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Land Manager Contacts

One of the basic tenets of geocaching is not to place a cache without approval of the appropriate land manager.  Below is contact information for several managers of Alaska's public lands. 

IMPORTANT!!!  If you don't see an area where you want to place a cache listed below, you should assume there is not an agreement with the land manager regarding geocache placement.  You should contact the land manager, obtain permission, and contact the GeocacheAlaska! Webmaster with the details so this page may be updated.  The GeocacheAlaska! Advocacy Committee can assist with information on how to talk to a land manager.

Anchorage

Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge (includes Potters Marsh)
Joe Meehan, Program Coordinator, Lands and Refuge Program, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Caches are allowed in the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge with careful thought regarding placements that won't lead to the creation of new "social" trails or disturbing wildlife.  Caches may be placed on the Potters Marsh Boardwalk, but not adjacent to it.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Campbell Tract/Far North Bicentennial Park
Jeff Blume, BLM
Caches are allowed throughout Campbell Tract/Far North Bicentennial Park EXCEPT within 150 feet of a waterway.  The exclusion zone (for geocaches and all other user groups) was created in order to protect the sensitive streamside vegetation, stream banks, and bear feeding areas.  Download this map (pdf, 317KB) for the exclusion zones.  

Chugach State Park
All caches must have the blanket permit number on the inside and the outside of the cache along with the cache owner's contact information.  The current permit number is #09-076, but check back here for updates since the permit is reissued annually.  Click here to download a copy of the permit.

Ft. Richardson/Elmendorf AFB
All caches are to be disabled or archived effective immediately (April 12, 2009) and must be physically removed by May 1, 2009.  Affected caches have had a "Needs Archived" note posted on their cache page.  Download this map (7MB pdf) to view the extent of Ft. Richardson/Elmendorf AFB lands.

Contacts:  Doug Deese,  CIV USA USARPAC, or James Wendland, CTR USA USARPAC, 384-1128.

Municipality of Anchorage Parks
Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) parklands are open to geocaching.  GeocacheAlaska! and the MOA have a symbiotic relationship where we host CITO events and teach geocaching as part of MOA's activities schedule and we get to place caches in Anchorage's parks.

Interior Alaska

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Northern Field Office
White Mountain National Recreation Area, Randy Goodwin
Dalton Highway, Roger Delaney
Fortymile, Jeff Kowalczyk
Caches allowed without permit in most locations except Mt. Prindle, Limestone Jags, Serpentine Slide,  other Research Natural Areas, and Areas of Environmental Concern.

Creamer's Field Migratory Bird Refuge  
Jason Caikowski or Mark Ross
Caches allowed where hunting is allowed.
Maps available at AK Fish & Game, 1300 College Road

Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks
No caching is allowed on FNSB parks.  Boy Scouts and similar organizations may  temporarily place caches that will be removed within a few days to a week.  If you wish to conduct a GPS or compass navigation training exercise please contact Matt Steffy at Chena Lakes Recreation Area at 488-1655 or Ricky Borland at Birch Hill at 457-4488.  The Fairbanks Parks Superintendent is John Haas, 459-1198.

North Pole Parks
Caches are allowed as long as " there is nothing destructive that will occur to city property or cause a health or safety issue to all park users, " per Bill Butler, Director of City Services (488- 8594 or bill@northpolealaska.com).  City of North Pole managed parks are Terry Miller Park located at 5th and Santa Claus Lane, Hipple Park located at LaSalle Ave. and Homestead Road, and North Pole Skate Board Park located at 5th and Old Richardson Highway.  Bill Butler may be contacted at 488- 8594 or bill@northpolealaska.com.

Southcentral

Alaska Railroad Right-of-Way
The Alaska Railroad has a legal 100' Right of Way (ROW) on both sides of the centerline of the tracks.  Geocaches should not be placed inside this ROW for safety reasons with the following exceptions (per Jim Adams, Alaska Railroad Security Agent):

  1. Land on the opposite side of the bicycle trail from the tracks where the bicycle trail falls within the 100' ROW.
  2. Land within the vehicle transportation corridor including pull outs that falls within the 100' ROW.  These areas are usually delineated by a fence or guardrail.

People are discouraged from crossing or walking along the tracks for safety reasons.

Note:  Groundspeak imposes a 150' buffer between caches and tracks unless specific exemptions are identified such as those above.

Mat-Su/Copper River Basin under Alaska State Parks Jurisdiction
A map for this very large jurisdiction may be found here and a pdf list of locations may be downloaded from here.  A Special Use Permit downloadable from here is required to place a cache.  Cache coordinates need to be provided on the permit.  Fax to 745-0938.  Phone 745-3975 with questions.

Chugach National Forest
The ranger staff of Glacier Ranger District (based in Girdwood) of the Chugach National Forest has visited many of the active caches on their part of the Forest, as part of their backcountry patrols. They welcome caching as an activity, as long as cachers keep their hides well-policed, don't create social trails, don't promote otherwise illegal activity, and continue to practice CITO.

The rangers remind cachers as well as well as the general public that "it is prohibited to possess or operate a motor vehicle on National Forest System lands on the CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST other than in accordance with these designations (CFR 261.13).  Violators of 36 CFR 261.13 are subject to a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both (18 U.S.C. 3571(e)).  This prohibition applies regardless of the presence or absence of signs."

So, know before you go by downloading Chugach National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map 1 and Map 2 (~1.2 MB pdfs).

Caches are not allowed in designated Wilderness Areas of Chugach National Forest which is the designation given to much of western Prince William Sound (east of Whittier).  There are also Alaska Native Lands inholdings throughout the Sound that need to be treated as private property.  Download this map to identify the Wilderness areas and refer to the map on page 6 of this Chugach Visitor Guide to identify private lands.

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