it.  Different cachers like different types of hides and I know some will enjoy it. - Have fun.

The nearest parking garage cache to where I am planning on hiding this one is about 45 minutes to an hour away, and by difficulty I mean the actual hide being tough. Like a really good urban camo job, or a devious container. Maybe even one where you have to look at a certain angle to find. But no, that is just plain mean to have different levels to search. However, I was also thinking about a "spot the difference" mystery cache where the finder has to look at a certain corner in the parking garage on every level and spot the difference, (which is the cache.)

 

[+Michaelcycle]

I haven't been in a parking garage in the last ten years that did not have security cameras at multiple points on every level. I have done a few of these caches and I have pretty much given them up. I got tired of playing hide and seek with private security people (I don't blame them, they are guarding-depending on the size of the garage-millions of dollars worth of other people's property)

[+J Grouchy]

Only one I own is a stage of a multi.  Each level is named after a gemstone for some reason (diamond, ruby, sapphire, etc.) and so I created a field puzzle to solve by substituting the level names for numbers in the next stage coordinates.  It eliminates the need for searching for a cache in the garage itself and only requires the cacher to drive through it...or walk up the stairs.  

I realize the gem names is an oddity, but many parking garages/decks color code the levels, so you could possibly do something similar if you decide you don't want to place a physical object in the garage for security reasons.

Edited December 26, 2017 by J Grouchy

[+captnemo]

1 hour ago, Michaelcycle said:

I haven't been in a parking garage in the last ten years that did not have security cameras at multiple points on every level. I have done a few of these caches and I have pretty much given them up. I got tired of playing hide and seek with private security people (I don't blame them, they are guarding-depending on the size of the garage-millions of dollars worth of other people's property)

never have felt comfortable with parking garage caches.  I have found several including several in Vegas

[+Michaelcycle]

1 hour ago, J Grouchy said:

Only one I own is a stage of a multi.  Each level is named after a gemstone for some reason (diamond, ruby, sapphire, etc.) and so I created a field puzzle to solve by substituting the level names for numbers in the next stage coordinates.  It eliminates the need for searching for a cache in the garage itself and only requires the cacher to drive through it...or walk up the stairs.  

I realize the gem names is an oddity, but many parking garages/decks color code the levels, so you could possibly do something similar if you decide you don't want to place a physical object in the garage for security reasons.

Well played, I like it!

[+NYPaddleCacher]

16 minutes ago, Michaelcycle said:

I haven't been in a parking garage in the last ten years that did not have security cameras at multiple points on every level. I have done a few of these caches and I have pretty much given them up. I got tired of playing hide and seek with private security people (I don't blame them, they are guarding-depending on the size of the garage-millions of dollars worth of other people's property)

There's one that's real easy to get at Helsinki airport.  It's on the ground floor just a couple of feet from the outside of the garage with accurate coordinates making it quite easy to find GZ.  The only tricky part would be if whoever parked the car in the spot closest to the cache was there when you searched for it.