Freeway Cache Hides

[+brekkcaching123]

Hey! On those U-turns between freeways (at least where I live) there is a sign with a hole in the wood post. Could you hide caches like that, or rather not?

[+Michaelcycle]

Where I live those U-turn lanes on major highways are clearly marked "For Official Use Only"

[+JL_HSTRE]

42 minutes ago, brekkcaching123 said:

Hey! On those U-turns between freeways (at least where I live) there is a sign with a hole in the wood post. Could you hide caches like that, or rather not?

 

On US interstate highways, and I think most other freeways, stopping is officially prohibited except for emergencies or in designated areas (rest areas, service plazas, etc). The also prohibit pedestrians.

 

That means no geocaches in freeway right of way, unless accessible from an aforementioned legal parking area.

 

And some places, like Virginia, prohibit physical geocaches  outright on all DOT property which means almost all roadways and even rest areas.

 

In general, placing a geocache somewhere that requires stopping your vehicle in a place not intended for vehicles to be stopped (ex: a turn lane) is a very bad idea.

[Keystone]

Geocache placements must comply with all applicable laws, and in the USA most states have adopted traffic laws specific to this subject.  For example, here in Ohio where I live, it's a violation for any person "as a pedestrian, [to] occupy any space within the limits of the right-of-way of a freeway, except: in a rest area; on a facility that is separated from the roadway and shoulders of the freeway and is designed and appropriately marked for pedestrian use; in the performance of public works or official duties; as a result of an emergency caused by an accident or breakdown of a motor vehicle; or to obtain assistance."

 

I apply this same approach to caches hidden within freeway "cloverleaf" interchanges.

[+niraD]

59 minutes ago, Keystone said:

I apply this same approach to caches hidden within freeway "cloverleaf" interchanges.

I once found a geocache that was along a multi-use trail that passed through a complicated freeway interchange. But there was no way to access the freeway from the multi-use trail, or vice versa. Actually, part of the challenge of that cache was figuring out how to access it. The nearest trailhead with parking was more than half a mile away.

 

But that's a completely different situation than the emergency turnaround areas of a freeway.

[+brekkcaching123]

Ok. I've been wondering about that, because I might have been thinking about hiding one on most of those spots.

[+Mysterion604]

I can't imagine any of my local reviewers (here in Canada) allowing it; too unsafe to access and probably illegal to boot. Sure, people should use common sense, but it just takes one person who has none of that and causes a car accident to give the whole hobby a black eye.

 

Mind you there are lots of caches near major highways around here, just not positioned like that. Highway rest stop / chain-up areas are common, as are places where the highway is divided off from the cache hiding area by some sort of retaining wall or fence. There also has to be a way (in theory) to approach the cache on foot; it cannot depend on only being able to drive to the exact spot and stop there; this is why some grassy medians might work, and other not work (freeways divided by a grass & tree median may look tempting, but if a pedestrian stands zero chance of reaching it without crossing fast-moving traffic, I'd say that rules it out). 

 

[+SwineFlew]

On 6/4/2023 at 4:08 PM, Keystone said:

Geocache placements must comply with all applicable laws, and in the USA most states have adopted traffic laws specific to this subject.  For example, here in Ohio where I live, it's a violation for any person "as a pedestrian, [to] occupy any space within the limits of the right-of-way of a freeway, except: in a rest area; on a facility that is separated from the roadway and shoulders of the freeway and is designed and appropriately marked for pedestrian use; in the performance of public works or official duties; as a result of an emergency caused by an accident or breakdown of a motor vehicle; or to obtain assistance."

 

I apply this same approach to caches hidden within freeway "cloverleaf" interchanges.

Theres one hidden in the cloverleaf interchange thats you can get to legally by a bike path.(its along the bikepath) (in my area) 

[+Wacka]

Found one about 15-20 years ago (long since archived) that was in the middle of the interstate. Thing was that there was a  drain pipe (that you could stand up in) that was accessible from a park  on one side  of the highway.  In the highway median was an access way that went up to the surface with a ladder. The cache was on the bottom of the ladder. 

[+baer2006]

4 hours ago, Wacka said:

Found one about 15-20 years ago (long since archived) that was in the middle of the interstate. Thing was that there was a  drain pipe (that you could stand up in) that was accessible from a park  on one side  of the highway.  In the highway median was an access way that went up to the surface with a ladder. The cache was on the bottom of the ladder. 

I have found a few caches of that kind. If there is any kind of underpass below a freeway, which is legally accessible (this includes small streams, or tunnels for animals), then you can in principle place a cache "in the middle of the freeway". I guess, that you have to describe the local situation in all details to the reviewer, incl. photos of the exact hiding place.