You did it. You hid the coolest, most creative geocache and followed all the necessary guidelines… right? Well, the work is not over. As a geocache owner, you have a responsibility to maintain and manage your geocache after it is published. The hide itself is just the beginning of your ‘geocache owner’ journey.

Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind as a new geocache owner…

1. It’s your job to perform maintenance on your geocache. That includes replacing full or wet logbooks, fixing the container as needed, cleaning up trash around the geocache, editing text on the listing page, etc.

2. If a trackable is listed online as being in your geocache but is not physically there, mark it missing.

3. If your coordinates are off or you need to move your geocache to a new location, update them.

4. The “Needs Maintenance” red wrench icon will show on your geocache listing if it has been reported by the community as needing maintenance. Geocachers see this icon as a sign that your geocache may not be in good condition and they may skip trying to find it. Once you have made repairs, post an “Owner Maintenance” log on your geocache page. This log removes the Needs Maintenance icon.

5. You can temporarily disable your geocache if needed. Do this if the geocache needs repairs, or if the area is closed for a period of time (construction, hunting, winter closures, etc.). This is meant to be temporary, which means a few weeks, or perhaps a couple of months.

6. Don’t log your own geocache. Save the smiley for use when you’ve truly discovered a hidden geocache.

7. Use your owner powers wisely. Logs that fail to meet stated requirements (such as ‘Found It’ logs by geocachers who have never found the geocache) or logs that conflict with our Terms of Use Agreement may be deleted. Read more about log deletion.

8. Sometimes life happens and you can no longer maintain your geocache. You will want to archive the geocache listing, which will permanently remove it from the geocaching.com website, or adopt the geocache out to someone else. Remember to also remove the physical geocache container if you archive.

9. Lastly (and most importantly), have fun! One of the greatest perks to being a geocache owner is reading all the wonderful logs by other geocachers discovering your geocache.

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