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Hi!
I’m also fairly new to this, a friend from NC got me interested. I tried to hide a cache in a Wal-Mart parking lot today, & our reviewer told me that a parking lot is private property & that I would need permission from the landowner? My friend knows of parking lot caches in NC, SC, FL & NY that are the same type of hide as I was trying to hide. I looked thru a “search” for caches with parking lot in the title, & found many more states listing parking lot caches. Anybody know for sure if these are allowed or not? Tlhanks,
Nurse_PatIt’s a don’t tell situation……..
Technically, you should be getting permission, but alot of people do not. And lots of these types of caches do get published.
Some states have approvers who pay more attention to what’s being submitted. WI is lucky in having approvers who know their business!
Also, some of these caches could be from earlier days when prohibitions were not as strict.
Find a shopping strip and ask the owners for permission. A good presentation would tell them it will draw in potential customers for the stores.
Or better yet, find a better place for a hide. There has to be a better place than a parking lot.
Cheezehead is right, I am sure there are places you would like bring your fellow geocachers to, To share the experience or the view. We have all seen parking lots before, and the cache in the parking lot is getting a little old for many of us.
Marc is right, many of these caches were placed before we grew to know what was right and what was not. Several years ago, Trudy & I found a cache no more than a dozen feet from an active rail line [GC7B4B] . We waited for a passing freight so that we cound walk the tracks to get back to our car.
No matter where you place a cache, always seek permission first. This will save you a lot of grief later on. If you have questions about what is appropriate, You may post them here or e-mail one of the reviewers [try WISKID1 at GMAIL dot COM].
Thanks to those of you that responded to my question about parking lot caches. I guess I was trying to find a more winter friendly, quick P&G that would have easy access for all seasons. Maybe some day I will understand why some states allow certain types of caches, & others don’t. Too bad things aren’t more uniform, so those of us that are new to this activity don’t get so confused.
Nurse_Pat….if you place a cache (wherever it is) you should to get permission. Placing caches without permission only serves to endanger the game we play. I applaud our approvers for questioning permissions (so long as they don’t question mine that is ;)).
I am not a huge fan of the caches in the middle of a store parking lot but I will do them anyway if I am in the area. One thing I will say is that caches I have placed that are in high muggle traffic areas are the least-liked caches and get the worse response from the caching public. Think about this when you place new caches… People like to be a bit hidden from the general public when looking around for some itty bitty little nano. Some will even avoid caches because of their location and proximity to the general public. There’s a place for urban caching just like there is for 2 mile in the woods caching and a fan for every type, but most people seem to not enjoy being watched while looking for a cache. At least that’s what the logs tell me..
I am just a sick and twisted guy who likes to test cachers to see just where they will go to find a cache 😈
-cheeto-
@-cheeto- wrote:
One thing I will say is that caches I have placed that are in high muggle traffic areas are the least-liked caches and get the worse response from the caching public. Think about this when you place new caches… People like to be a bit hidden from the general public when looking around for some itty bitty little nano.
I add them to my ever growing IGNORE list. and sometimes make a…well not nice comment about the hide.
again.. thanks everybody for the posts for my question. But most have missed my point.. I wasn’t asking whether or not you liked the parking lot caches.. I just didn’t realize that as a parking lot is open to the public, I didn’t know that permission was needed for the hide. Especially since when I was down in NC caching, I probably found 15 of this exact type of hide. So when I was told I needed permission to hide a cache in a parking lot that is open to the public, I didn’t understand. To me, it was kinda like needing permission to park there to go shopping. Some like these types of hides, some don’t. Some like long nature hikes, others don’t. That wasn’t the question. As a rehab nurse, I am trying to make more of my caches wheelchair accessible, which is why a parking lot is a good location for my purpose, especially for the winter months. Not everybody is capable of long treks over uneven terrain. The reviewer for my area was able to explain it to me sufficiently (stories of people thinking of bomb threats, etc). So I think a good rule of thumb for me would be to think of who is responsible for snow removal.. if its a city/county plow, then it would probably be ok for a hide. If it’s done privately, then it’s probably considered private property.
Nurse_PatOK, now that this thread mentions wheelchairs ….
There is a non-official train of thought or preference that says a 1/1 cache is a wheelchair cache. That means any other kind of cache probably should be a 2/2 minimum.
Pat, as a nurse, you probably realize the reality of being in a wheelchair, and it’s mobility problems and restraints. But be careful when you place a wheelchair cache.
Think! Is it really wheelchair friendly? What’s the surface like? How high or low is the cache? Parking?
BTW, this applies to anyone else who is thinking of or has placed a wheelchair cache.
The true test would be to find someone in a wheelchair, and have them check it for you. I would imagine more than 75% of these ‘tests’ would fail.
You are 100% correct Marc. Which is why I thought my location was perfect. Terrain is smooth, edge of parking lot with little traffic, height perfect to just reach out without straining or losing balance. But unfortunately, not allowed. And yes, I have worked with those wheelchair bound for the past 15yrs. I do realize their limitations. And their frustrations.
Hey, Miata! You read this one?
If you are really that interested in making this cache a go, just ask for permission. The worst thing that could happen is that you could be told no, and then you just look somewhere else.
Bec
Pat, whatever you decide to do is up to you. Please don’t let anyone discourage you from hiding a cache, no matter where you decide to place it (within GC.com guidelines).
I’d hate to think we as a group pushed you away from your first hide, and I’m certain that’s not anyones intent. But reading through the posts from begining to end, it could seem that we are. Geocachers are a GREAT group of people. Some of us, including myself just get bored of parking lot caches, but we still do them, well most of us anywho.
Place your cache where you like, just get permission in advance. Enjoy the sport. I can’t wait to hunt your first hide, and any others to come.
@marc_54140 wrote:
Hey, Miata! You read this one?
Yes I did! You my friend are a trouble maker. 😉
I will probably never rate a cache terrain a 1.0 or “almost wheel chair accessible” since the cache I made these mistakes on once had a member “severely sprain” an ankle.
A 100 yard walk on level ground with 50 yards of level boardwalk can be a huge challenge to those who don’t read the description and choose to access the cache from a long slog through a swamp. 😳
Oh well, Happy New Year to all! 😀
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