WhereToDetect
Old sites - tap: off / all / vanished
Public parks + age
Beaches + storm alerts - live NOAA
LiDAR bare-earth
Road work - WI
My walk history - coverage
Public-land shading
Looking for old maps here…
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Permission asks

Your pipeline from “found a spot” to “got a yes.” Tap a private spot on the map and the owner comes straight from free state parcel records where available (county assessor elsewhere) - then track every ask here.

My finds

Every dig, logged with GPS. Photos stay on your device.

Settings & backup

Your info fills the permission letters automatically.

My info (for letters)
Backup
Finds, asks and settings live only on this device. Export a backup before clearing your browser.
Field reference
Target-ID numbers for popular detectors and US coin specs (weight, size, silver years) - for the "what did I just dig?" moment. Works offline.
Walk history
Walks you track are saved on this device. Show them from the layers menu (My walk history) to see ground you've already covered.
Privacy & terms
No accounts, no analytics, no tracking. Your finds, photos, asks and walks are saved only on this device and are never sent to us. Read the privacy policy & terms →
About
WhereToDetect is built on free & open data: 185,319 old-settlement sites (USGS GNIS, public domain) · federal land boundaries (BLM SMA) · historical USGS topo maps 1880s-2006 · historical aerials (271 free state/county imagery programs, 1,311 flight years, 37 states; incl. UW-Madison WHAIFinder) · default aerial basemap (USDA/USGS The National Map Orthoimagery, public domain) · LiDAR hillshade (Esri World Hillshade from USGS 3DEP) · optional sharper satellite basemap (Esri World Imagery: Esri, Vantor, Earthstar Geographics) · streets (© OpenStreetMap contributors) · topo basemap (USGS) · search & place lookups (Nominatim, © OpenStreetMap contributors) · town history (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA) · old newspapers (Library of Congress, Chronicling America) · road work (WisDOT WZDx snapshot) · state-park rules (official state sources, compiled 2026-07) · park boundaries (Esri/USA Parks) · park establishment dates (Wikidata, CC0) · beaches (USGS GNIS) · live surf/flood alerts (NOAA/NWS, public domain) · tide predictions (NOAA CO-OPS, public domain) · parcel boundaries & owner records, shown only on explicit request (free state/statewide parcel services - public records published by each state) · coin specs (US Mint public specifications) · yearly satellite time-series (Esri World Imagery Wayback). Everything shown is informational - not legal advice, and provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Always get permission on private land; never disturb protected sites, artifacts over 100 years old, or human remains. Nothing here implies endorsement by any government agency. Full terms.

WhereToDetect

Check the land. Tap anywhere - is it public land you can usually detect, off-limits, or private?
Find old spots. 185,319 vanished & old settlements from federal records, plus 1880s-2006 topo maps nationwide, yearly satellite 2014-now, and historical aerial photos in 37 states.
See through the trees. One-tap LiDAR bare-earth terrain - cellar holes, mounds and old roads the satellite can't show.
Read the history. Wikipedia + real newspaper pages from 1736-1963 for any spot - know the story before you swing.
Get permission. Tap private land and the owner's name + mailing address appear from free parcel records (where states publish them) - letters write themselves, a tracker follows every ask.
Log your finds. GPS + photos, saved on your device.
Informational only - not legal advice. Always confirm rules with the managing agency and get landowner permission. Protected sites, artifacts over 100 years old, and human remains are off-limits under federal & state law.