Finding the right spot if you want to hide a geocache can be tricky. You’ll need to think about how people will be able to find it and make sure that it is in a safe place where people won’t accidentally stumble upon it.
Geocaches can be hidden in many different places. You should try to hide your geocache in a safe place where people will enjoy finding it. Avoid hiding your cache in dangerous areas or common tourist spots.
But you also need to be aware of a few other things to ensure that the people looking for your geocache have fun. All of that will be discussed in this post. Therefore, be sure to read it thoroughly.
How to Choose The Best Place to Hide a Geocache?
The cache’s placement affects how fun geocaching is—geocachers like finding clues that lead them to hidden riches. The little riddles and the hunt for hints make the game so exciting.
Maybe you’ve already located a few geocaches. If you haven’t already, I strongly advise doing so before considering hiding your cache. After then, think about what appealed to you about other people’s caches. Try to include those elements in your cache so that other people can appreciate them.
You must take into account a few factors while deciding where to hide your cache:
- Accessibility:
Your geocache location should not be easy to find by accident. So, avoid choosing hiding places that people can easily reach. Like that, stay away from obscure areas like obscure pathways through dense jungle. Do not hide your geocache on someone else’s property. If you do this anyway, ensure you get permission from the owners first. Ensure they are okay with the idea before placing a geocache anywhere on their property.
- Exoticness:
Geocaching is only enjoyable if it leads us to scenic locations we wouldn’t typically discover on our own. No matter how unique or stunning they may be, avoid popular tourist destinations in your area while hiding a geocache. Instead, try to conceal your stash in a remote locale that is difficult to locate without a local tour guide. Anything lovely and off the beaten track will do, whether a tiny hill, a secret glade, or anything else.
- Natural Elements:
Some good places to hide geocaches like tree hollows and small caves. But you should never clear out an animal nest to put a geocache there because you would be destroying a part of nature. It’s also important not to place geocaches in the middle of flower beds or other delicate natural areas because many people will visit your geocache, and too much activity might harm the place’s natural beauty.
What to Hide in a Geocache?
Before you hide your geocache, you need to choose a container. There are many different containers, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Choose the container that will fit best in the hiding place you have chosen. Keep a few things in mind while selecting a container for your geocache.
- They have to be watertight.
- They must possess the strength to withstand the elements.
- They ought to be evident as a geocache container.
- They should not resemble anything at all.
You must incorporate the following things into your geocache:
- Marker and logbook: While you can put a variety of items in a geocache box, the logbook is the most important item. Anyone who discovers your geocache will sign it to confirm that they did so. Along with the logbook, you should bring a marker or a pencil. When looking for a geocache, most people typically get their own, but there’s always a chance they might forget.
- Trinkets: Without a treasure, what good is a treasure hunt? Make sure to include a memento for the geocache’s visitors. For the following individual, they will leave something extra in there. A trackable item like a Geocoin or travel bug might also be added. These objects can be taken to the following geocache they visit because they are GPS trackable. It’s a cute little feature that the game has included. Later, if you’d like, you can look for it.
What To Do After Placing Your Geocache?
Now that you have hidden your geocache, you must submit it on a geocache listing site. You can accomplish this by visiting the listing site’s website, or you might find an app that handles it for you.
- Select Geochece type: When you go to a listing site, you must select your geocache type. This can be a traditional cache, a multi-cache, or a puzzle cache. Pick the kind that fits your geocache.
- Coordinates: You will need to note the coordinates of your geocache. Open your GPS and find the accurate coordinates of your location. Make sure it is correct before you enter it on the site. Most people will rely on it to find your cache.
- Cache Description: Give a one- or two-line description of why the location is ideal for geocaching and whether it has any unusual cache lore.
- Difficulty level: Different listing sites have different criteria to follow to gauge the difficulty level of the terrain. This is usually on a scale from 1-9.
After that, agree to any terms and conditions prompt from the site. Now a volunteer will review your geocache. Once they confirm it follows the standard rules, they will publish it. It usually takes around a week, so be patient.
After you publish your geocache, you need to check on it from time to time. This entails ensuring everything is in its proper location and that nothing is lost. You can receive a notification from the website informing you of any issues and what needs to be rectified.
Mistakes to Avoid While Hiding a Geocache
There are some mistakes that geocachers commonly make. To avoid making these mistakes, read this list:
- Do not bury your geocache.
- Do not place a geocache within 161 meters of another geocache.
- Do not put advertisements in a geocache, like a business card.
- Do not damage natural constructs to place a geocache.
Read more: Geocaching Spreads as a Family Pastime
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Hide a Geocache
Do you have to dig up geocache?
You should not create a hole in the ground to place or find a geocache unless you have permission from the property owner. If you have permission, you must inform the reviewer and state this on the cache page. A cache cannot require the finder to dig to reach it.
What are some dangers of geocaching?
The danger of looking for a GPS cache is that you might not find it. This might not sound so bad, but if you are looking for it, you might spend hours in the forest or on the street. Sometimes people (or children) take the cache from its GPS location, or groundskeepers do.
Why should you never bury a cache?
You should never change the environment when you hide a cache, and you should never place the cache in a spot where people will have to change the environment to find it. Do not bury a geocache or put it in thick brush that other people will have to clear.
How often should I check on my geocache?
You should read logs to find out about the area and the cache. Geocachers often include information about their journey to find the cache. They might also mention if anything about the cache should be updated or changed.