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Joseph D. Grant County Park

Date: (Sun.) Mar. 23, 2025
Location: San Jose, CA
Event Director: - 502.418.6914
Course Setter: Tac Sugiyama
Type: B; Standard 7-course event for beginners through advanced orienteers; non-members and beginners are welcome; free, brief, beginner instruction will be available

Related Event Information

Online Registration (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/a40/register/start/joegrant2025) Course Setter’s Notes Attackpoint Event Page (http://www.attackpoint.org/eventdetail.jsp/event_58962) Last Year’s Event

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


Event Director Update

Looking forward to seeing y'all out there this weekend. Be sure to register online to save some time. Please let me know if you can help out with volunteering: starts, beginner clinics, or control pickup.
See y'all this weekend,
Taylor () [3/19/25]


We return to the foothills of Mount Hamilton in March again this year. This should provide perfect conditions for springtime orienteering. The grass will be green, the ground will be soft and ideal for running. (And perhaps we will be past the rainy season.)

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.

The park website is here (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 here.

Schedule

 9:00 AM – 11:59 AM: Registration is open
 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Beginner instruction is available (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: You will have a 15- to 20-minute walk to the Start.
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 (the 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 (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 the beginner (White) 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 (Brown–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).
  • 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 or Venmo).
  • There is no charge for a second course (but you must end up paying for the more expensive course​—​e.g., an Intermediate course after a 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 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.)

Online Registration

You can (but are not required to) register online here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/joegrant2025) for this event. If you do that, 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, March 22th, at 6:00 PM.

Notes:
  • Online registration is not required​—​you can register at the event. (Registering in advance avoids lines 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.
  • You can see who is registered here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/joegrant2025) (but keep in mind that others will register at the event.

Venue Facilities

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

Picnic tables, piped water, and flush toilets are available, so please feel free to bring along a picnic lunch to enjoy after you finish your course.

The park does not want us serving open containers of food and water at the event. We will have a selection of sealed food items, and some small individual water bottles. However, it would be a good idea to bring your own water and reusable bottle.

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 about it here.)

Courses

The course statistics 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 will have a Silver course. This course will be based on the Brown course, but with a shortcut to reduce the distance and climb. The map will be the same for both courses, with a dotted line indicating the shortcut for the Silver course. Competitors may choose either course before or after they start — they should speak to the E-punch crew at Download if they switched from their registered course. 

                                         Technical 
    Course    Length    Climb  Controls  Difficulty
    White     2.1 km     50 m     10     Beginner  
    Yellow    2.9 km     70 m     11     Easy
    Orange    3.3 km     70 m     10     Intermediate  
    Silver    3.1 km    100 m      8     Advanced  
    Brown     3.5 km    110 m      9     Advanced
    Green     4.7 km    140 m     10     Advanced
    Red       5.9 km    180 m     11     Advanced
    Blue      7.3 km    250 m     12     Advanced

Beginners should be aware that the distances 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).

The Start for all the courses is about 1 km from the assembly area, along park trails, with 80 m climb. Allow 15–20 minutes to get there.

The Finish for all the courses is near 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.

Course Setter’s Notes

By Tac Sugiyama

The hills are alive with the fresh green grass, and the ground is nice and soft thanks to just enough rainfall and a lot of digging by wild boars.

In setting the courses this year, I tried to make it fast, limiting the climb as much as possible, while making the route choices interesting and challenging enough.

There is a remote Start for everybody — about 1 km and 80 m climb from the assembly area. Please allow 15–20 minutes to get to the Start. The Finish will be by the assembly area.

The map has not been updated since 2022, and there are some tracks that are not so clear on the ground, or animal trails not shown on the map. Also, please note that some rootstocks have decayed, or are much smaller, while there are some new root stocks.

Even though it should not come into play if you choose a reasonable route, Mount Hamilton Road and a little path leading to Snell Barn are out of bounds, and marked as such with the standard purple X's on the map.

There is only one water control for the Silver, Brown, Green, Red, and Blue courses, at a relatively early stage of each course. Other than that, there are a number of water fountains, mainly in the camping area, marked by the usual blue star on the map.

There is a Silver course available that shortcuts a portion of the Brown course. The map and control descriptions are the same for both courses. The control descriptions on the map (but not on the separate clue sheet) include the instructions to skip a certain control for the Silver course. You can decide which course to run when you register or during the course. If you decide to change your course after you register, please make sure to notify the official at the download station so that your result will be reflected correctly for the course.

The weather forecast is good, with the highest temperature of the year predicted. Enjoy a good day of running on the beautiful hills!

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 send email to Taylor Pospisil, 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).