Minnesota

Puzzle/Mystery/Wherigo caches

• We do test your coordinate checker for accuracy.  If a keyword is needed to get a positive answer or coordinates other than the Final waypoint coordinates, please include this information in a Reviewer Note.

• One of the things we check with puzzle caches is whether they are solvable based on the information placed on the cache page, as well as whether there is sufficient GPS usage.  Please include the solution in a reviewer note so that we can complete my review.  What we are looking for is how you get from the information on the cache page to the final coordinates (for example, if you have text encrypted on the cache page, just tell us what the text says, or what information gives numbers, etc).  If we have to solve you puzzle, it might take a while. 

• Please do not put your 'posted' coordinates in areas where people should not search such as freeways, private residences, railroads, off-limits locations, or other areas where access is restricted. This includes private property.  Lakes and roads are fine. Intersections are also OK, but no bridges. I know your cache page says the cache is not at the posted coordinates, but people do search those coordinates.  We have many new cachers who are using cell phones and may not look at the cache page.  If you have any questions about a location, feel free to ask one of us.

Is my cache a Puzzle/Mystery cache or a Multi-Cache?

Multi-caches require a visit to the starting coordinates.  A simple test for a multi-cache is this: If you print out the cache page and take it to the starting location with your GPS on your trip, can you find the cache with that information? Then a Multi-cache would be appropriate.  

If you can't because you need information from elsewhere - such as other caches, the Internet or need a computer (including a phone app) to examine a photograph or file then it would need to be a Mystery cache. If there is any sort of puzzle to solve then it should be listed as a mystery.  Generally these cache types do not require visits to the posted coordinates, but some do.

Events

The Event guidelines can be found here: Event Guidelines

Geocaching Events and commercial content: Geocaching Events are social gatherings of geocachers to talk about geocaching and/or do related geocaching stuff.  The geocaching Event page isn't about the venue.  It's not about what the venue sells or is about. The venue is simply a convenient meeting place. 

Event pages (including the title and hint) may have a short (single) mention of the venue and what is sold there.  'Food available', 'pizza available', 'beer and pizza', or 'coffee and donuts'.  No longer lists of menu items and no branded information (ie. not 'Caribou coffee and donuts' or 'beer, pizza, and wings').  This is informative for those attending the event ("am I going to eat there, do I need to eat before I arrive?").  A single, non-branded picture of a food item is fine (a beer mug, a hot steaming cup of coffee, a tray of donuts).  If people want to know more about what is sold at the location they can use Google.

Be careful not to fall into a couple of easy mistakes that will delay publishing your event.  For example, don't use "beverages are on your own".  You've already mentioned that the venue has beverages.  Instead try "purchases on your own".  If you do the who/what/why/where format, make sure that you're only including the pertinent information once in the format.

Please include the name of the venue once in the description (not the title) if the Event is at a commercial location to reduce confusion for attendees.  The Event Guidelines do allow the venue name.  We also suggest that the address be included.

Example:

Caribou Coffee

307 Canal Park Dr

Come join us for a hot beverage and a pastry (purchased on your own)!

(uptated 8/2/2025)

For indoor Events, we ask that you have contacted the facility's management about your plans so they are prepared for extra customers.  Additionally, informing management of your plans insures that your Event does not conflict with something already planned at the venue.  This includes first come, first served venues.  No reason to give geocaching a bad name by overloading the location.  These permission details (who you spoke with, their title, and their business contact information) need to be included in a reviewer note upon submission.  The person granting permission needs to have the authority to do so (asking the greeter for permission, for example, won't cut it). To clarify: It doesn’t matter what method you contacted the establishment. We are asking that you heard back and your request has been approved for each Event scheduled.

"Event Stacking" occurs when an attempt is made to host multiple Events/CITOs in relative proximity (in location and time).  The Geocaching Event guidelines say that two Events should not be created that are intended to attract the same audience or are near the same time or location.  The guidelines can be found here: Event stacking

To determine if an Event is being stacked, these are the distances and times we use between locations:

• If an Event is scheduled within 2 hours of another Event, there should be a distance of at least 20 miles between them (measured as the crow flies).

• This means that Events and CITOs need to be either more than 20 miles apart OR have a spacing of more than 2 hours between the end of one event to the start of another.

e.g.  If an Event runs from 4PM to 7PM, any other Event less than 20 miles away should end no later than two hours before (2PM) or begin no earlier than two hours after (9PM).

Date or time changes-  If you need to change the date or time of your Event, please check with a Reviewer first.

Coordinate Checks

We can pre-check the coordinates of a planned location for you if have something unique in mind.  A unique cache is something that requires a special container to be constructed or a Mystery cache that has a complicated puzzle to solve.  A location that you have not visited and roadside signs are not unique.  Please be patient, as we do these checks as our schedules allow. Publishing caches that have been submitted for review is our first priority. If you want us to check coordinates, please:

1. Create your cache page. It can be blank, except for the coordinates. This reserves your location.
2. Don't enable the page for review
3. Email one of us (gatrdoneMN@gmail.com or mn.fruitcake@gmail.com) a link to the cache page (or the GCxxxxx code if you don't know how to email a link).
4. We will respond by placing a reviewer note on the cache page, letting you know if it's good, if there are more questions, or if there are problems.
5. If you do not submit a cache for publishing at that location within 30 days, the location will not be held.

Future Publication Requests

If you have a special cache that you want published at a future date, it needs to be submitted for Review a minimum of 5-7 days prior to your requested publication date. When you submit it for Review, include a Reviewer Note stating when you would like it published (date and general time of the day). We will try to accommodate your requests, but cannot make any guarantees. Please keep these requests to a minimum.  Also be reminded that once we schedule a cache to be published at a future date, it is locked by the system and cannot be edited.

Damage to an area

Sometimes your geocache may comply with the geocaching guidelines, but placed in a manner that geocachers searching for the cache could be causing damage from their searching activity.  Some typical damage caused might be walking in landscape planting, moving rocks in a drainage area and not returning them as designed, moving retaining wall blocks and not returned them correctly, or scraping the ground bare while searching for a very difficult cache.  We have seen this happen.  If we believe your cache placement may result in damage to an area, we may ask you to relocate it.  If damage to an area from searching for a cache already published is reported, the cache will be archived.  No reason to give geocaching a bad name because of our searching activities.  The guideline can be found here:  Do not damage property

Do not place caches in a location that requires or encourages geocachers to damage, deface, or destroy public or private property, especially archaeological or historical sites.

Optional Bonus Caches for Adventure Labs

If you are setting up an Adventure Lab and wish to include an optional Bonus cache, here are the guidelines:

• Only one Bonus cache is allowed for your Adventure Lab no matter how many locations it has.

• The Bonus cache can only be a Mystery Cache.  No other 'types' are permitted.

• Be sure to include something on the cache page telling geocachers what Adventure Lab the Bonus belongs to.  This can be the Adventure Lab's name, a link, a QR code, or all of the listed items. 

• Be sure to include the "Bonus cache" attribute.

• The Adventure Lab should provide the solution for your Mystery cache once it's completed.  If you use a keyword, be sure to include the keyword in your Reviewer Notes.

• The Adventure Lab needs to be public before the Bonus cache can be published.  Please let us know in a Reviewer Note when the Adventure Lab will be public.

• Remember, the Adventure Cache exists on its own and the Bonus cache requires the Adventure Lab to be solvable.  If anything happens to your Adventure Lab that prevents people from obtaining the solution for the Bonus cache, you will need to disable or archive the Bonus cache.

If you use an Adventure Lab image on your Mystery cache, HQ has asked that you only use their approved images: