+LostTruckDriver Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 I travel through a lot of states as a truck driver. How do people get permission to place caches in rest areas, picnic areas or scenic view points? Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 It can vary by state & agency. Some have an open to caching policy, others may need explicit permission. And some CO's go by the "Frisbee Rule" - if you can play Frisbee there, you can play geocaching. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 (edited) You could check each state's Regional Geocaching Policy Wiki, and see if rest areas/highway properties are even mentioned. For example, in the regional wiki for PA, there's no mention of "other" highways, and we've done a few rest area caches on 80 and 81, but all geocaches are banned on Pennsylvania Turnpike properties. Edited September 5, 2020 by cerberus1 o Quote Link to comment
+TriciaG Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 Geocaches are banned in Wisconsin rest areas. Quote Link to comment
+Max and 99 Posted September 5, 2020 Share Posted September 5, 2020 6 minutes ago, TriciaG said: Geocaches are banned in Wisconsin rest areas. Learned something new. All caches, or just ones with a container? I'm assuming all. Quote Link to comment
Keystone Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Virginia is another State that's banned all rest area caches. I was personally involved in the negotiations with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which were ultimately unsuccessful. My recommendations for those seeking permission are (1) to contact the State-level Department of Transportation, not a local maintenance worker who you meet at the rest area, (2) to emphasize the positive safety benefits of having people stop for a walk, and (3) to analogize to dog walking as an activity with higher impact. Despite a well-presented permission argument, the responsible agency may simply decide to ban all geocaches, like the PA Turnpike did. I wish they'd instead concentrate on problems like littering, prostitution, human trafficking and drug use. 4 1 Quote Link to comment
+Goldenwattle Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 I have never placed a cache here in Australia in a rest area, but rest area caches here are common. In bigger rest areas there could be more than one. I think people just place them, and I have never heard of a problem with this. Actually, I have never had to ask permission to place a cache. And I doubt many others have either. As long as they are not on private land. Quote Link to comment
+thebruce0 Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 Another benefit to include could be the chance for visiting geocachers to help pick up stray trash, as some are wont to do. 1 Quote Link to comment
+JL_HSTRE Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 10 hours ago, Keystone said: Despite a well-presented permission argument, the responsible agency may simply decide to ban all geocaches, like the PA Turnpike did. I would assume those opposed to it mostly consider it a security issue. Most rest area caches I've found over my decade of caching have been away from buildings. But it's easier to do a blanket ban than deal with which ones are okay and which aren't, or with tourists worried about the strange people going into the woods / under the picnic table / fiddling with the fence. Quote Link to comment
Keystone Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 In the case of the PA Turnpike Commission, security never came up in the discussions. It was all about lease agreements and contracts. There are many reasons to ban caches, unfortunately. 1 Quote Link to comment
+TriciaG Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 23 hours ago, Max and 99 said: Learned something new. All caches, or just ones with a container? I'm assuming all. I don't know. I just know that traveling through Wisconsin without rest area caches is a sad experience. 1 Quote Link to comment
+Max and 99 Posted September 6, 2020 Share Posted September 6, 2020 One of my favorite Earth Caches was at a rest stop. 1 Quote Link to comment
+G0ldNugget Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 It seems that most rest stops here in California have caches. They are a pretty reliable source for a nice break and a quick smiley on long trips, especially along the major routes. Quote Link to comment
+XHawk Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Minnesota banned caches in rest areas several years ago, but you will still find some that were placed before the ban. Quote Link to comment
+frostengel Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Here in Gemany we have several caches at rest stops ("Autobahnparkplatz" :-)), too. They are usually micro caches wirh many finds (1000+) and rarely have any favourite points or get any good logs. I don't know why I would own such a thing. Some weeks ago we did a small multi cache near a rest stop. We had to pass an awful area where some ..... people ...... had pooped on the street. Yikes! Just don't do it - go and find a better place. You can take a rest while driving without finding a geocache. Yes, it is possible. :-) 1 1 Quote Link to comment
+terratin Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 In the Netherlands carpool caches are a thing. And of course rest area caches. One of my first ever was a carpool cache *sigh* I usually ignore them all:put on nice music, sing along and just drive. But then distances tend to be smaller in Europe. When in Utah a few years back I rather made detours for virtuals. Soooo many old virtuals!!! Though I did get annoyed after the xth mormon memorial virtual. 1 Quote Link to comment
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