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4.8. Additional Waypoints

What are "Additional Waypoints?"

Since January 2006, it's been possible to record Additional Waypoints on your cache pages. It helps you if you lose the scraps of paper where the coordinates for your multicache are scribbled. Also, some cache seekers will really appreciate having publicly posted coordinates for parking spots, trailheads and points of interest.

The reviewers work with the additional waypoints, making the processing of reviewing your cache quite efficient.

How do I add "Additional Waypoints" to my cache page?

1. Log in to your account on Geocaching.com.
2. Display your cache page.
3. There is a Navigation section at the top right of the cache page. Click on the link for "waypoints."  (NOTE WELL: The page you will see now is different than when this screenshot below was taken. Much more functionality has been added to make the page easier to use. In general, the instructions that follow are still accurate.)
   
   
4. First, you may choose a waypoint type - Final Location, Parking Area, Question to Answer, Stages of a Multicache, or Trailhead.
   • For a complex cache, you could have entries for the parking area, trailhead, questions to answer, stages of a multicache, as well as the final location.
   • For a traditional cache, you might want to enter the parking area and/or the trailhead.
   • For a puzzle/mystery cache or a multicache, it will be necessary to make an entry for each stage and for the final cache location.
   • For virtual waypoints in puzzles and multi's, you can choose to code them as "question to answer" or "reference point" -- in which case the virtual waypoints can be closer than 528 feet from another cache -- or as "stages of a multicache" -- in which case your special virtual location will be protected from having a physical cache placed nearby.
5. After choosing a waypoint type, you may enter a name for it. This can simply be parking, stage one, stage two, final, or whatever you choose. You can use the Quick Entry to automatically fill in the fields for Final, Parking, and Stages of a Multi-cache up to stage 9. For other waypoint types, you'll need type in your own entries.
6. Next is an entry field for a waypoint lookup code. As it says on the Waypoint Collection page, STAGE2 or FINAL are good names for the lookup code. You may use anything you want, but each entry must be unique - you cannot have two waypoints with STAGE2 as the lookup code.
7. After that there is an entry field for a prefix code. This could be an abbreviated version of the lookup code, like S2 for STAGE2 or FC for FINAL Cache.
8. Next are the entry fields for the waypoint coordinates, which are completed in the same manner as the coordinate entries on the edit cache page. Important: This field is already loaded with the public coordinates of the cache, so you must manually edit these coords to the actual waypoint coords.
9. Finally, there are three choices for how the waypoint should be displayed.
   • Show all information for this waypoint, including coordinates. - This should be chosen for parking waypoints, trailheads, and in those cases where the geocacher is being sent to a location to gather information or to answer a question that may be required to determine the final cache location.
   • Show the details of this waypoint but hide the coordinates. - Use this perhaps to indicate how many stages a multicache has, without giving anything away.
   • Hide this waypoint from view except by the owner or administrator. - This should be chosen for intermediate stages of a multicache or a mystery/puzzle cache, as well as for the final cache location. NOTE: as cache owner, you will see the hidden waypoints shown on the cache page. The coordinates of hidden waypoints will be replaced with ???. No one else sees hidden stages on the cache page. You can see the actual coordinates from the waypoints link.
10. When you're finished adding all the waypoint information, press the "Create Waypoint" button. Do not press the "Archive Waypoint" button - that makes everything disappear. To hide the information from public view, follow instructions in Step 9.
11. NOTE: You do not need to duplicate the cache page's posted coordinates as an additional waypoint.
    • Example 1: If a multicache begins at the posted coordinates, do not create a duplicate waypoint called "STAGE1."
    • Example 2: If a puzzle cache starts off with an information gathering stage from a sign at the posted coordinates, you do not need to create an "Question to Answer" waypoint called "SIGN."

Many thanks to Volunteer Cache Reviewers gpsfun for initially developing these instructions and to Prime Reviewer for developing Quick Entry.