Geocaching Policy

Carrollton Parks and Recreation Geocaching Policy

The Carrollton Parks and Recreation Department supports the sport of geocaching, using GPS equipment and the World Wide Web to place and locate a "cache" in the park system. We believe that geocaching will increase the public's exposure to the parks and historical sites within the City of Carrollton.

Carrollton Parks and Recreation encourages "virtual caching". Rather than placing an actual cache, use the whole park or a unique feature in the park as the destination. A virtual geocache doesn’t really hide anything. Usually, the person hunting the virtual cache is asked to describe some unique characteristic of the landscape or read something from a plaque. We also encourage the practice of "Cache in, Trash out" - helping to clean up the parks one cache at a time by bringing a trash bag and doing a little trail cleanup while hunting for or placing a geocache.

A few park systems have experienced problems with geocaching activities. People have placed caches in dangerous or sensitive locations, buried them, or hunted them during times when parks are closed to the public. To avoid problems, Carrollton has created the following geocaching policy:

We ask that you post information about park curfews on the cache description. It is very tempting to break the rules "just this once" if unaware of park restrictions when hunting that cache.

• Utilization of a cache at the Elm Fork Nature Preserve is prohibited due to the sensitivity of this area.
• Use common sense. Don't hide a cache in an area that will present a danger to others who might be looking for it or to park visitors who are unaware of the sport. This includes, but is not limited to, activities such as burying a cache, leaving a cache at the edge of a cliff or up in a tree. We want everyone who uses the parks to have a safe, informative, and pleasant visit.
• Stay on the trails. The trails are there to provide access to sensitive areas, but limit the impact of visitors on those areas.
• Be sure to stress the importance of staying on the marked trails.
• No dangerous objects or substances may be cached in the parks. The definition of dangerous objects or substances is at the discretion of the parks director.
• The Parks & Recreation Department reserves the right to confiscate any geocache found on park property, for any reason.
• Of course, the rules that apply to all other park visitors apply to geocachers.
• Have fun, be safe, and enjoy your parks and the sport of geocaching!

When done right, geocaching is an enjoyable activity for groups, individuals, and families. Happy caching!