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Joseph D. Grant County Park

Date: (Sun.) May. 13, 2012
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Director: - 408.878.5073
Course Setters: Rory Maclean, Derek Maclean
Type: B; Full-featured event among grassy hillsides covered in spring flowers

Related Event Information

Course Setters' Notes Last Year's Event Event Results

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Please join us this Mother’s Day at our annual meet in one of BAOC’s classic orienteering venues. Joe Grant Park is in the foothills of Mount Hamilton above San Jose, and offers interesting terrain for all levels of orienteer, as well as beautiful views, spring sunshine, and fields of blooming wildflowers. What could be better for the mother in your life!

The standard fees will apply at this event, and the standard schedule will be followed:

You must report to the Finish by the course closing time, even if you haven't completed your course.

The beginner's clinics are short, repeating introductions to orienteering. They provide enough information to complete a beginner (White) course.

If you have questions that are not answered in the FAQ pages, you can contact the or ask somebody at the event.

Courses

Rory Maclean, 13 years old, has stepped out and set the beginner (White and Yellow) courses. If you have an interest in learning to set courses, let us know. You are never too young to start.

Derek Maclean has set the intermediate and advanced courses.

The course statistics are as follows: 

                                        Physical       Technical 
   Course   Distance   Climb  Controls  Difficulty     Difficulty

   White     2.4 km     30 m      8     Very Easy      Easy
   Yellow    3.3 km     90 m     14     Easy           Less easy     
   Orange    4.1 km    130 m     15     Intermediate   Intermediate  
   Brown     4.0 km    125 m     12     Intermediate   Advanced      
   Green     5.0 km    175 m     11     Hard           Advanced      
   Red       5.8 km    245 m     16     Harder         Advanced      
   Blue      7.0 km    300 m     13     Very Hard      Advanced

Beginners should keep in mind that the distances listed represent the total of the straight-line distances between controls. The actual distance traveled on a course will always be longer — how much longer will depend on route choices and errors.

Be sure to read the Course Setters' Notes for more information.

E-Punch

This will be an E-Punch (EP) event. If you don't have your own EP card (finger stick), you may rent one at the event. You must stop by the EP tent after you have registered, before you go out on your course, to be entered into the event database. Participants unfamiliar with EP can read our User's Guide to Electronic Punching (http://baoc.org/wiki/FAQ/User%27s_Guide_to_Electronic_Punching).

Volunteer to Help

Please contact to volunteer to help out at this event.

May 7 Update: Thanks to all who have volunteered to help out at this event. We still need a few more folks to help with control pickup.

Event Planning Meeting

will hold another in his series of short, BAOC 2012 + 2013 events meetings at 12:30 PM. Everyone is welcome (i.e., encouraged) to participate in planning events for the remainder of this year, and through year. If you won't be able to attend the meeting, you can provide input by email to the , or just to Rex if you're shy.

Please Enter Your Route in RouteGadget

Please support the sport of orienteering by entering your route into RouteGadget after the Joe Grant event (using the link on the Results page). The Ames Orienteering Club will study the results in its upcoming meeting.

Driving Directions

To reach the park, take I-680 to the Alum Rock Avenue exit in San Jose. Head east on Alum Rock to Mt. Hamilton Road. Take a right onto Mt. Hamilton Rd and proceed about 7.5 miles to the park entrance to your right. After paying the entry fee (about $7), go about 0.6 miles to the parking area designated by the O' signs.

Here's an alternative route choice (after all, orienteering is all about route choice): Quimby Road is believed to be much faster, with a shorter (but steeper) windy road, than Mt. Hamilton Rd from Alum Rock. Some people recommend this route even for those coming from the north on 280 or 101. In that case, exit 101 south at Tully Rd, and head east (toward the hills). Turn right onto Quimby Rd (just before East Ridge Shopping Center); take this up and over the hill until it meets Mt Hamilton Road. Turn right and go a few hundred yards to the park entrance.

From the south, coming up 101, take the Capitol Expy exit and head east (toward the hills). Go about 1.5 miles and turn right onto Quimby Road.

There's a map here that shows the location of the event.

Carpool Site

People sometimes meet at the junction of Alum Rock Ave and Mt. Hamilton Rd, where there is plenty of parking. That might seem so near the park as to be not helpful, but it does save the twisty drive up Mt. Hamilton Rd, and the park entrance fee for the cars that are left below.

Similarly, people taking the Quimby Rd route could meet at East Ridge Shopping Center (at Tully and Quimby).