What is Orienteering?

Events

Maps

About Us

Welcome

In orienteering, "the thinking sport", you use a map and compass to navigate a course through unfamiliar terrain. People of all ages enjoy orienteering as a leisurely walk in the woods or as a competitive cross-country race.

Newcomers are welcome at BAOC events, which are held throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We offer beginners' courses suitable for both individuals and families, as well as advanced courses that challenge the technical and physical capabilities of individuals and small teams. Learn more here.

We encourage all runners to try orienteering. A runners' welcome page is here.

What About COVID-19?

BAOC events follow the COVID-19 rules laid down by the Federal Government, the State of California, the County in which the event is being held, and the competition area landowners​—​whichever is more stringent. Please follow event guidelines to help us protect participants from exposure to COVID-19.

News and Notes

Various "news" items are posted on this page. Recent items:

• More about the Condes Licenses (6/4/23)
• Please Uninstall Condes 10 If You Aren’t Using It (6/3/23)
• 2022 BAOC Service Award Recipient (12/20/22)

A Google calendar of Bay Area events is on the Schedule page. If you have a personal Google calendar, you can subscribe to this one to have the events displayed on your calendar.

Current and Upcoming Events

• Jun. 11 (Sun.) - Summer Series Event #2: Mills College - Mills College
  C; This is the second event of the 2023 Summer Series. Beginners are welcome! (pending park approval)
• Jun. 18 (Sun.) - Summer Series Event #3: Vasona - Vasona Lake County Park
  C; This is the third event of the 2023 Summer Series. Beginners are welcome! (pending park approval)
• Jul. 9 (Sun.) - Summer Series Event #4: UC Berkeley - University of California
  C; This is the fourth event of the 2023 Summer Series. Beginners are welcome! (pending park approval)

2023 Summer Series

As in past years, there is a Summer Series of six events this year. A description of the series, which started May 28^th and ends August 27^th, is here.

Other Significant Upcoming Events

• Jul. 17 - 30 - California Orienteering Festival; San Francisco Bay Area & Lake Tahoe Area -
  A; Many days of activities including multiple NRE events, Western States Orienteering Championships, North American Championships (NAOC), and World Rogaining Championships (WRC) — see Schedule entries for individual events (entry deadline: June 15) (pending park approval)
• Jul. 17 (Mon.) - Presidio of San Francisco
  A; All are welcome, including beginners; Western States Orienteering Championships, Day 1; California Orienteering Festival, Stage 1; NRE Sprint event in urban park (pending park approval)
• Jul. 18 (Tue.) - Golden Gate Park
  A; All are welcome, including beginners; Western States Orienteering Championships, Day 2; California Orienteering Festival, Stage 2: NRE Middle-distance event in urban park (pending park approval)
• Jul. 19 (Wed.) - Morgan Territory Regional Preserve
  A; All are welcome, including beginners; Western States Orienteering Championships, Day 3; California Orienteering Festival, Stage 3: NRE Long-distance forest event (pending park approval)

Other Northern California Orienteering Opportunities

The organizations listed below put on events in Northern California and nearby. Their events are listed on the Schedule page (i.e., when "All Clubs" is selected).

• Gold Country Orienteers (GCO) (http://www.goldcountryorienteers.org) – Organizes orienteering events in the Sacramento area
• Nav-X (http://www.navxchallenge.com) – Organizes map-trekking events in Northern California
• terraloco (http://go-terraloco.blogspot.com) – Organizes urban and wilderness map adventures
• Truckee Orienteering Club (http://www.truckeeorienteering.org) – Organizes orienteering events in the Lake Tahoe area

Recent Results

• May. 27 - 29 - “Sprint” Adventure Running Festival; Atascadero, Morro Bay, & San Luis Obispo, CA -
  A; 3 days, 6 events (1 NRE; Sunday AM); for runners, walkers, hikers of all ages; new maps; 2km–3km courses; variety of formats; about 20 controls per course; BAOC & terraloco collaboration; BAOC Summer Series event #1
• May. 21 - Relay Event - Bedwell Bayfront Park
  C; You get to have fun doing a Relay, and we get to practice administration of a Relay in anticipation of the NAOC Relay at the California Orienteering Festival
• May. 7 - Mississippi Bar
  C; Score-O event: Find as many check points as you can within the time limit, individually or as a team, using classic pin punches and punch cards (Not a BAOC event)