1.  A permit will be required for the placement of geocaches. Only in select preserves, 17 in all, will geocaches be allowed. No caches will be allowed in Illinois Nature Preserves.

2.  A permit application must be filed with the District. (Click here for geocaching application form). A geocache brochure will be available in the future. This application, including the GPS coordinates where the geocache will be placed and its contents, will be reviewed by the District. Within one week, the District will notify the applicant via email whether the request has been approved. He must then visit the District’s Sugar Creek Administration Center and pay a fee of $2.00 for the geocache sticker. This label will be valid from the date of issuance until March 31 of the following year. The owner must remove or renew the geocache by that date or it will become the property of the Forest Preserve District.

3.  The geocache must be placed in a clear, waterproof container no larger than 4”x8”x12”, and the geocache label must be clearly visible from the outside of the container. The geocache cannot be buried or attached to any vegetation or structures, nor can any vegetation or natural features be disturbed with its placement. It will be the responsibility of the geocacher to monitor his cache every two months to insure that it is still at its approved location and that the contents are intact.

The preserves where geocaches can be placed are Forsythe Woods (Wilmington), Goodenow Grove (Beecher), Hammel Woods (Shorewood), Hickory Creek Preserve—LaPorte Road Access (Mokena), Hunters Woods (Frankfort), Isle a la Cache Museum (Romeoville), Lake Renwick Preserve—Turtle Lake Access (Plainfield), Lambs Woods (Lockport), Laughton Preserve—Gerdes Grove (Wilton Center), Monee Reservoir (Monee), Rock Run Preserve—Black Road Access (Joliet), Rock Run Preserve—I & M Canal Access (Joliet), Rock Run Preserve—Theodore Marsh (Crest Hill), Runyon Preserve (Lockport), Spring Creek Preserve—Messenger Marsh (Homer Glen), Sugar Creek Preserve (Joliet), and Whalon Lake (Naperville/Bolingbrook).