Presidio of San Francisco
Date: (Sat.) Sep. 18, 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA
Event Director: - 415.453.3679
Course Setters: Vic Revenko, Chuck Spalding
Type: C; National Orienteering Day "Come and Try It" event -- White, Yellow, Orange, and Long Orange courses
Please join us as we once again wander through the incredible parkland known as the Presidio of San Francisco. This will be one of our National Orienteering Day (NOD) events this year.
Join us for an outing for novices, as well as experienced orienteers at the Presidio National Park on Saturday, September 18, National Orienteering Day. This annual event is a big draw for groups as well as individuals from around the world. September is a great time to enjoy the views while getting some exercise and learning new or improving old skills.
White, Yellow, Orange, and Long Orange courses will be offered. The White course is suitable for beginners, with no experience necessary. Yellow is for advanced beginners, a mostly trail course requiring little orienteering experience. Orange and Long Orange are longer, intermediate, off-trail courses of moderate navigational difficulty. The Long Orange course will cover most of the Presidio. It is also a great course for Adventure Racers.
Short, repeating beginner's clinics will be available for all those who wish one. They provide an introduction to orienteering, and enough information to complete a beginner's course. Also, there will be an intermediate/advanced clinic from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
Please note that with the construction of Doyle drive, and other work in the park, there are many changes, closed areas, and unmapped changes that need to be heeded. Bob Cooley has done a great job in updating the map, but changes happen everyday, so please prepare to be adaptable.
Schedule
- Registration: 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon
- Starts available: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
- Beginners clinics: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM
- Intermediate clinic: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Courses close: 2:30 PM
Event Notes
The Presidio is an ideal locale for beginning and intermediate orienteers, with a central location and relatively easy terrain, not to mention historic buildings and scenic views. (Note: Wooded areas have some poison oak, so off-trail participants should wear long pants.)
Beginners clinics will be offered every 15-30 minutes from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. These short sessions will introduce orienteering and provide enough instruction to be able to complete a beginner course. In addition, we will hold a clinic for Adventure Racers and Intermediate orienteers at 10:00 AM.
Please observe the parking directions below, and the out-of-bounds restrictions described below and noted on the maps — including residential areas and lawns. Our permit strictly enforces these rules. Violations could result in hefty fines for the club, and/or prohibition from using the Park in the future.
The Presidio is an open urban park, so there will be activities in many areas, but this should not interfere with your enjoyment. Please do not interfere with other activities.
Please note the following:
- There are many out-of-bound areas that need to be strictly observed according to park rules.
- Please observe the terrain and off-limits areas, and stay within Park boundaries for all courses to avoid traffic.
- The Presidio is constantly changing. Please be aware that some changes made since the courses were set may not be mapped.
- All residential areas and lawns are off limits, please use walkways and paths when going by residential areas, and be courteous.
- Be aware of closed areas due to Doyle Drive construction work.
- The Golf Course road is open, but all golf cart paths, the golf course itself, and areas on either side of the road, are out of bounds. Please respect the golfers.
- All courses will require crossing roadways (under, across, around), so be careful.
- All courses provide scenic views of the Presidio and surroundings.
- You must check in at the Finish whether or not you complete your course. We will not search for anyone, because this is an open, urban park, but we still want to know that everyone has returned safely.
- Courses close at 2:30 PM, so you must return to the Finish by then.
Courses
Here is the final information for this year's courses.
Course Length Climb Controls Comments
White 2.8 km 80 m 9 Beginner’s course, no experience needed
Yellow 4.2 km 160 m 9 Advanced beginners, mostly trail course requiring little orienteering experience
Orange 5.8 km 230 m 10 Intermediate, longer, off-trail course, of moderate difficulty. Requires experience.
Long Orange 7.7 km 280 m 13 Intermediate, long, off-trail course of moderate difficulty. Great for experienced orienteers of all levels. A great runner’s course.
The scale of the map for the White course is 1:7500. The other maps are at the standard 1:10000 scale.
More information about the courses is available in the Course Setter's Notes.
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 at Building 1205.
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. Park in the large open area on your left at the stop sign at Lincoln Blvd and Ralston Ave. If you park here, Building 1205 is east, across Ralston Ave.
Coming from Marin: Exit immediately after the toll plaza onto Merchant Road. Turn right at the stop sign, and park in the large open area immediately on your left (between Lincoln Blvd and Ralston Ave). If you park here, Building 1205 is east, across Ralston Ave.
There's a map here that shows the location of the event.
Parking
There is a large lot just west of the registration area. It is the most convenient location, but it might be restricted because of dirt piles and/or equipment. If the lot is full, you may park along Ralston Ave and between the buildings on Ralston Ave. Parking is also available on the east side of the fields that are next to the registration area.
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.)
Note: Do not park near the Log Cabin!