The

PERMANENT ORIENTEERING COURSE

in

JOAQUIN MILLER PARK

Oakland, California

"Orienteering is a sport in which the competitors visit a number of points marked on the ground (controls) in the shortest possible time aided by map and compass."   In addition to competition and recreation at public events provided by your local club, the sport offers a fun way to learn map and compass skills; an exciting format for team building and a means of exploring new areas.  In the San Francisco Bay Area, instruction and private events are available through Scarborough Orienteering, www.orienteer.com.  Public events are held regularly by the Bay Area Orienteering Club, www.baoc.org

A permanent orienteering course provides the opportunity to try out the sport on your own or for training for organized events.  Modeled after the concept very popular in Britain and northern Europe, the JMP POC was the first permanent orienteering course in northern California if not the Western US. The Joaquin Miller Park course was installed in October, 1983 by Joe Scarborough with the assistance of Boy Scout Troop 916 of Pleasanton and in cooperation with the City of Oakland and the Bay Area Orienteering Club.  Materials were donated by Truitt and White Lumber of Berkeley.

The course consists of about 24 controls,  features which are marked by 6x6 redwood posts with the red and white o-symbol painted on the top.  Please note that the course may be modified and changes occur in the terrain over time.  By the same token, the map is continuously being updated and improved. 

INSTRUCTIONS

See Orienteering in a Nutshell and Seven Easy Steps for additional introductory information.

STEP 1:             Choose your course- White is suggested for beginners.  Navigation and control placement are particularly easy providing for learning rules and procedures.  There is also a suggested Yellow and Orange course for training as you progress as well as an "all controls" map for designing your own course.

STEP 3:           Print map, descriptions and appropriate instructions to take with you to the POC.

WHITE          YELLOW          SHORT ORANGE          ALL CONTROLS

STEP 3:           All courses begin at the “START/FINISH”  marker  (triangle on the map) located near Sequoia Arena off Skyline Boulevard.   Google map.

STEP 4:           Study the map legend.  Green areas represent vegetation of various densities and are generally best avoided.  The map scale is 1;7,500 which means that 7.5mm on the map represents 100 meters on the ground.  Note that the map is drawn to magnetic north so that no adjustment for declination is needed.

STEP 5:           Orient or “set” the map to agree with the ground.  If you have a compass, the needle should line up with the north/south meridians on the map.  Relate the features you see on the ground with those on the map and vice versa.  Proceed as described in Seven Easy Steps.

STEP 6:           Select your route from the start to the first control.  Beginners should follow trails and other line features. 

STEP 7:           Proceed to control #1.  The letter code on the top of the marker should agree with the description.

STEP 8:           Continue around the course keeping the map oriented and taking each control in order until reaching the finish marker.

Congratulations.  I hope you enjoyed orienteering at Joaquin Miller Park.  Please send any suggestions or reports of missing markers to joe at orienteer dot com.

RECOMMENDED COURSES

CONTROL DESCRIPTIONS

YELLOW COURSE  (Advanced Beginner)

1.  (BA)  Hilltop, SW part

2.  (JS)  Hilltop

8.  (KM)  Hill, W part

9. (DM) Re-entrant, upper part

Finish      (same as start)