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This is an overview of the map quality and terrain types for most of the Bay Area and Sierra parks that have been mapped by BAOC, GCO, Terraloco, and Get LOST!!. Please see the notes about the Map Standards and Poison Oak that follow after the table. Driving directions to Bay Area parks are available on another page.

Map Standards

• ISOM – International Specification for Orienteering Maps (ISOM 2017-2 [9.0MB PDF]) is the highest standard for maps in the Bay Area. These maps, which follow international standards for symbols and colors, can support national-level events.

• ISSOM – International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps (ISSOM 2007 [284KB PDF]) was the international standard for maps for Sprint events through December 31, 2019. Like ISOM maps, these maps can support national-level events.

• ISSprOM – International Specification for Sprint Orienteering Maps (ISSprOM 2019 [8.0MB PDF]) is the current international standard for maps for Sprint events. Like ISOM maps, these maps can support national-level events.

• Local color maps aren't quite as nice as the ISOM maps, but they generally use very similar symbols and may be lacking only somewhat in the number of colors or level of detail.

• Black & white maps are often slightly improved USGS map copies. While these can be good enough for Street-O and other simple events, you shouldn't expect a nice map to put up on your wall.

Poison Oak

• None: There is no known poison oak in the orienteering area covered by the map. If even a single sprig has been seen, the area is classified as Very low.

• Very low: It is unlikely that an orienteer will encounter poison oak. There may have been one or two sprigs or bushes spotted in a few areas of the park, but no fields of poison oak have been reported.

• Low: There may be a few bushes here or there, but not many. The map may be mostly open areas without poison oak, and a few spots of woods with moderate poison oak, which averages out to "low." A typical Orange- or advanced-course orienteer would encounter only a little poison oak, in only a handful of spots on the course, and even then it should be below knee height and avoidable. A typical beginning orienteer would encounter almost no poison oak.

• Moderate: This covers a fairly wide range. It should be possible to set an advanced course where it isn't absolutely required that the competitors go through poison oak, although the better route may go through a bit. Some Orange and advanced courses on these maps could go through substantial amounts of poison oak (above knee height, and maybe bushes) if the course setter does not specifically try to avoid these areas.

• High: It is nearly impossible to set an Orange or advanced course that entirely avoids poison oak. Courses that go off-trail in these parks are likely to have substantial portions where orienteers will be in waist-high (or higher!) poison oak. Often, reentrants or entire hillsides may be nearly uncrossable without brushing against or pushing through poison oak.

Note the pictures of poison oak above. Poison oak is green in the summer and yellow or red in the fall. In the winter there are no leaves at all, just the vine stems (which still pose a hazard). For more information on this bane of orienteers, see our FAQ page, the Poison Oak FAQ (http://www.knoledge.org/oak/), or the Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac Information Center (http://poisonivy.aesir.com/).

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Wyatt Riley created this table 2/13/97 and updated it 7/25/98. Abby Wolf updated it 2/26/00. Van Boughner updated it 12/2/03 and placed it in the wiki on 1/15/06. Various people have made updates since then.