China Camp

San Rafael
Sunday, April 21, 2002

Contact: Gary Kraght, 415-383-4429

Come join us for a beautiful spring day of orienteering at Miwok Meadows in China Camp State Park in Marin. The park is steep, but there are excellent views overlooking San Francisco and San Pablo Bay from the ridgetops. The park also abuts salt marshes on the bay, so there is a variety of orienteering terrain. And two miles east of Miwok Meadows is the original China Camp, a historic village with museum.

We will have the standard seven courses: White (Beginner), Yellow (Advanced Beginner), Orange (Intermediate), and four advanced courses. Electronic punching will be used on Orange and the advanced courses; manual card punching will be used on White and Yellow. Istvan Havasi is the course setter. Istvan, who is new to the Bay Area, is an experienced course setter and competitor from Hungary. So our courses at China Camp will have a European flair!

Registration, starts and finish will all be in the Miwok Meadows area (same area that we have used in the past). Registration is open from 9AM to noon, with starts available from 10AM to 12:30. Beginners clinics will be available from 9:30 until 10:30. All courses close at 2PM, and control stands will be picked up at that time. There are many picnic tables here, so you are welcome to bring a lunch for afterwards, while you compare route choices with your new orienteering friends.

There will be a remote start for all courses except White, about 30m climb and 5-10 minutes walk from registration. Finish (and White starts) will be close to registration. We will offer a clothing transfer (no knapsacks or bags) from the remote start to the finish, in case of inclement weather. But trust me, the weather will be great!

Miwok Meadows, and China Camp in general, is suffering from Sudden Oak Death Syndrome more than most Bay Area parks. There will be a tub with disinfectant at registration. Please clean your shoes before you go out, and also after you finish.

Course Notes

China Camp is steep, mostly covered with oak forest, with moderate manzanita and poison oak, abutting marshland to the north. There have been documented incidences of people acquiring Lyme disease from ticks at China Camp. Full body cover is highly recommended. Although not as technical as Annadel, the China Camp courses will be very physical. This is not the place to move up a course, unless you are in great physical shape or really looking for a challenge. 
Course   Technical Level       Length     Climb

White      Beginner            2.34 km    145 m
Yellow     Advanced Beginner   2.67       150
Orange     Intermediate        3.05       215
Brown      Advanced            2.70       210
Green      Advanced            4.11       275
Red        Advanced            5.34       320
Blue       Advanced            6.23       380

Directions

China Camp is located on San Pablo Bay northeast of San Rafael. To get to the event, take the North San Pedro Road exit from Highway 101, which is near the Marin County Civic Center and just north of downtown San Rafael. Go east, towards the bay. San Pedro Road goes through a couple of miles of suburban housing, climbs a hill, and descends into the park. The access road to Miwok Meadows is about 3 1/2 miles from Highway 101. It will have an orienteering control on it.

Parking is very limited at Miwok Meadows, and WE ARE NOT PERMITTED TO PARK ON THE ACCESS ROAD. So, the gate to Miwok Meadows will open and close early, to allow event volunteers vehicle access. All other participants are requested to park on San Pedro Road and walk in to registration (approximately 500m, no climb). Please carpool if you can.