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4.10. Ratings for Difficulty and Terrain

When you submit a cache for publication, you must specify ratings for difficulty and terrain using a 5-star scale. One is the easiest. Five is the hardest. For example:

Difficulty:  Terrain:

We recommend the Difficulty and Terrain Selector:

http://www.geocaching.com/hide/rate.aspx

• This is conveniently available from a link on the page to Create / Edit a Geocache Listing.
• This rating system is subjective.
• The cache owner is asked to answer some questions based on the most difficult parts of the cache.
• Cache ratings vary from one community to the next.  A 3-star terrain in British Columbia, Canada is most likely going to be a very different experience from a 3-star terrain in Amsterdam, Holland.

How was the rating system created?

Thanks to ClayJar for the early implementation of this feature.

It is based on criteria discussed with the community on the Groundspeak Forums: In the early days of geocaching (summer 2001), quite a few people who were active in our Forums came up with explanations of the rating system over a great deal of discussion. In the end, that group came to a consensus of suggested definitions of ratings, which is the best they could do. Ultimately, you alone are the best judge for rating your cache.

Below are the definitions that came as a result of those discussions.

What about the half stars?

As already indicated, these are simply suggested ratings. Each cache owner can make decisions about the final ratings of our caches. If you have hidden a cache that gives a result of 4 stars for terrain, but your know that it doesn't seem THAT difficult, you could rate it at 3½.

D I F F I C U L T Y		T E R R A I N
	Easy In plain sight or can be found in a few minutes of searching.		Handicapped accessible Terrain is likely to be paved, is relatively flat, and less than a ½ mile hike is required.
	Average The average cache hunter would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunting.		Suitable for small children Terrain is generally along marked trails, there are no steep elevation changes or heavy overgrowth. Less than a 2 mile hike required.
	Challenging An experienced cache hunter will find this challenging, and it could take up a good portion of an afternoon.		Not suitable for small children The average adult or older child should be OK depending on physical condition. Terrain is likely off-trail. May have one or more of the following: some overgrowth, some steep elevation changes, or more than a 2 mile hike.
	Difficult A real challenge for the experienced cache hunter - may require special skills or knowledge, or in-depth preparation to find. May require multiple days / trips to complete.		Experienced outdoor enthusiasts only Terrain is probably off-trail. Will have one or more of the following: very heavy overgrowth, very steep elevation (requiring use of hands), or more than a 10 mile hike. May require an overnight stay.
	Extreme A serious mental or physical challenge. May require specialized knowledge or skills to find or open the cache.		Extremely challenging terrain  Requires specialized equipment (boat, 4WD, rock climbing, SCUBA, etc.) or is otherwise extremely difficult.