In this area of the WSGA Web Site, you will find information about the land policies in Washington State that we are aware of organizationally.

Follow the links from this page to find out more information about Geocaching in that location. If there are permit processes in place for Geocaching at these sites, you will find downloads or links to more information of those permits for your convinience.

If you are a land manager or Geocacher who knows of a Land Use Policy relating to Geocaching and would like it listed here, please use the Contact Us feature to send an email to the Secretary or email our Secretary with details.

Guidelines for Placing Caches in Washington State

Total bans on anything but virtuals or earthcaches

• National Parks and any lands managed by the National Park Service.
• National Recreation Areas – if managed by the NPS
• Wilderness areas
• National Wildlife refuges
• US Fish & Wildlife areas
• US Mailboxes – it’s a federal crime to tamper with one, placing a cache on a mailbox could be considered tampering.

Policy varies depending on area:

• National Forests – No known bans in Washington, but other states do have policies/bans
• Indian Reservations – Treated as private property (sovereign nation and all) express permission required
• Bureau of Land Management areas – mostly open to geocaching but they ask that caches be registered

State Level

• State Parks – policy in place - permit required
• Little Spokane River Natural Area (within Riverside State Park) - off limits to caches
• Seattle City Parks - no official policy but they know that caches are out there and don’t have a problem with them at this point.
• Redmond City is also aware of caches and okay with them so far

Common sense guidelines that get missed all the time

1. Stay away from schools
2. Caches in cemeteries should be placed a respectable distance away from any headstones.
3. Railroad tracks get a 150’ buffer on either side of the tracks. Until the line has been officially abandoned it’s still considered ‘active’ even if no trains run there any more.
4. Bridges, in general, are a bad spot for a cache. The only exception would be foot bridges along a trail.