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Presidio of San Francisco

Event #1 of 6 in the BAOC 2024 Summer Series

Date: (Sun.) Jun. 2, 2024
Location: San Francisco, CA
Type: C; This is the first event of the 2024 Summer Series. Beginners are welcome, with free short clinics to explain orienteering (pending park approval)

For the first event in the 2024 Summer Series, we are pleased to present another event at the popular Presidio of San Francisco. This year we will be back at the Fort Scott area, which we have visited in the past. We have put together three courses that will be fun for beginners to try and for advanced orienteers to cruise through (at Sprint pace?).

The weather should be sunny, but cool​—​very nice for orienteering.

You can read here (https://presidio.gov/) about the Presidio of San Francisco, which is a National Park site and a National Historic Landmark.

What is Orienteering?

An adventure! Discover the outdoors and discover yourself! Teams of 1 to 5 find checkpoints in wilderness venues or urban areas using specially-produced maps.

Beginners

Beginner clinics will be available to introduce orienteering. They are short, repeating sessions that explain orienteering maps and the process for completing a course. Of course, it's up to the participants to be able to read their map and navigate to the controls on their course. That should not be too difficult at this feature-rich venue.

Out-of-Bounds Areas

Please respect all the out-of-bounds areas indicated on the map. The vertical red hatching is used to let you know not to run on the property of private residences. You may run on public sidewalks, but don't step on people's lawns. The rule of thumb is that if something looks like a private residence, avoid stepping on the property. This is an important condition of our permit.

Schedule

The standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open

9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner clinics instruction (free)

9:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all the courses

                2:00 PM: Courses close, checkpoint control pick-up begins

Note that you can register and start on the courses anytime during the open times above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be "punctual" at 9:00 (but you can if you want, but please don’t show up earlier and expect to be served).

Beginner clinics are 15–20 minute, repeating sessions that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete the Beginner course.

Note that you must return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and then go to the download tent, even if you have not finished your course. Please do not leave without checking in! If there are unaccounted people after 2:00, we must initiate a search for them.

Costs & Registration

The following fees apply for this event:

  $3 for each junior on the Beginner course

  $8 for each adult on Beginner course

  $5 for each junior on the Short or Long courses  

$15 for each adult member on Short or Long courses

$20 for each adult non-member on Short or Long courses

  $1 for a compass rental (optional)  

  $5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don’t own one; each group will need one to complete their course)

$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)  

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (12KB PDF), which you can print and fill out in advance to save some time at the event. (You will need one entry form for each group of people going on a course together.)

Online Registration

You can (but are not required to) register online here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/ss1presidio) for this event. You must pay via PayPal (with credit card, debit card, or PayPal account​—​you do not need to have a PayPal account).

Note: If you register online, you must pay online before the event, and you must complete the online waiver.

Online registration for this event will close on Saturday, June 1^st, at 6:00 PM.

What to Bring

For the Beginner course, comfortable outdoors attire and shoes are fine.

For the longer courses, although it's not an absolute requirement, long pants may give you comfort when running on narrow, overgrown trails, and occasionally stepping off-road. You might also want shoes with some extra grip on the soles (but be aware that you will probably be running on roads and sidewalks a lot).

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so a SPORTident fingerstick is required for each team​—​they rent for $5. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Restrooms

There are restrooms near the assembly area.

Location Within the Park

The event will be at the Fort Scott area of the Presidio, which is in the northwest portion of the park. See the Driving Directions below for details.

Courses

As usual for the Summer Series events, we will have three courses, with the following preliminary details:

    Course      Length    Climb   Controls
    Beginner    2.1 km     70 m       9  
    Short       2.7 km    110 m      10  
    Long        4.3 km    160 m      13

The Beginner course is for beginners and young children. This is a great warmup if you're trying orienteering for the first time. You get to see the map before the start and experience how everything works.

The Short and Long courses all have the technical difficulty of a normal Orange course​—​that is, intermediate difficulty. Choose the length that is appropriate for you. The navigation is generally not very difficult. The trick is to pick the most optimal route from one control to another, since there are so many roads, paths, and trails. All the courses can be run on trails and roads, as most of the control points are placed in close proximity to them, but there might be some shorter/faster off-trail routes.

The Long course will take you into many subtle and nearly hidden areas of the Presidio, which you may never have seen before.

Participants can choose either the Short or Long course to earn points for the Summer Series (see below).

Map

The map scale and contour interval will be given here closer to the event date.

Presidio is always in a state of flux. Vegetation changes, fences are built and torn down, trails can be rerouted, and informal trails spring up. While the map is not entirely up to date in every area, none of this should affect your orienteering. Minor corrections around control sites have been made, and most of the route options have been vetted. Just pay attention to out-of-bounds areas and you should be fine. Please be especially respectful not to intrude on residential property within the park and always be aware of other Park users​—​​there are many.

Hazards

Cars and bicyclists. Car traffic may get quite heavy in the afternoon. So, please, pay attention when crossing streets and parking lots. You will have to do it several times.

There is a small amount of poison oak in the park, although you will not need to go through it. Please be familiar with the appearance of this three-leafed plant.

2024 Summer Series

Points for the Summer Series will be awarded to all the individuals (not groups or teams) who complete either the Short or Long course as their first course of the day (i.e., not after the Beginner course). The results for the two courses will begin the standings in the Summer Series.

Details of the Summer Series scoring system are available here. (Note that we need your birth year if you want to be scored properly.)

Request for Volunteers

As usual, we need a some people to help with set up, do beginner clinics, staff the Start, and pick up controls.

This is a great venue for people just starting out in orienteering, and we want enough volunteers to give them a great experience.

If you can help, please contact the Event Director.

Driving Directions

Note: Read the directions carefully, as no signs will be provided because of park rules.

All the action will start from the west part of Fort Winfield Scott (near Building 1205). This is the location we've used in past years. The approximate coordinates are 37.802,-122.4753.

Coming from the South or East: Head to the Golden Gate Bridge. Take the last SF exit on Doyle Drive, just before the toll plaza. Turn right onto Lincoln Blvd. Continue under the overpass. The parking lot is shortly after the first intersection (Storey Ave), on the left. Be sure to purchase a parking sticker at the kiosk in that lot. Walk east, between the large buildings to the assembly area.

Coming from Marin: After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, exit immediately after the toll plaza onto Merchant Road. Turn left at Lincoln Blvd; the parking lot will be on your left. Be sure to purchase a parking sticker at the kiosk in that lot.

Parking

Note: Please do not park near the Log Cabin! Those spaces are reserved for events at the Log Cabin.

No matter where you park at the Presidio, you must purchase a parking sticker, even if there is no sign saying so near the place that you park. There are many kiosks with automated machines where you can purchase a sticker (with credit or debit card, possibly with coins). Rates are $2.50–$3.00 per hour and between $12.50–$15.00 all day (prices differ by location and day of the week; more info is here (https://presidio.gov/visit/getting-to-and-around-the-park/how-to-pay-for-parking)).

The recommended parking lot is next to Lincoln Blvd (between Lincoln and Ralston), 150 m south of the intersection of Lincoln Blvd and Storey Ave. (There is a small parking lot at the intersection of Lincoln Blvd and Storey Ave.)

Wherever you park, please be mindful of conserving space so we can fit in everyone's cars, and consider the affect your car might have on traffic, pedestrians, etc. (Also, be aware that the park police office is nearby, so there's a good chance they will see your car.)

Public Transit

From the Daly City BART station, take Muni Bus #28 (departures about every 10 min.) to Merchant Road at the underpass under Doyle Drive, about 32 min.