Coyote Lake Event Poster
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Coyote Lake–Harvey Bear Ranch County Park
Date: (Sun.) Jan. 25, 2026
Location: Gilroy, CA
Event Director: 
Course Setters: Tom De Vre, Theo Verhoeven
Type: B; At the Coyote Lake side of the park: Standard 7-course event for beginners through advanced orienteers; beginners and non-members are welcome; free beginner instruction will be available
Related Event Information
Course Setters' Notes
By Tom De Vre
Welcome back to Coyote Lake. The ground is soft, and the grasses are green, thanks to the plentiful rainy weather we have experienced so far this winter. Hopefully, the rain stays away for the days leading up to, and on the event day itself, so the trails are not too muddy.
The park has been recently expanded to the north of the Coyote Dam, and we have chosen to explore some of this new terrain for the Advanced courses (Silver, Brown, Green, Red, and Blue). The White, Yellow, and Orange courses, however, will be in the same area of the park as in previous editions, very near the Event Center (i.e., at the boat-launch area).
For the people running one of the Advanced courses, you can drive from the Event Center to the dam parking lot, but carpooling is required, since there is a limited number of parking spots at the dam. The drive from the boat-launch parking to the dam parking is about 10 minutes (2 miles).
If you are running an Advanced course, please carefully read the event notes detailing the carpool, parking, and download instructions.
Course Details
Water
Course Length Climb Controls Stops Navigation Map Scale Map Size
White 2.9 km 70 m 9 0 Beginner 1:7,500 8½"×11"
Yellow 3.0 km 100 m 11 1 Adv. Beginner 1:7,500 8½"×11"
Orange 3.6 km 180 m 12 1 Intermediate 1:7,500 8½"×11"
Silver 2.8 km 100 m 6 1 Advanced 1:7,500 8½"×11"
Brown 4.1 km 135 m 10 1 Advanced 1:7,500 8½"×11"
Green 5.2 km 245 m 14 2 Advanced 1:10,000 8½"×11"
Red 6.3 km 275 m 17 2 Advanced 1:10,000 8½"×11"
Blue 7.5 km 330 m 20 2 Advanced 1:10,000 11"×17"
The map contour interval is 5 m.
The Start for the Beginner/Intermediate (White, Yellow, Orange) courses is about a 15-minute, 800 m walk (with 50 m climb) from the boat-launch parking. From the Finish back to the download area is a short 350 m walk (with no climb).
The Start for the Advanced courses is just a very short 300 m walk (20 m climb) from the (remote) dam parking lot. It is another short 600 m back to the dam parking lot after you finish the course. Please read the event notes for carpool and download instructions!
The Silver and Brown courses are printed on the same map. As at previous events, this allows the Silver/Brown runner to decide on the course if they want to finish early as Silver (by going straight from control 5 to 10 [i.e., skipping 6, 7, 8, 9]), or complete the full-length Brown course. The map uses a purple dashed line to indicate the Silver shortcut. Also, the control descriptions indicate which controls to skip when running Silver.
Map and Terrain
Thanks to Misha Kreslavsky for his tremendous field work over many days! The map, which was last updated in 2019, was improved in areas of the boat-launch area for the Beginner/Intermediate courses, but also further improved and extended north of the dam area, especially in those areas visited by the Advanced courses.
Most notably, some previously white forested areas have been updated to reflect the conditions much better: pale green is used for easily to moderately runnable, intermediate green is for slowly runnable (with some areas containing poison oak), and solid green is uncrossable.
Furthermore, most of the previously-mapped brown triangles (dead fallen tree or root stock) were removed in the course areas, and none are used as controls.
Green circles of different sizes are lone trees.
The green × symbol denotes a standing, or partly-standing, dead tree.
Green dots of various sizes are bushes.
Small watercourses (thin, blue lines) are generally dry (unless it is raining heavily), and look like small gullies.
Gullies shown with bold, brown lines are uncrossable.
Hazards and Wildlife
Poison oak is present in the park. Most of the poison oak is still leafless this time of year, so it might be harder to recognize. Long pants are recommended for the Advanced courses.
In some areas of the park, and for all the Intermediate and Advanced courses, you will go through very uneven terrain, sometimes with scattered small rocks, which can cause a fall or twisted ankle if one is not paying attention or is going at very high speeds.
Most of the wildlife, such as wild pigs, turkeys, deer, coyote, and mountain lions, that roam these hillsides will not pose a problem, as they will most likely run away when they hear or see you. There are also cows that graze in this park — please run or walk around groups of cows as not to startle them (and never get between a calf and its mother!).
Course Comments
The White (Beginner) course follows along trails, and the controls can be accessed from the trails. The control descriptions use text (i.e., not international orienteering symbols). There is no water on the course.
The Yellow (Advanced Beginner) course also mainly follows trails, but the controls are placed off-trail. Even though the controls are visible from the trail, it could mean that you might have to look back in case you have gone past the control! The control descriptions on the map use text. There will be one water control on this course.
The Orange (Intermediate) course goes further off-trail and mainly follows easily recognizable features such as spurs, gullies, or fences. Even though the trail can be used on some of the legs, it is not always the fastest or shortest route. The control descriptions on the map use the standard international symbols, but we will have loose control descriptions available using text for those needing the extra help.
Brown/Silver (Advanced) Courses
- These courses have a (potential) fence crossing. To make the courses fairer for all runners, the map indicates a Crossing Point (purple ")(" symbol) to denote an easier crossing point, i.e., a point in the fence where the wires are more than 1.5 feet apart, which makes crossing a lot easier. We will also add some pool noodles to make sure we do not cause any further damage to this part of the fence. It is important to note that this is not a mandatory crossing point, and depending on your route choice, you might or might not use this mapped crossing point.
- The black X (man-made feature) on the map that is used as a control feature is a 1.5 m × 1.5 m wooden enclosure.
- There is one water control on these courses.
Green, Red, and Blue (Advanced) Courses
- These courses might encounter one or more fence crossings. Do not jump or climb over a fence — roll under or squeeze between the wires. Protect yourself and the fence.
- The black X (man-made feature) on the map that is used as a control feature is a 1.5 m × 1.5 m wooden enclosure.
- There are two water controls on these courses.
I would like to thank Theo Verhoeven for helping me with the course design and control flagging, Misha Kreslavsky for course vetting and providing feedback on the courses, and Lubomir Šebo for map printing (among many other Course Director tasks).
Enjoy!