Geocaching Etiquette

For the most part, there aren’t a whole lot of rules when it comes to geocaching. It mostly boils down to respecting other cachers and the land that you play on. Consider these etiquette points when you’re out geocaching:

• Always respect private property. Need I say more?
• Don’t leave food in a cache. Food can attract animals as well as get smelly and messy, and plastic cache containers have been chewed through to get at a tasty snack.
• Never put anything illegal, dangerous, or possibly offensive in a cache. Geocaching is a family sport, so be responsible.
• Always trade up or replace an item in the cache with something of equal value. Don’t be a Scrooge; what’s the fun in that?
• Be environmentally conscious when searching for and hiding caches. Tread lightly on the land. Check out the Leave No Trace site at www.lnt.org for more information.
• Geocaching is a pretty dog-friendly sport. Keep it that way by having Fido tethered in leash-only areas. And no matter how good your dog is, have a leash ready in case other people or animals are around.
• Cache In, Trash Out (CITO). If you see any litter on your way to or from a cache, get some additional exercise with a deep-knee bend, pick it up, and pack it out.
• Say thank you. After you visit a cache, send a quick e-mail, thank-you message to the geocacher that placed the cache or acknowledge him or her in your cache comments.