• Let someone know where you’re going and when you’re coming back.
• Check the weather forecast and plan accordingly.  You might want to reconsider that cache hunt if severe weather is predicted.
• Do your homework before you seek:  Use maps to find a route that will minimize your impacts.  Know what roads and trails exist that will bring you closest and safest to the cache you’re seeking.  Staying on trails will minimize your impact on the area, prolonging the life of the cache.
• When you leave your car, mark its location as a waypoint!  Sounds silly, but once you get deep into the cache hunt, it’s easy to get disoriented.
• When hiking on a trail, stay on the trail even if it is muddy or wet to avoid widening the trail or creating side trails.
• When going off-trail, consciously think about leaving absolutely no indications of your passage.  Choose your steps on solid ground, avoiding mosses, wet areas, loose soil or steep banks.  Step beside, not on, ferns and other plants.  Try to leave no trace of your visit.  After you've finished searching for a cache, the area should look as though you were never there or better than when you arrived (e.g. pick up litter).
• Practice “lift, look, replace” technique, if you lift a rock to look under it then replace it exactly as you found it.
• In addition to your GPS receiver always carry extra batteries, a map, compass, and know how to use them.  It’s kind of embarrassing to get lost with a GPS.
• Travel with a partner – especially when traveling cross-country or in remote areas.
• Carry water and emergency supplies – even on short trips.

 

At the Cache

• If the impacts of previous cachers essentially led you to the cache, notify the owner that perhaps it is time to move or archive the cache.  The challenge of seeking a geocache is to use your GPS unit and your detective skills, not following a beaten path.
• Make sure it is the geocache before handling the thing.  Keep in mind that the remains of meth labs have been found in the forests – remains that are extremely dangerous.  All geocaches placed on state lands should have a green and black "Official Geocache" sticker or some other official labeling on the container.
• If the cache is near a public area (where there are “muggles” – non-geocachers – about), be inconspicuous in retrieving, signing in, and replacing a cache to avoid vandalism.
• Do not put illegal items into a cache.  Use your common sense in most cases.  Explosives, fireworks, ammo, lighters, knives (including pocket knives and multi-tools), drugs, alcohol or other illicit material shouldn't be placed in a cache.  As always respect the local laws.  Geocaching is a family activity and cache contents should be suitable for all ages. 
• Never place food items in a cache.  Animals have better noses than humans, and in some cases caches have been chewed through and destroyed because food items (or items that smell like food) are in the cache.  Even the presence of mint flavored dental floss has led to destruction of a cache.
• If you exchange trade items, trade kindly: Consider what future finders would like to find and leave something equal to or better than what you take.
• Promptly alert the owner of any issues with their cache.  Make minor repairs if you can, it will save the owner a trip.
• Make sure the container is properly closed to prevent the contents from getting wet or destroyed.
• Put the cache back where you found it and hide it well.  Don’t move a cache - if you suspect the cache is not in the intended spot, hide it the best you can and alert the owner as soon as possible.
• Immediate safety concerns – i.e. hornet’s nest under cache – should be noted on the website and the owner notified ASAP.

 

After the Hunt

• If you forgot to mark a waypoint for where you parked your car, don’t forget about the track back function on your GPS (most units), which can guide you to retrace your steps back to where you started.
• Practice the same careful steps on the way out – don’t leave a discernable trail back though the ferns.
• Following a trip (and before a new trip), wash your gear (boots, pants cuffs, etc.) to reduce the spread of noxious weeds and other invasive plants.

 

Other Impacts

• If you “gotta go”, observe proper sanitary waste disposal by burying waste 3-4 inches deep and at least 200 feet from trails, campsites, and water resources or pack your waste out.
• Abide by all existing regulations including motor vehicle restrictions.
• Respect and be courteous to other users who also want to enjoy the great outdoors.

Geocaching has become a popular recreation on Pennsylvania’s State Park and State Forest lands.  The idea is to have individuals set up caches and share the locations of these caches through the use of coordinates and clues.  Once found, a cache may provide a wide variety of exchangeable items, clues or scenic/historic sites.  The Geocache community uses the Internet extensively for posting cache locations. The Bureau of State Parks charges a $25.00 fee for placing a geocache on State Park lands.  Sponsoring a CITO event or other volunteer effort can often be arranged with the park manager in lieu of this fee.  Varies from park to park

The following is a list of caches/waymarks found in our State Parks/State Forest Lands that need a Department approval. 

The following guidelines apply to all geocaches on State Park and State Forest lands:
If you place the cache on public lands you need to contact the managing agency to find out about their rules.  Regulations are intended to protect the fragile environment, and historical and cultural areas.
 

• Placement of geocaches on lands administered by the DCNR - Bureau of State Parks / Bureau of Forestry requires authorization by the Park Manager / District Forester or designee.  This authorization will be considered through a review process, including a Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory search (PNDI) that insures its location is compatible with other park and forest activities.
• A “Geocache Identification Form” must be completed and sent to the managing entity for consideration.
• Please use common sense when choosing a location for your cache.  Do not place your cache in any location where it might be confused with something more dangerous. 
• Virtual caches will no longer be handled as geo-caches, but rather as waymarks.  Discretion must be used by the Park Manager/District Forester to determine whether or not the site of the waymark is a hardened surface due to existing foot traffic or if the waymark is located in an ecological sensitive area in need of protection.  A waymark located in a compacted area will be exempt from an agreement and will be handled at the park/forest level.  However, if the waymark presents potential environmental impact, department approval must be sought and a PNDI search must be conducted.
• A geocache contact person responsible for necessary upkeep of the site must be identified prior to approval by the Park Manager / District Forester or designee.
• There should be no earth disturbance or vegetative impact to any approved site.  Nor should the cache be readily discernable by the general public.
• All cache seekers and cache owners must abide by park/forestry hours and all other park/forestry rules and regulations.
• Cache(s) shall not be placed in a plastic (PVC) pipe.  Park Managers/District Foresters should use their discretion to determine what is a permissible container to house the cache(s) contents.
• The cache may not be placed within Natural Areas, Penn Nursery perimeter fence, seed orchards, or Wild Plant Sanctuaries, or on stream banks, riparian zones, wetlands, prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, exemplary natural communities, ecologically sensitive areas, unique geological features, dam structures, or unsafe areas.  You must contact the Park Manager / District Forester for possible additional restrictions or questions concerning the proposed location.
• A cache may remain at the approved site for no more than three years at which time it must be removed, the site restored to its original condition, and the Park Manager / District Forester informed in writing of the removal.  This will control cache abandonment and assist in preventing renegade trail development to the site.  Certain conditions may constitute the re-approval of an existing cache that has been on State Park or State Forest lands for three years.  If the cache remains a viable attribute to the visitor experience and does not have a current or foreseeable environmental impact on the site, it can be considered for re-approval.  Park Managers/District Foresters should use their discretion to determine if the cache(s) meets the aforementioned conditions.
• Obtain the best possible coordinates for your cache to reduce unwarranted wear on the area.  Recheck and correct your coordinates if finders report significant errors.
• Do not place illegal items into a cache or anything that might smell like food to a bear. 
• Once you place the cache, it is your responsibility to maintain the cache and the area around it.  You'll need to return as often as you can to ensure that your cache is not impacting the area, and ensure that the cache is in good repair.  If a cache's area is impacted, confer with the land manager on how you will mitigate the impacts, and seek their advice as to whether to relocate the cache.
• Unauthorized geocaches on State Park or State Forest lands will be removed and treated as abandoned property, and the responsible person may be cited for littering.
• The placement of a “Premium Member only Geocache” will not be permitted on State Park/State Forest lands.  These caches require a monthly fee to access their coordinates and therefore make it impossible for the Department to monitor their locations.  All caches on public lands shall be available to the public without a fee.
• The responsible party shall delete site location(s) from all publications and/or website(s) within seven days of removal.

 

 

Steps to placing a cache on DCNR lands:

1. Scout your location and mark your waypoint(s) for the cache hiding place(s). Consider contacting the DCNR office (State Park or State Forest) in advance... they may suggest good hiding places, and tell you about areas to steer away from.

2. Set up your cache page on Geocaching.com, and submit it for approval, but say in the "Note to Reviewer" field: "PLEASE HOLD.... approval from DCNR is pending."  This lets the reviewer know to hold your cache in the review queue until the permit is obtained.  He/she will review your cache and let you know right away if they have any questions other than your permit.

3. Fill out the Geocache Identification form , including the URL for your cache page, its GC number, the coordinates for your cache, etc.

4. Visit the Park or Forestry office and submit your form or e-mail it to the land manager of your selected site.  Your cache application will then be reviewed, which may or may not happen right then, depending on whether you've contacted them in advance.

DCNR staff will then conduct a PNDI review (Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index) to check for threatened or endangered species in the area of the proposed geocache.  If there are no known impacts and the cache location is sustainable (can take the traffic without leaving a beaten path), then the cache is likely to be approved.

Placement of geocaches on lands administered by the DCNR - Bureau of State Parks / Bureau of Forestry requires authorization by the Park Manager / District Forester or designee.  This authorization will be considered through a review process, including a Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory search (PNDI) that insures its location is compatible with other park and forest activities.  The Bureau of State Parks charges a $25.00 fee for placing a geocache on State Park lands.  Sponsoring a CITO event or other volunteer effort can often be arranged with the park manager in lieu of this fee.  Varies from park to park.

5. You'll be advised when your cache is approved.  Sign the Geocaching Agreement provided to you at the Park or Forestry Office (State Parks charge a $25.00 fee, Forestry does not).  They'll also give you a FREE green Geocaching.com sticker to put on your cache container.  Caches on DCNR lands are approved for three years, after which they must be removed or reassessed and re-approved.

6. Place your cache as described in your permit.

7. Post a new "note to reviewer" saying that your permit was obtained.  The cache will then be listed on the geocaching website, assuming it meets all other guidelines.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Use the "placed with permission" logo, approved by DCNR, on your cache page. The html that you should copy and paste into your cache description is < img src="http://img.geocaching.com/cache/e5edcd27-f0e4-4b6d-9fd4-821a2916ee54.jpg" />

You need to remove the spaces after the first < and then it will look like this: