WELCOME TO OUR ORIENTEERING COURSE
Orienteering is an activity that requires the participants to navigate with a map and compass through unknown terrain to find certain checkpoints marked with the orange-white orienteering symbol.
It is the sport of navigation, using a highly detailed map. Whether you’re an experienced hiker, competitive runner, or just a family or group out for an activity in a park, this sport helps you improve your navigation each time. Orienteering can gradually build your map-reading skills from exploring a local park full of obvious structures to navigating remote terrain with few, if any, man-made features.
The Friends of the Black Run Preserve BRP supports Scouting America (formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America) and have partnered with an Eagle Scout candidate from a local Troop to design and install an Orienteering Course utilizing the BRP trails.
The course is on BRP marked trails (no bushwacking off trail). The design of the course fulfills the requirements for SA Orienteering Merit Badge 8a and 8b. Orienteering Markers for the course are installed according to a Master All Points Map. The course utilizes 20 control markers at selected locations for the participants to navigate. An area to do a pace count is marked as well. Our intent is that the signage and course documents can provide educational opportunities that were not available to the public previously.
The course can be used by both Beginners or Casual Users and by Advanced Users who want to immerse in the full map and compass navigation experience. Both the General Public and Scouting Organizations are encouraged to use the course.
A basic orienteering compass is helpful in completing the course for Beginners, and mandatory for Advanced users. The trails are well marked and maintained so you should be able to complete the course using the compass and map tools and not have to go off trail. You will need a pen or pencil for recording the control points as you locate them.
Professional competitive orienteering events are a timed event so you will want to record your start and finish times. You may also wish to record times at each control point.
The BRP Orienteering Course Documents are located on our Kettle Run Road East kiosk, including a Beginners and Advanced Welcome Poster with basic instructions, the All Points Map, a Sample Course Control Map with explanations, a blank Participant Map, and the basics of Orienteering Compass Use.
Current documents are available to download from this web page:
How to Create a Custom Orienteering Course at BRP
Orienteering Course Instructions for the Beginner User
Orienteering Course Instructions for the Advanced User
Orienteering Introductory Compass Instructions
In the future, additional Posters and Maps will be available for download as they are approved.
For any further information or questions, or to speak with us regarding documents for use by Scouting organizations, please contact us.
