Annadel

Santa Rosa
Sunday, Mar. 30, 2003

Contact: Gary Kraght, 415-383-4429

BAOC returns to the complex orienteering terrain of Annadel State Park for our fifteenth year. First used in 1989 for the U.S. Orienteering Championships, the park contains a central plateau of forested rolling hills and broad meadows, with sections of intricate contours remaining from extensive mining activity long ago. There is a wide variety of vegetation in the park, including typical oak savanna, pine and redwood forest, and meadows that should be showcasing early spring flowers.

George Minarik, course setter for many of our past events at Annadel, will work his wizardry once again. Combining one of BAOC's best course setters with the Bay Area's best orienteering terrain gives an event not to be missed!

All seven courses will be offered, with E-punching on the advanced courses. Advanced courses will have a remote start with a car shuttle. The White, Yellow, and Orange courses will start near Spring Lake. All courses finish at Spring Lake. If the weather is nice, you may wish to bring a picnic lunch and socialize afterwards.

Registration opens at 9:00 and closes at noon, with starts available from 10:00 until 12:30. All courses will close at 2:00, so please start early enough that you can comfortably complete your course before control bags start being removed. Beginners clinics start from 9:30 until demand is satiated. I have heard rumors that we may have quite a turnout of beginners at Annadel this year.

For those of you who live in the South Bay, do not hesitate! Jump in your car (or carpool) and make the drive north. With terrain that is not steep by Bay Area standards, wonderfully intricate areas to explore and get lost in, and a very experienced course setter, you won't be disappointed.

Course statistics

Course    Controls    Length    Climb    Technical Difficulty

White       10         2025      110        Beginners
Yellow       8         2325      115        Advanced Beginners
Orange      10         3450      170        Intermediate
Brown       11         3725      120        Advanced
Green       17         5500      200        Advanced
Red         21         7025      225        Advanced
Blue        25         8425      255        Advanced

Directions

Parking, registration, and the finish area will be at Spring Lake County Park near the lagoon. That's the NORTH entrance -- do not go to Oak Knolls Picnic Area! Take U.S. Highway 101 north to Santa Rosa to Highway 12. Go east. Follow Highway 12 as it makes a left onto Farmers Lane. Continue on Farmers Lane to Montgomery and turn right (east). Continue on Montgomery to Channel Drive and turn right, turn right again onto Violetti Road, turn right again into Spring Lake park. Do not park in the upper parking lot, but continue down the hill to the parking by the lagoon. If you get close to Spring Lake, there will be directional signs to guide you.