Welcome. As for "posted" : You're right that, shucks, there *might* a law or a rule that said "no md'ing", that's simply not posted there on a wooden sign at the entrance. Right ? But in this digital day & age that we live in, there's not any place where you can't find the laws, rules, codes, etc... *somewhere* in digital form. Eg.: Dogs on leash, no fireworks, closes at sunset, murder is illegal, and so forth.
So for example, after you find out which public entity owns those canal sidings, (eg. : city, vs county vs state, etc...), then you can invariably find their rules-of-use (laws, muni codes, rules, etc...) on line. They simply HAVE to exist somewhere. And sure, there's sub-entities WITHIN those larger bodies (eg.: a park dept. that exists WITHIN a city, or a water-canal-district that exists WITHIN that county or state, etc...), they too will invariably have a sub-link under a larger link.
And if you merely look up laws & rules for yourself. If nothing there says "No md'ing", THEN PRESTO : Not disallowed. And if you can't seem to find the particular rules for exactly where you intend to step, then you can do this (if you are skittish) : Contact the canal agency and ask : "I know that access to walk along the canal is public, but :
Where can I find the rules of usage that pertain to the usage ? Eg.: dogs on leash, camping vs no camping, limits on size of fish I can catch, etc...". And they should be able to point you to the link where it exists. Or direct you to where it exists, in binder hardback form down at county office somewhere.
And if they ask "what is it that you needed to know ?", you stick to your guns and repeat the same exact question ^ ^ So that you can look it up
YOURSELF. Because if you ask "can I metal detect? " , you risk becoming the latest member of the "no one cared
UNTIL you asked" club.
And if they simply have NO rules itemized anywhere, then you are simply under the jurisdiction of the higher entity (city, or county, or state, that is above them). Hence you can merely go to THAT entity, who will indeed have laws/rules at your digital fingertips. And then merely do a key word search "metal" or "detecting" and if nothing says "no md'ing", then : Not prohibited.
Obviously : Avoid obvious historic sensitive monuments. Don't be in the middle of deep retrievals when busy-bodies are staring, etc...
As for your second quote post : I think I see the underlying problem : That you're going into this with the underlying notion that you're somehow doing something wrong. Ie.: as if "people are going to hate me" blah blah. Since when ? Why this notion ? If you and I go into this with that mindset, then it only becomes a self-fulfilling vicious circle. If you are always looking over your shoulder, and stopping to watch people with the "Oh no, does he see me" sort of persona vibes, then sure as heck the other person catches those vibes. And merely causes them to think "gee, what's he doing ". Contrast to if/when you act like you own the place, NO ONE GIVES 2 SH*TS or even notices you.
