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Bedwell Bayfront Park

Event #7 of 7 in the BAOC 2025 Summer Series

Date: (Sun.) Aug. 24, 2025
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Event Director: - 650.281.5280
Course Setters: Emily Ellsworth, Matthias Kohler
Type: C; At this beginner-friendly park, we have the final event of the 2025 Summer Series. As usual, everyone is welcome, including beginners and non-members, and there will be free beginner instruction to explain orienteering.

Related Event Information

Event Results Course Setters' Notes 2025 Summer Series Attackpoint Event Page (http://www.attackpoint.org/eventdetail.jsp/event_58992) Last Year's Event

Please note that fees and time limits apply. Events are typically not canceled due to bad weather.


For this final event of the 2025 Summer Series, we return to Bedwell Bayfront Park in Menlo Park. Bedwell Bayfront is a fairly small, open, flattish park near the western end of the Dumbarton Bridge — easy to get to, with fun orienteering and great views.

We want to emphasize that everyone is welcome to come out and do one (or more) of the courses, regardless of whether or not you have attended a previous Summer Series event. Also, club membership is not required to participate.

This park is a great place to try orienteering for those new to the sport — beginners new to orienteering are encouraged to attend. And while easy compared to many of our larger, non-urban parks, navigation can still be challenging for more-advanced orienteers, especially when you consider that the park's extensive trail network will not be shown on the maps for the Short and Long courses.

We will offer three courses at this event: One for beginners (2.3 km long; 1.4 mi), a Short course (3.4 km), and a Long course (5.8 km). The Short and Long courses will be the ranking courses for this final event of the 2025 Summer Series (see below for more).

Notes to everyone:

Notes to competitive orienteers:

We look forward to seeing everyone at what should be a fun event!

Note: If you're planning to bring a group larger than 10, please reach out to Steve Haas, the Event Director (), so we can plan accordingly (e.g., print enough 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.

"Advanced" Beginners

If you are in the early stages of learning orienteering, Bedwell Bayfront Park is a great venue to try a more-advanced course. The park is very open, so features are easy to see, and it's confined to a small area, so you cannot get far from the event center. However, to artificially make navigation harder, there are no trails or roads on the advanced (i.e., Short and Long) maps. Thus, those courses will give you a chance to practice more-advanced skills such as following a bearing, using attack points, and reading contour lines and vegetation features.

Schedule

The following standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

  9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open
  9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner-clinic instruction is available (free)  
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all courses  
                  2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish  
Note: At registration, everyone younger than age 18 must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. (The Summer Series registration form is available here (12KB PDF).)

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. (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 everyone must return to the Finish by 2:00 PM, and then promptly go to the download tent, even if they have not completed their 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

Notes:
Optional online registration (and payment) will be available as described below.
You will not need to register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/25sspackage). (It's too late in the Series for it to make sense to buy the Discount Package now.)

The following fees apply for this event:

  $3 for each junior on the Beginner (White) course
  $8 for each adult on the Beginner course
  $5 for each junior on the Short or Long course  
$15 for each adult member on the Short or Long course
$20 for each adult non-member on the Short or Long course
  $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)  
Notes:
  • Do not register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/25sspackage).
  • You can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
  • At the event, we can accept payment by cash, check, or credit/debit card (but no electronic payments — e.g., PayPal, Venmo).
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course — i.e., the Short or Long course after the Beginner course).
  • Members of other orienteering clubs can pay the "member" fee. (We hope your club would do the same for our members. 🙂)

More information about event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the Summer Series registration 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.)

Optional Online Registration

Online registration has closed. You can register at the event.

Notes:
  • Do not register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/25sspackage).
  • Online registration is not required — you can register at the event.
  • If you want to see who you competition will be, you can see who is registered for this event here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/2025ss7bayfront) and you can see here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/25sspackage) who has purchased the Summer Series Discount Package (but keep in mind that others will register at the event).

Venue Facilities

Water and restrooms are available near the Assembly Area.

What to Bring

Bring your own water for the course(s). There will be no drinking water on the courses. There is a drinking-water fountain near the restrooms close to the Assembly Area (which is near the Start and Finish).

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

For people on the Short and Long courses, hiking shoes or running shoes, both with good traction, are recommended. The courses will include some pavement, but mostly off-trail legs. You might want shoes with cleats or spikes for the off-trail legs.

You might encounter some annoying grass depending on your route choice (and the condition of the fields), so you might consider wearing gaiters, long socks, or long pants.

It is sometimes quite windy at Bedwell Bayfront Park, so consider bringing a windbreaker​—​at least for before and after your course.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful — and can improve safety — so is recommended. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.

We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so each entry/team needs to have a SPORTident E-punch fingerstick. If you don't have your own, you can rent one at registration for $5 (note that there's a significant charge for a lost rental). (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Courses

As for all the Summer Series events, there are Beginner, Short, and Long courses. Here are the course details: 

    Course     Length    Climb  Controls
    Beginner   2.3 km     40 m     15  
    Short      3.4 km     90 m     16  
    Long       5.8 km    120 m     21  

Beginners should be aware that the course length shown is the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance could be significantly longer (although, going straight [off-trail] is often possible at this park). The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setters' opinion), without regard for any descending.

Be sure to read the Course Setters' Notes for more information about the courses and the map.

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. After the Beginner course, if you want some more, you can do either of the other courses (as long as you pay the difference in fees, start before 12:30, and finish by 2:00).

Participants can choose either the Short or Long course to earn points for the 2025 Summer Series (see below).

Keep in mind that you can earn Summer Series points from the first course you run at the event, and only if it's one of the ranking courses. That is, you will not earn points if you run the Beginner course first, and then one of the ranking courses.

The Long course will involve a map flip as explained in the Course Setters' Notes.

Water

Water will not be provided on the courses. There are fountains at the Assembly Area.

We expect that most people will complete their course quickly enough to not need water while on the course.

However, you should consider carrying some water if you expect to be slow, or if it's a hot day.

Hazards

There is essentially no poison oak, although there might be a few small spots.

The open fields have ground-squirrel burrows — be mindful of your footing to avoid twisting an ankle.

As mentioned above, it might be hot during the event, and it will surely be sunny. Be sure to use sun screen.

2025 Summer Series

This is the seventh and final event of the BAOC 2025 Summer Series. The Series consists of seven events, each of which has two "ranking courses" for the overall "Short" and "Long" Summer Series results. At this event, points will be awarded to all the individuals (but not groups or teams) who complete the Short or Long course (as their first course at the event).

Scoring of the Summer Series events involves a gender/age-based weighting system. Details of the Summer Series scoring system are available here. (Note that we need your gender and birth year if you want to be scored properly.)

The Series standings after the latest event (#6 at Evergreen Valley College) are here.

You can see the Series standings after earlier events from links on the 2025 Summer Series webpage.

Volunteers

As always, this event can't happen without volunteers.

We need help with event setup, registration, beginner clinics, starts, and control pickup. If we get enough volunteers it'd be great to have extra people to hang out either at registration or the Finish to encourage our participants. Nothing makes you want to come back more than a new friend with a smiling face!

You can look at this spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Cj6E9ORxaN7dfN6PkmC4ycFgMuLCEGHc0D66IzPbS00/edit?usp=sharing) to see what tasks are available, and to sign up for your favorite one.

It's very easy to help, and it helps us to have an event for everyone to enjoy. Of course, you get to do your course, too!

Not sure what to help with? Just want to help with something? Just contact me, and I can help you find a helpful role.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you, Steve Haas, Event Director ()

Driving Directions

The approximate coordinates for the event are 37.4909,-122.1773.

From the Peninsula, North, and South, take Highway 101 to the exit for Marsh Rd/CA-84E (#406). Head east on Marsh Rd (toward Dumbarton Bridge or the Bay). Stay to the far left so you can drive straight ahead into the park at the traffic signal where Marsh turns right onto Bayfront Expressway.

From the East Bay, cross the Dumbarton Bridge (Hwy 84). Go to the seventh traffic light after the bridge (at Marsh Rd), and turn right into the park.

Parking

There are two small parking lots near the Assembly Area — one before you reach the restrooms, and one beyond the Assembly Area. If the lots are full (which is likely to happen), you can park along the park road. (If you park along the road, please do not "waste space".)