Poster for UC Berkeley event
UC Berkeley Event Poster
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University of California

Event #5 of 6 in the BAOC 2026 Summer Series

Date: (Sun.) Aug. 16, 2026
Location: Berkeley, CA
Event Director:
Course Setter: Yurii Konovalenko
Type: C; 2026 Summer Series event #5: beginner course and two Summer Series courses; beginners and non-members are welcome; free beginner instruction available; participation in other Summer Series events is not required; AN EVENT DIRECTOR IS NEEDED! (pending park approval)

Related Event Information

Optional Online Registration (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/register/2026ss5ucb) Volunteer Sign-up Form (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n8W4cSiKfKg4XUo5L34qr9zgTJNWLCJDFYf_O0TedQI/edit) 2026 Summer Series Attackpoint Event Page (http://attackpoint.org/eventdetail.jsp/event_60818) Previous (2024) Event

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


Note

This event is tentative, pending finding an Event Director and approval of the permit.
We need an Event Director for this event. If you can help, please contact , BAOC East Bay Regional Event Coordinator. Thanks!

The information below is preliminary and subject to change.


After skipping a year, we return to the beautiful U.C. Berkeley campus for the fourth of six events in the 2026 Summer Series. However, 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, or plan to attend, other Summer Series events.

We encourage beginners to attend, no experience is necessary. The U.C. campus has many distinctive landmarks, such as the Campanile, so anyone should be able to navigate the Beginner course.

The conditions of our permit do not allow us to serve food at the event, so we will not be able to supply the usual snacks. Thus, this event will be BYOS (Bring Your Own Snacks).

We look forward to seeing everyone at what is always a fun event!

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.

Schedule

The standard BAOC event schedule will be followed:

9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration open
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Beginner instruction (free)
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Starts are open for all the courses
                2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish
Note: Participants under age 18 who register at the event must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. (You can download the Summer Series event registration form [14KB PDF], and take it to the event.)

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 (but 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. (Also see the information above about Intermediate Clinics.)

Note: People doing the Beginner course are given their course map at registration. You should get your map before joining a beginner clinic.

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/reglist/26sspackage). (It's too late in the Summer 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 course
  $8 for each adult on Beginner course
  $5 for each junior on the Short or Long courses  
$15 for each adult member on Short or Long courses
$20 for each adult non-member on Short or Long courses
  $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/reglist/26sspackage).
  • You can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
  • At the event, we can accept payment by cash, check, or credit/debit card (but no electronic payments — e.g., PayPal, Venmo).
  • Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
  • 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 (PDF/14KB), 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.)

Online Registration

You can (but are not required to) register online here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/register/2026ss5ucb) for this event. You must pay via PayPal (with credit card, debit card, or PayPal account​—​you do not need to have a PayPal account).

Note: If you register online, you must pay online before the event, and you must complete the online waiver.

Online registration for this event will close on Saturday, July 20th, at 6:00 PM.

Notes:
  • Do not register for this event if you have registered for the Summer Series Discount Package (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/reglist/26sspackage).
  • Online registration is not required​—​you can register at the event.
  • Online registration is available only to individuals, not to groups (i.e., sharing a single E-stick). Groups must register at the event.
  • If you register online, and later change your mind about the course you'll do, you can easily make the change at the event.
  • Compass rental cannot be arranged during online registration, but you can register online and rent a compass at the event.
  • E-punch fingerstick rental can be arranged during online registration.
  • If you want to see who you competition will be, you can see who is registered for this event here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/reglist/2026ss5ucb) and you can see here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/reglist/26sspackage) who has purchased the Summer Series Discount Package (but keep in mind that others will register at the event).

Location on Campus

Registration will be held at the courtyard of the Social Sciences Building (https://www.berkeley.edu/map/) (formerly Barrows Hall), which is located on the south side of the campus, near Bancroft Way, and near Sather Gate and Sproul Plaza.

This is the same location we have used for the last several events.

Venue Facilities

Water and restrooms should be available inside the Social Sciences Building. If it happens that the building is closed that day, there will be open restrooms at Sproul Hall about 150 meters away.

As mentioned above, no snacks will be served at this event. There are many food opportunities just steps away on Bancroft Way.

What to Bring

Running attire and running shoes are fine. Comfortable outdoors attire and walking shoes are fine for those who will walk their 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 a SPORTident fingerstick is required for each team​—​they rent for $5. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)

Courses

The course details will be provided here closer to the event date. As for all the Summer Series events, there will be Beginner, Short, and Long courses.

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

2026 Summer Series

This is the fifth event of the BAOC 2026 Summer Series. The Summer Series consists of six 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.)

Volunteers

For all of you who enjoy orienteering, help us help others catch that joy.

Please contact me if you can help for about an hour at the U.C. Berkeley event. Here are the available offerings:

Except for Beginner Clinics, no previous experience is required — the tasks are easily learned.

Please look at the openings, and sign up in this form (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n8W4cSiKfKg4XUo5L34qr9zgTJNWLCJDFYf_O0TedQI/edit).

Thank you kindly, the Event Director

Parking

Photo gallery image (click to enlarge)

Street parking, although always tight, is free on Sunday along the roads south and north of the main campus (Bancroft Way and Hearst Ave, respectively). Arrive early to secure space on Bancroft Way near Telegraph Ave (closest to the Social Sciences Building). More free Sunday parking is available on the streets south of Bancroft Way. There are many pay spaces around the campus and in nearby garages, such as the Upper and Lower Bancroft Garages, and Telegraph & Channing Garage. Suggested streets and garages are shown in the map to the right (click on the map to see a larger image, and click on that image for an even larger one).

On-campus parking: Payment is required on Sundays! Hourly public parking is available during weekends in all campus parking areas (unless otherwise indicated on parking-control signs). You will need your license-plate number at the ticket-dispensing machine. The fee is $2.50 per/hour. You can pay with $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 bills (the machine does not give change) and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover). Time limits are strictly enforced.
Parking tip for Downtown Berkeley: Drive to the North Berkeley BART station (http://www.bart.gov/stations/nbrk), park your car there for free (on weekends), and take AC Transit 52 (schedule (http://www.actransit.org/maps/schedule_results.php?ms_view_type=1&version_id=43&maps_category=2&maps_line=52&map_submit=Get+Schedule&current_schedule=30871)) to the stop at Bancroft Way & Telegraph Ave (11-minute ride), then walk to the Social Sciences Building. Alternatively, you can take BART one stop south to the Downtown Berkeley station and walk from there.

Public Transit

Public Transit is highly encouraged! The Downtown Berkeley BART station (http://www.bart.gov/stations/dbrk) is one block west of campus, and from there it's a pleasant 0.5-mile walk through campus to the Social Sciences Building (see the map in the Parking section above).

Local buses are also available at Telegraph & Bancroft/Durant. AC Transit routes 6, 36, 51B, 52, 79, and F stop here, and connect with Downtown Berkeley BART, North Berkeley BART, Rockridge BART, Telegraph Ave, University Ave, etc. Please refer to the map in the Parking section above, and check Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Social+Sciences+Building,+Berkeley,+CA/@37.870027,-122.2930081,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x80857c25938066c3:0x73f82f3646d8e0bd!2m2!1d-122.2579888!2d37.8700322!3e3!5m1!1e2) and AC Transit (http://www.actransit.org/maps/) for more information.