Table of Contents
New York State DEC general
Geocaches may not be placed directly on mountain summits or right at an overlook.
No caches may be placed above the tree line.
All caches must be clearly marked "GEOCACHE".
All caches must be labeled with the cache owners real name and address as per NYS DEC Part 190.8.w.1
New York State Parks
New York State parks are operated by one of two offices within the Department Of Conservation.
Forest Preserve
- Those located within the Adirondack and Catskill preserves are managed by Bureau Forest Preserve Management, NYS DEC and fall under the DEC General land policy above.
Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation
- State Parks managed by NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation require a geocaching permit. The permit may be obtained at the local park office or you may download it in pdf format here. Their rules and instructions are included on the permit. Each permit when approved by the park office will be assigned a permit number. Please include that permit number on your cache page or in a reviewer note when submitting your cache for review.
State Historic sites
- New York State historic sites managed by the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation fall under the same geocaching permit system do their parks.
Forms:OPRHP Geocaching Guidance Document
New York State Wildlife Management Area
Geocaching is permitted with written approval from the Regional Wildlife Manager for that area as per this letter from the Director of Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. Find your WMA region on this page and clicking on each region will take you to that regions web page. Contact information is on the right hand side of the regional page.
Reviewers will need a scanned copy of your letter of approval from the regional wildlife manager. The letter should be emailed to the reviewer with the GC code in the subject line.
Adirondack High Peaks Regions
Geocaching is not permitted in the Adirondack High Peaks Regions. This includes both Western High Peaks region (zone B) and the Eastern High Peaks region (zone C). Both high peaks regions may be identified on a DEC map here.
Saw Mill River Audubon
All cache placements must be per-approved by Saw Mill River Audubon before submitting for review. Contact Saw Mill River Audubon by email at office@sawmillriveraudubon.org. Saw Mill River Audubon's eight sanctuaries are listed on our web site here: http://www.sawmillriveraudubon.org/sanctuaries.html
Long Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy
The New York Long Island Chapter of The Nature Conservancy has implemented a geocaching permit program requiring all geocaches placed on Nature Conservancy preserves to hold a geocaching permit. Click here to download a list of Long Island Nature Conservancy lands. A permit including their guidelines may be downloaded here or obtained by emailing jwagenhauser@tnc.org or by calling Cold Spring Harbor office at (631)367-3225.
Forms: List of Long Island Land Conservancy properties
Long Island Land Conservancy geocaching policy and permit
Black Rock Forest
Before a cache may be place in Black Rock Forest permission must be granted by the preserve office. Text noting permission and who granted it must be clearly displayed on the cache page.
Winnakee Land Trust
While Winnakee Land Trust welcomes geocaching as a recreational activity within their properties, they have to respect the ecological integrity of the land they are protecting. Through numerous conversations among their Easement Committee and Board of Directors, they have decided that any geocache within the Preserve or Park must be within 5 feet of the trail. they also request that all new geocache locations be reviewed by Land Projects Manager, Winnakee Land Trust, Inc. landprojects@winnakee.org (845)876-4213 ext. 3. Text indicating permission has been received shall be displayed on the cache page.
- Drayton Grant Park
- Winnakee Nature Preserve
Scenic Hudson Properties
Caches may be placed on property managed by Scenic Hudson if their guidelines are followed and the site is per-approved by Scenic Hudson. To request permission and obtain a permit to place a geocache on Scenic Hudson property contact Carley Maneely, Parks and Trails Coordinator, 845 473 4440.
Teatown Lake Reservation
To place a cache on Teatown Lake Reservation one must first visit the park office. All cache pages must state "all geocachers must check in to the administration building before seeking the cache and the administration building is open dawn to dusk daily".
Marshlands Conservancy - Rye New York
All geocache placements must be per-approved by Chris Mignone Recreation Coordinator before placing. Chris may be reached by phone at 914-835-4466.
Genesee County Parks
Geocaches may be placed in Genesee County Parks and Forest or Dewitt Recreation Area with a geocache permit.
Forms: Genesee County Parks Geocaching permit
Rockland County Parks
A permit is required to place a geocache in any Rockland County Park. For permit or park information please call 845-364-2670. You can download a Rockland County geocaching permit here.
Clarkstown Town Parks
A geocaching permit is required to place a cache in any Clarkson Town Park. The permit may be downloaded in pdf format here.
Forms: Clarkson permit application
Finger Lakes Trail Conference
Before a cache may be placed anywhere along the 990 miles of trails maintained by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference one must obtain written permission from the land owner. A copy of the FLTC geocaching rules may be downloaded in pdf format here (1.45 meg file). The application alone may be downloaded here( 3.8 meg file).
Forms: FLT permit application (3.8 meg file)
Ward Pond Ridge Reservation
Permission must be obtained from the park manager before a cache is placed. Each cache submitted for review must contain a reviewer note containing the name, title/position and contact information of the person granting permission.
Cemeteries
Geocaches may be placed in cemeteries but must be placed around the perimeter respectfully away from any graves, in a maintenance area or an undeveloped area. They may not be placed within the interior of the cemetery or among the graves.
Parks and lands not open to all
All geocaches must be available to everyone. The parks and property listed below are members only, residence only or in general not open to everyone. As such geocaches may not be placed in them.
- Malta Nature Preserve - Malta, NY
- Stepping Stones Park - Great Neck, NY
- Boughton Park - Bloomfield, NY
Geocaching is banned by the property owner/manager
Albany Pine Bush
Finger Lakes Land Trust properties
Hamptonburgh Marshland
Mianus Gorge Preserve
NYC Department of Enviromental Protection (D.E.P.) properties.
Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall
Rist Wildlife Sanctuary
Strawberry Fields Conservancy in Central Park
Tymore Park, Union Vale
NYC Islands
- Isle of Meadows
- Shooters
- Pralls
- U Thant
- Mill Rock
- Hoffman
- Huckleberry
- Goose
- Canarsie Pol
- Swinburne
- Ruffle Bar
- White
- Subway
- Elders Point Marsh East
- Elders Point Marsh West
- Red Fern
- Little Egg
- North Brother Island
- South Brother Island
