Poster for Joe Grant event
Joe Grant Event Poster
(click on it to enlarge)

Table of contents
1 What is Orienteering?
2 BAOC 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM)
3 Schedule
4 Costs and Registration
5 Venue Facilities
6 What to Bring
7 Courses
8 Hazards
9 Park Rules
10 Request for Volunteers
11 Driving Directions
12 Carpool Sites

Joseph D. Grant County Park

Date: (Sun.) Apr. 12, 2026
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Director: - 408.688.4482
Course Setter: Tac Sugiyama
Type: B; Standard 8-course event for beginners through advanced orienteers; beginners and non-members are welcome; free beginner instruction will be available; the BAOC 2026 AGM will be held at this event

Related Event Information

Event Results Course Setter’s Notes Mapper's Notes Volunteer Sign-up (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15OQqOERb93MtVaEAkdHaB2E83YvLS7sFvSmOG1KZ-HY/edit?gid=1958664053#gid=1958664053) Attackpoint Event Page (http://attackpoint.org/eventdetail.jsp/event_60557) Last Year’s Event

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


Saturday Evening Comments from the Event Director

All the Joe Grant courses are set and ready to go!
Tac and I enjoyed excellent running weather, with hardly any showers, while setting up the courses today. Let's hope the conditions remain the same tomorrow.
Some final notes:
  • We will have a place for you to leave your warm-up gear at the remote Finish, which is next to the White/Yellow/Silver Start.
  • We won't have clothing return from the remote Advanced Start, but you can leave your warm-up gear at the remote Finish, which you will pass on your way to the Advanced Start. Remember to pick up your gear before heading back to the Assembly Area.
  • For the Advanced Start, we have all the volunteer slots filled except the last one, 12–12:30 PM. If you arrive at the Advanced Start after 12, please help others start, then start yourself. We can do it!
The courses are excellent — don't let a little rain discourage you!
I hope to see you all tomorrow, Tapio


Please join us as we return to the Joe Grant North map for the first time in 11 years. Even for those who attended that April 2015 event, the map should feel fresh with Lidar contours and all the other notable map corrections. The grass will be green, and the ground will be soft and ideal for running — perfect conditions for springtime orienteering!

Note: As described below, the Start and Finish for all the courses (including White and Yellow) will be remote. Please plan your arrival accordingly.

Please be aware that there are cows grazing and horses being ridden in the park, which might be in the area of the courses. Keep distance from cows, and never get between a calf and its mother! When encountering horses, slow to a walk and talk to the riders so as not to spook the horses and to let them know you are a human and not a cougar, and to know how the riders want you to proceed.

Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information about the courses.

Information about the park is on the park's website (https://parks.santaclaracounty.gov/locations/joseph-d-grant-county-park).

What is Orienteering?

An adventure! Discover the outdoors and discover yourself! You can explore a course by yourself or go as a team with your friends. You will get a highly detailed orienteering map, probably unlike any map you have seen before. The map will have a lot of detail on it, such as fences, boulders, lone trees, vegetation boundaries, and anything else you might see. Your course will be printed on the map.

Orienteering is easy to learn, a challenge to master, and incredibly fun! You can read more about orienteering.

BAOC 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The 2026 AGM will be held at this event from 1:00–2:00 PM. All active members are welcome to participate in the meeting.

Schedule

  9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration is open
  9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner instruction is available (free)
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all the courses
  1:00 PM –   2:00 PM: BAOC Annual General Meeting
                  2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish
Notes:
  • There is a long walk to the Start.
  • Please allow 10–15 minutes to get to the Start for the White, Yellow, and Silver courses, and 30–35 minutes to get to the Start for the Intermediate (Orange) and other Advanced (Brown through Blue) courses.

At registration, all minors (people under 18) must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian (e.g., print the registration form (PDF/12KB)).

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 (but you can if you want, but please don't show up earlier and expect to be served).

Beginner instruction is 15–20 minute, repeating sessions (clinics) that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete a beginner (White or Yellow) course.

Note: Beginners are given their White- or Yellow-course maps at registration. You should get your map before joining a beginner clinic.

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 and Registration

Optional online registration (and payment) is available before the event as described below.

The following fees apply at this event:

  $3 for each junior on Beginner (White) and Advanced Beginner (Yellow) courses
  $8 for each adult on Beginner and Advanced Beginner courses
  $5 for each junior on Intermediate (Orange) and Advanced (Silver–Blue) courses  
$15 for each adult member on Intermediate and Advanced courses
$20 for each adult non-member on Intermediate and Advanced courses
  $1 for a compass rental (optional)  
  $5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don't own one; you'll need one to complete the course)
$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)  
Notes:
  • In addition to the fees described above, there is a $6 park fee collected at the park entrance.
  • 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 or Venmo).
  • Individual entrants can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
  • Groups going on a course together must register at the event. (The online registration system can't deal with groups. 🙁)
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more-expensive course​—​i.e., Intermediate or Advanced after Beginner).
  • 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 standard entry 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:
  • Online registration is not required​—​you can register at the event.
  • You can see who is registered (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/joegrant2026) (but keep in mind that others will register at the event.

Venue Facilities

The assembly area (registration, E-punch download, and restrooms) will be at the Stockman's Group Area (i.e., our standard location). The driving directions are below.

Picnic tables and flush toilets are available — but not piped water. Please feel free to bring along a picnic lunch to enjoy after you finish your course.

We are not permitted to provide food at this venue. Some water will be available, but it would be a good idea to bring your own water, reusable bottle, other refreshments, and snacks or lunch.

What to Bring

For Beginners courses (White and Yellow), comfortable outdoors attire and shoes are fine.

For Intermediate (Orange) and Advanced (Brown through Blue) courses, leg cover or gaiters are recommended, as well as shoes with some extra grip on the sole.

A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful. 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. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read how the E-punch system works.)

Courses

The details of the course are below. Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information.

In addition to the normal White through Blue courses, this event has a Silver course for people who want a shorter Advanced course. If you are interested in the Silver Course, be sure to read the notes below! 

    Course    Length       Climb     Controls  Map Scale  Navigation
    White     2.0 km     30 m  1.5%     10      1:7,500   Beginner      
    Yellow    3.1 km     80 m  2.7%     10      1:7,500   Adv. Beginner
    Orange    3.1 km     90 m  2.9%     10      1:7,500   Intermediate  
    Silver    2.5 km    110 m  4.4%      8      1:7,500   Advanced      
    Brown     3.5 km    130 m  3.7%     12      1:7,500   Advanced
    Green     4.7 km    180 m  3.8%     10     1:10,000   Advanced
    Red       5.9 km    260 m  4.4%     11     1:10,000   Advanced
    Blue      7.6 km    350 m  4.6%     14     1:10,000   Advanced

Notes:
  • Maps for the Beginner courses (White and Yellow) are given out at registration, and can be looked at before starting the course.
  • Maps for the Intermediate course (Orange) and Advanced courses (Silver through Blue) are provided at the Start, and must not be looked at before starting the course.
  • Beginners should be aware that the course lengths shown are the cumulative straight-line distances between controls. The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setter's opinion), without regard for any descending. Because you won't travel in straight lines, and might not follow the optimum routes, your actual distance and climb will be somewhat more than what is shown above, and will depend on your route choices (and any errors you make).
Attention Silver-Course Runners!
  • The Silver course has been completely redesigned to be shorter and less physical, even though the climb remains the same.
  • The Silver course is now a separate course on its own — not a shortened Brown. Thus, you will not be able to change from Brown to Silver, or from Silver to Brown, while on the Silver or Brown courses.
  • Most importantly, the new Start is right next to the Finish, and only a 10–15 minute walk from the Assembly Area, with a minimal climb.
  • Please note that there is a loop in the course (i.e., there is a control you will visit twice).
  • There now is a fence you will need to cross. Please note the comments about fences in the Course Setter's Notes. (Just as an additional hint for the Silver runners, the fence is easier to cross at the stream crossings.)

As mentioned above, and described in the Course Setter's Notes, there is a long walk to the Start. Please allow 10 to 15 minutes to get to the Start for the White, Yellow, and Silver courses, and 30 to 35 minutes to get to the Start for the other courses.

Notes: The routes to the Starts, and from the Finish back to the Asembly Area, will not be marked with ribbons or small flags. Instead, at the Assembly Area you can get a Warm-Up/Walk-to-Start map (in 1:10,000 or 1:7,500 scale) that shows the routes.

There is about a 10-minute walk from the Finish back to the Assembly area for all courses. Do not forget to download after returning to the Assembly Area.

Note: Horses always have the right of way. If you encounter a horse, you must stop running and respond to the rider's direction.

Hazards

For participants on the intermediate and advanced courses, the park has some poison oak which you will want to avoid. It looks like this. Washing clothes and shoes, and bathing with dishwashing soap or a commercial product such as Tecnu, is recommended to remove the irritant oil. (Note that you can be exposed through clothing, and that stalks without leaves are still a risk.)

Deer ticks are found in this area, and they might carry Lyme disease. So, please be sure to check yourself carefully after the event.

Park Rules

Fence gates must be left closed, except if they are fastened open.

Please note that horses always have the right of way. If you encounter equestrians while running on a multi-use trail or road, please walk until you are clear of the horses. A startled horse could throw and injure the rider. Also be careful not to jump onto a trail when horses are nearby.

Request for Volunteers

As always, we need volunteers for this event. Please consider volunteering — we have these positions available:

Even part of a listed session will help! No experience is necessary for any of the tasks — just use this sign-up sheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15OQqOERb93MtVaEAkdHaB2E83YvLS7sFvSmOG1KZ-HY/edit?gid=1958664053#gid=1958664053) or send email to , the Event Director.

Many thanks to those who have already signed up to help!

Driving Directions

The approximate coordinates for the assembly area are 37.3357,-121.7159.

To reach the park, take I-680 to the Alum Rock Avenue exit in San Jose. (From southbound Hwy 101, it's easiest to go past Alum Rock Ave, exit onto I-680, and then exit to Alum Rock Ave.) Head east on Alum Rock to Mt. Hamilton Road. Take a right onto Mt. Hamilton Rd and proceed about 7.5 miles to the park entrance on your right. Be careful to look for bicyclists along twisty Mt. Hamilton Rd.

Here's an alternative route choice (after all, orienteering is all about route choice): Quimby Road is believed to be faster, with a shorter (but steeper) windy road, than Mt. Hamilton Rd from Alum Rock. Some people (and Google Maps) recommend this route even for those coming from the north on I-280 or Hwy 101. In that case, from 101 South exit at Tully Rd, and head east (toward the hills). Turn right onto Quimby Rd (just before East Ridge Shopping Center); take this up and over the hill until it meets Mt Hamilton Road. Turn right and go a few hundred meters to the park entrance on your right.

From the south, coming up 101, take the Capitol Expy exit and head east (toward the hills). Go about 1.5 miles, turn right onto Quimby Road, and follow the directions just above.

At the park entrance, pay the $6 park entry fee (if the entrance booth is unattended, use the ticket machine, which accepts credit cards or cash), and go about 0.6 miles to the parking area designated by the O' signs.

Carpool Sites

People sometimes meet at the junction of Alum Rock Ave and Mt. Hamilton Rd, where there is plenty of parking. That might seem so near the park as to not be helpful, but it does save the twisty drive up Mt. Hamilton Rd, and the park entrance fee for the cars that are left below.

Similarly, people taking the Quimby Rd route could meet at East Ridge Shopping Center (at Tully and Quimby).