Nestled in the scenic highlands of San Diego County, Mount Laguna is about an hour east of San Diego. It offers sweeping views, cool pine forests, and crisp mountain air—an ideal setting for adventure and escape. Our free group campsite puts you right in the heart of this natural beauty, just steps from the orienteering courses. Spend the night under the stars and make the most of your time in the great outdoors. Don’t just come for the event—stay for the experience. Camping is available on-site Friday and Saturday nights, or you can just attend the courses.
We have four exciting courses for you:
- Sat, May 30th, all day - MTBO 1-hour Score-O (Mountain Bike Orienteering)
- Sat, May 30th, 11am - Middle Course (Traditional)
- Sat, May 30th, 8pm - Night Sprint
- Sun, May 31st, 10am - "Laguna Lark" 2-hour Score-O
Whether you're a seasoned orienteer or a curious newcomer, there's a challenge waiting for you. Sign up for one, two, or all four courses!
Event Team:
- Event Director: Tad Gallistel
- Course Setters: Mark Prior, Michael Noblett, Sergey & Misha Biryukov (LAOC), Julien Ouellet
- Visit the Volunteer page to learn how to help with the event.
- See "Volunteer" at the top right of the page. 🔝
- Volunteers get up to a $30 credit towards their race registration fee for each event they volunteer for. Register to help all events, your weekend is free.
- Volunteer roles explained in detail
Saturday, May 30th
MTBO Course (Mountain Bike Orienteering)
- Starts: Available all day Saturday
- Format: Score-O MTBO - Mountain Bike Orienteering (see Formats for details)
- Map Scale: TBD
- Contours: TBD
- Time Limit: 1 hour
- Course Setter: Mark Prior
The Middle
- Starts: 11am - Noon
- Format: Traditional (see Formats for details)
- Map Scale:
- 1:7500 for Beginners
- 1:10000 for Intermediate and Advanced
- Contours: 5m
- Courses:
- Beginner: ~2km
- Intermediate: ~3.3km
- Advanced: ~4.5km
- Time Limit: Two-hour limit - all competitors must return to HQ and download by 2pm so we know you are safe. If you don't check in before you leave, volunteers will search the course to ensure you are not lost - so please check in before you leave.
- Course Setter: Michael Noblett
Orienteering school
- Training sessions between the Middle and Night Sprints.
- Current plan is ~4 courses of 1-2km length, starting and finishing at the campground, focusing on different technical skills. We will also have some other activities that can be done at a table in the middle of the campground. More info coming soon.
Night Sprint
- Starts:
- 8pm Beginner mass start
- 8:15pm Motala (Advanced) mass start
- Note: It's worth having a good headlamp, regardless of the course level.
- Format: (see Formats for details)
- The Beginner - Classic - course is suitable for less-experienced orienteers who just want to dip their toes into Night Orienteering without being intimidated by true forest darkness. This Beginner's course will start at dusk and will mostly follow footpaths around the camp.
- Advanced - Motala - recommended for experienced orienteers. The Advanced course will start at sunset in near darkness - a truly key component of Night O.
- Map Scale:
- 1:5000 for Beginners
- 1:7500 for Advanced
- Contours: 5m
- Courses:
- Beginner: ~2km
- Advanced: ~4.5km
- Time Limit: Two-hour limit - all competitors must return to HQ and download by 10:15pm, so we know you are safe. If you don't check in before you leave, volunteers will search the course to ensure you are not lost - so please check in before you leave.
- Course Setter: Sergey & Misha Biryukov (LAOC)
Sunday, May 31st
Laguna Lark
- Starts: 10am mass start
- Format: 2-hour Score-O (see Formats for details), with handicap scoring based on age, so everyone has a chance to win!
- Map Scale:1:10000
- Contours: 5m
- Course: One course, all controls worth 1 point. Handicap scoring based on your gender and year of birth. The overall winner will be determined by the percentage of your target score achieved. See the TABLE for the target score based on gender and year of birth.
- Time Limit: Two hours, 2 points deducted every 5 min after 12pm. Course closes at 1pm and all competitors must return to HQ and download. If you don't check in before you leave, volunteers will search the course to ensure you are not lost - so please check in before you leave.
- Course Setter: Julien Ouellet
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Administrative Details
- Scoring: Electronic punching will be offered. All participants must bring or rent one. Controls will be AIR+ enabled.
- E-punches: If you don't have your own E-stick, rental electronic punches will be available for $5. (use "000000" when registering).
- Clinics: An introductory clinic will be offered 15 minutes before each event starts. An experienced orienteerer will teach you the basics.
- Registration: All participants must pre-register. All standard SDO registration policies apply.
- Fees:
- Adults are $30 per foot event, or $70 for all three. Juniors (under 21) are $15 per event, or $35 for all three.
- Early bird adults are $25 per event, or $60 for all three. Juniors (under 21) are $10 per event, or $25 for all three
- Early bird discount through midnight, Saturday, May 16th.
- MTBO is $10 for adults, $5 for Juniors. No early bird discount.
- Closes: Registration will close at 10am on Thursday, May 28th.
- Entry Limit: Each event is limited to 150 participants.
Directions:
- HQ / Camping location: Wooded Hill Group Campground
- Camping Availability: starting late Friday afternoon. Must depart by noon on Monday.
- Parking: plenty of free parking at the campsite area
San Diego Orienteering: Home page | Events
