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Indian Valley Open Space Preserve

Date: (Sun.) May. 24, 2009
Location: Novato, CA
Event Director: - 415.895.6039
Course Setters: Heidi Whalen, Scott Aster
Type: C; White, Yellow, and Orange courses, plus whatever else Heidi has in store for us; come join us on Memorial Day Weekend

Please note that fees and time limits apply, unless otherwise mentioned below. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


Note added May 21:

For everyone planning on orienteering at Indian Valley this Sunday, be advised that there will be an unplanned detour to go around a construction area on the Yellow, Orange, and Brown courses. The detour will be flagged. This will add about 400–500 meters to each course. The good news is that it is flat. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Gary Kraght
Event director


BAOC returns to the College of Marin Indian Valley campus in Novato on Sunday, May 24, the day before Memorial Day. For those who have not yet orienteered at Indian Valley, it is not just a college campus. Yes, there are buildings and sidewalks and parking lots and tennis courts and other traditional campus fixtures. But there are also open grassy meadows and many oak-studded hills, and some gullies large enough to run in. The college campus extends south to the ridgeline overlooking Indian Valley and also some distance to the north, which allows for technical and physical orienteering challenges. It is probable that advanced-course participants will see patches of poison oak, and rattlesnake sightings are possible.

Registration opens at 9:00 and closes at 12:00. A short, repeating, beginners clinic will be available from approximately 9:30 until 11:30, depending on demand. You can start your course(s) anytime between 10:00 and 12:30. All courses close at 2:00 PM and controls will be picked up at that time. Please honor the course closure time, come to the Finish, and checkin with your E-punch stick, even if you have not completed your course by 2 PM. (Please do not leave the event without checking in.)

Starts and finish will be self-service on the big lawn close to registration. That is a large sunny lawn that will be perfect for a picnic after you finish, or for cheering your friends as they run through the Finish chute, after you of course!

There will be four courses—White (beginner), Yellow (advanced beginner), Orange (intermediate), and Brown (short, technically advanced)—set by Heidi Whalen. Heidi assisted Scott Aster last year in the course-setting at Indian Valley, and this year she is on her own. So come on out and support Heidi's effort.

Here are the course details:

   Course    Distance   Climb    Navigation
   White      1.9 km     35 m    Beginner
   Yellow     3.0 km    115 m    Advanced beginner
   Orange     3.9 km    290 m    Intermediate
   Brown      3.7 km    245 m    Advanced

The Orange and Brown courses are physically a bit tougher than average. This is probably not the time to move up to Brown if you have not previously completed a Brown course.

All the courses will use E-punch. If you do not have your own E-punch stick, you can rent one at registration for a nominal fee. For information on how to use E-punch, see our E-punch User's Guide.

Driving Directions

To get to the Indian Valley campus, take Highway 101 through Marin County to southern Novato, and exit at Ignacio Blvd. Go west on Ignacio Blvd as far as you can go, where it terminates at the College of Marin Indian Valley campus entrance. Follow the campus road to its end, and park in the huge parking lot.

Registration will be next to the swimming pool—the same spot we have used in the past.

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