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Tilden Regional Park

Date: (Sun.) Jan. 24, 2010
Location: Berkeley, CA
Event Director:
Course Setter: Jonas Kjall
Type: B; We had some nice courses from Jonas in the north end of Briones this past Spring. Let's see what he can do in Tilden!

Related Event Information

Course Setter's Notes 2008 Event

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


January 22 update:

The weather forecast suggests we may get a break in the rain this weekend. Chances for rain are 30% on Sunday, so come on out. Jonas has developed some very challenging courses for you. The Red and Blue courses are particularly challenging, both mentally and physically, so you may not want to move up a course at this event unless you like a real challenge. The adventure racers will probably love these courses. The other courses also offer a lot of interest and route choice, just not as physical.
Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to help out. I still need someone to cover starts between 11:00-12:30, and also someone to fill in the gaps at the EP GeBe station. If you are waiting to start or have finished your course, and the GeBe area is unmanned, it would be helpful if you could step up and fill in for a short while.
See you on Sunday.


We are returning to Tilden Park for our first full-featured orienteering event of the new year. Jonas Kjäll, a Swedish grad student at UC Berkeley, is the course designer. I am sure he will produce some interesting and challenging courses.

For more information about Tilden Park, you can use this link (http://www.ebparks.org/parks/tilden).

Assembly Area

Tilden is a very central park, and is convenient to most Bay Area residents. This is one of the main reasons we decided to map Tilden — because of its close-in location. The assembly area will be at the same place as the first two years (but not last year's Goat) at the Mineral Springs Group Picnic Area on Wildcat Canyon Road. There is probably room for 60 cars in the parking lot, so please park close together. Late comers may have to park on the shoulder of the road or in several other relatively close parking lots.

The normal event fees and schedule apply.

Map

The terrain was field checked and drawn in 2006 by Russian mapper Vladimir Zherdev. The map is quite good. All maps will be printed at 1:10000 scale, and the contour elevation is 5 meters. Standard IOF orienteering symbols are used. Zherdev frequently uses the dotted-line symbol for a distinct vegetation boundary, which many other mappers, particularly in this country, do not use.

Terrain

Tilden Park is much like most of our Bay Area terrain: steep, lots of rough open with scattered areas of pine and eucalyptus forest, and a moderate amount of fight, which is mainly poison oak, brambles, blackberries, and dense coyote bush. In the summer, the meadows are filled with stickers, burrs and thistles. But by January, the hostile vegetation usually dies back and the rains beat it down, so there will not be a significant problem. The poison oak is mainly in the reentrants, but since the event will be in the winter, the plant is not quite as noxious as in the early spring. However, poison oak prevention techniques should still be utilized.

The contour detail is relatively bland. There is a relatively dense trail network. There are some rock features, many of which will be used as control points. The vegetation is quite well mapped, particularly since the map is new.

Courses

The following courses will be offered: 

   Course     Length     Climb   Controls

   White      1.5 km      90 m      10
   Yellow     2.1 km     110 m      10
   Orange     3.0 km     145 m      12
   Brown      2.9 km     135 m       9
   Green      4.3 km     240 m      10
   Red        5.3 km     320 m      14
   Blue       7.0 km     450 m      19

See the Course Setter's Notes for more information.

Electronic Punching

Electronic punching (EP) will be used on all courses. If you do not own your own EP card (finger stick), you may rent one at the event. Participants who have never used EP before might want to look at our User's Guide to Electronic Punching.

It will be important to remember to download your EP card at the blue EP tent near registration before you go home. Otherwise, we will not know that you have returned, and may have to start a search party for you after the courses close.

Beginner's Clinics

Short beginner's clinics will be offered between 9:30 and 10:30, depending on the demand. The clinics provide enough information to complete the beginner (White) course.

Volunteers

We will need volunteers to staff the usual tasks: starts, finish, beginner's clinic, control pickup, etc. (hint, hint).

Officials

Event Director –
Course Setter – Jonas Kjäll
Vetter & Course Consultant – George Minarik
Map Production – Bob Cooley
Registration – James Wilson, Rex Winterbottom
Beginner's Clinics – Steve Gregg
Setup – Jim Fish, Harold and Penny DeMoss, Marina Keating
Starts – Gary Kraght, Olga Seredenko, Ben Legg
Electronic Punching – Peter Graube, Jim Fish, Greg Ehrensing, Rosemary Johnson
First Aid – Joan Roos
Control Pickup – Harold & Penny DeMoss, Lauren Macmullen, Stephen Haas, Jim Fish, Greg Ehrensing


Driving Directions

There are many ways to reach Mineral Springs in Tilden Park, depending on what direction you are coming. Since you are an orienteer, you may want to check a map. Here are a few possibilities:

From the east, take the Orinda exit from Rte. 24, and head north towards Orinda Village and Richmond on Camino Pablo. Go about 3 miles, and turn left at the signal onto Wildcat Canyon Road (Bear Creek Rd. goes off to the right towards Briones), and wind your way up Wildcat for 3.1 miles. Mineral Springs will be on your right past Inspiration Point, but before you get to the Botanical Garden.

If you are coming from the north or from Berkeley, it probably will be easier to go up to Grizzly Peak Rd., east on Shasta, and right on Wildcat Canyon Road past the Botanic Garden, and turn left into Mineral Springs.

In the winter, the park closes South Park Drive (to protect migrating newts), so if you are coming from the south on Grizzly Peak Road from Claremont or Fish Ranch Road, you will not be able to take South Park Drive down to Wildcat Canyon Rd., but should continue to Shasta Road, and turn east.

If the lot is full, and it probably will be if it is a nice day, you may park on the shoulder of the road if the vehicle is completely off the road and is not in a "No Parking Zone".

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