What is Orienteering?

Events

Maps

About Us

Welcome

In orienteering, "the thinking sport", you use a map and compass to navigate a course through unfamiliar terrain. People of all ages enjoy orienteering as a leisurely walk in the woods or as a competitive cross-country race.

Newcomers are welcome at BAOC events, which are held throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. We offer beginners' courses suitable for both individuals and families, as well as advanced courses that challenge the technical and physical capabilities of individuals and small teams. Learn more here.

News and Notes

A welcome page for runners has been added to the website. Also, a Google calendar has been added to the Schedule page​—​if you have a personal Google calendar, you can subscribe to this one to have the events displayed on your calendar.

Various "news" items are posted on this page. Recent items:

• 2020 Cal-O-Fest Bulletin #1 Is Available (6/15/19)
• BAOC Results at 2019 Junior Nationals (4/15/19)
• 2018 BAOC Service Award Recipient Announced (12/16/18)

Upcoming Events

• Sep. 14 - 15 - 2019 North American Rogaining Championships; Shaver Lake, CA -
  Rogaine; 4-, 8-, & 24-hour Map Trek (register by Sept. 11 for discounted fee); this event is also 2019 NAV-X Challenge #4 (Not a BAOC event.)
• Sep. 17 (Tue.) - BAOC Board Meeting -
  Quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors — 7:00-10:00 PM; all club members and other interested people are welcome
• Oct. 13 (Sun.) - Public Event at Scout-O Championships -
  B; Open Event for non-Scouts — Regular 7-course BAOC event in conjunction with the Scout-O Championships (pending park approval)
• Oct. 13 (Sun.) - Scout Orienteering Championships -
  B; 27th annual Championships and Scout-O for all scout levels (pending park approval)

Other Significant Upcoming Events

• Jul. 21 - Aug. 2, 2020 - California Orienteering Festival; San Francisco Bay Area & Lake Tahoe Area -
  Ten days of activities including the North American Championships (NAOC) and the World Rogaining Championships (WRC) — see separate Schedule entries for each event (pending park approval)

Training Opportunities

Erin Schirm, OUSA Junior National Coach, organizes small, informal training sessions throughout the year. The list of upcoming (and past) sessions is here. (Training events are generally not listed in the main schedule.)

Other Northern California Orienteering Opportunities

The organizations listed below put on events in Northern California and nearby. Their events are listed on the Schedule page.

• Gold Country Orienteers (GCO) (http://www.goldcountryorienteers.org) – Organizes orienteering events in the Sacramento area
• Nav-X (http://www.navxchallenge.com) – Organizes map-trekking events in Northern California
• terraloco (http://go-terraloco.blogspot.com) – Organizes urban and wilderness map adventures
• Truckee Orienteering Club (http://www.truckeeorienteering.org) – Organizes orienteering events in the Lake Tahoe area

Recent Results

• Sep. 14 - 15 - 2019 North American Rogaining Championships; Shaver Lake, CA -
  Rogaine; 4-, 8-, & 24-hour Map Trek (register by Sept. 11 for discounted fee); this event is also 2019 NAV-X Challenge #4 (Not a BAOC event.)
• Sep. 6 - 8 - 2019 U.S. Nationals & NRE Trail-O - Boulder Creek & Aptos, CA
  A; Friday afternoon Middle and Saturday morning Long, both at Big Basin; Sprint, Relay, & Trail-O on Sunday at Cabrillo College in Aptos; sanctioning for U.S. Nationals & NRE Trail-O have been approved (preregistration is closed; register at the event)
• Aug. 25 - Bedwell Bayfront Park
  C; This will be the last event of the 2019 Summer Series. There will be a "beginners" course, and two "advanced" courses. Yes, beginners are very welcome — the courses will be "easier" than usual because of the nature of the park.