2024 Nav-X GPS MAP TREK #4 @ Donner Summit
Quick Info
Date: Thursday 1 August to Monday 30 September (Map handout on 14 September, 10am)
Location: Donner Summit Sno-Park
Courses: 4h & 8h GPS Map Trek
Price: $17 (4h) & $25 (8h)
LINKS to MAPRUN COURSES (click link while using smartphone)
INTRODUCTION
The 4th event of the 2024 Nav-X season will take place on a big course at Donner Summit.
67 checkpoints are marked on the map. You have 4 or 8 hours to try and get to as many checkpoints as you can.
Our suggested race time is Saturday, September 14 at 10am. We will have a Nav-X team member there to hand out pre-printed maps (no extra charge) if you register by September 12. Since this is not an official event, there will be no signage so just meet the Nav-X staff member at the start triangle (Donner Summit Sno-Park parking loop). Map handout will be from 9:30-10:30am.
We will be using a Smartphone app named “MapRun” to record your visit to each checkpoint. The app will record a “punch” automatically using your GPS position.
All the instructions including directions to the Start are below. Be safe and have fun!
REGISTRATION
Use this link to register via Orienteering USA: https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/2024-nav-x-4
A Orienteering USA membership is not required: instead, use the Enter Data Manually option instead.
If you are part of a team, everyone on your team (over 12 years of age) must register separately.
EVENT INFORMATION
MAPRUN - Please see this page for instructions on how to use the MapRun smartphone app. It’s important that you load the course while you still have Internet service. Search for “2024 Nav -X GPS Map Trek Donner Summit” and pick the right course (4 hr or 8 hr). Or you can click one of the links provided above to load the course
DIRECTIONS TO PARKING (Donner Summit Sno-Park):
From Sacramento: Take Highway 80 to Boreal Ridge/Castle Peak exit in Soda Springs. At the exit turn Right, then Left onto Bunny Hill drive. Sno-park is at the end of that road.
From Truckee/Reno: Take Highway 80 to Boreal Ridge/Castle Peak exit in Soda Springs. At the exit turn Left, then another left onto Bunny Hill drive. Sno-park is at the end of that road.
BATHROOMS - There is a vault toilet restroom at the Sno-Park parking lot.
GEAR REQUIREMENT - you must carry the following on your course
Smartphone/GPS watch - goes without saying since we are using an app for timing.
Compass
Whistle for safety
GEAR RECOMMENDATION - We also recommend participants bring the following:
Fully covered legs and arms (some of the dry manzanita branches can really do a job)
Shoes with sticky rubber for good traction on granite (avoid thick soled running shoes like Hoka One One because you may find yourself contouring quite a bit). Salomon Speed Cross or La Sportiva Bushido are great options)
Water treatment (tablets, filters, UV...whatever you prefer)
Food/calories for the duration
Electrolytes, either tablets or dissolvables (Nuun, Salt stick), to avoid cramping
Headlamp
Rain jacket (weather can change quickly in the mountains
Small roll of duct tape (can be used to give support to a sprained ankle, as band aid for cuts, etc.)
Depending on your comfort level in the woods, you may consider additional “worst case scenario” aid like signaling mirror, SPOT/InReach beacon, emergency blanket, etc.
TRASH - While on the course, practice Leave No Trace (LNT) - bring all trash back to the parking area.
TERRAIN & COURSE NOTES
TERRAIN - Typical Tahoe Basin terrain between 7000 and 8000 ft. Hills, cliffs, coniferous forests, open granite slabs, steep terrain
PROHIBITED AREAS: Observe the restricted areas (hashed on map) and any park signage. Specifically, avoid moving near ski resort buildings and the entire Boreal Ridge ski area (marked out of bounds on the map) and the front (S) side of Donner Ski Ranch ski area.
There are only two places where you can cross from one side of HWY 80 to the other. The West one is the paved underpass right at the Boreal Ridge/Castle Peak exit. The East one is a tunnel where the Pacific Crest Trail passes under HWY 80A. Both places are marked on the maps. DO NOT CROSS HWY 80 ANYWHERE ELSE, YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED AND COULD DIE.
COURSE - The course was designed and set by Kyle Poland. There are 67 checkpoints varying in point value from 30 to 120 points. Generally, higher value controls are either inconveniently located, harder to find, or require great physical effort. For intermediate participants there are quite a few checkpoints near trails. For participants with great navigational skills but less physical stamina, there are a few tricky high pointers reasonably close to Start/Finish.
START - The start area is shown on your map as a triangle on the west bank of a small creek to the west of the parking lot. Do not approach the start until you are ready to go! Your GPS device will start you automatically and alert you by beeping once you are within 15 meters of the spot.
SCORING: Just like our other events, each checkpoint has a point value reflecting the difficulty (higher point value for tougher checkpoints). The point value is the “10 part” of the checkpoint code. Examples: 33 = 30 points, 50 = 50 points, 88 = 80 points, 123 =120 pts, etc. Late penalty is 10 points per minute.
MARKERS - Most checkpoints are marked with biodegradable ORANGE flagging. Be aware though, that as time goes by, animals and hikers may remove some markers so they are not guaranteed to be there when you get there. Your phone/watch beeping/vibrating is what matters, and what keeps score.
FINISH - the finish is marked on your map with a double circle and is at the same place as the start. When you are within 15 meters of the spot, your GPS device will register a finish. Do not approach the finish until you are ready to end your course. (Depending on the device, it may be possible to continue the course after this, for example if you approached the finish spot by accident. However, this might not work for you, so we recommend you don’t go near the finish until you are done.) Remember to upload your result after you finish (if it doesn’t happen automatically).
MAP PRINTING - You will need to print your own maps. We are providing a Zip file with PDF files of the course map at 1:25,000 scale (portrait format, 1 page), 1:10,000 scale (portrait format, 6 pages), and separate control descriptions (symbolic and text). The text control descriptions are also on the map.
If you want to report any problems with the course, please email info@navxchallenge.com
ABOUT THE MAP
We have combined three maps into one with some fancy stitching by Bill Cusworth. Two BAOC orienteering maps (Boreal Ridge and Donner Ski Ranch) have been combined with the NAV-X Castle Peak map. In addition, recent LiDAR data was used to generate the contours as well as auto-generated vegetation which is surprisingly accurate. The scale and contour interval is 1:15,000 and 5m elevation between contours, but you will be able to print at 1:10,000 scale as well, and that would be our recommendation - there is a lot of detail there. If you like to geek out on map info, below is a lot of detail from the 2018 event:
Detailed Map Information
South of I-80
The orienteering maps are showing their age, as they are relatively old. You can pretty much rely on them as far as any water and rock features, and vegetation. The following are less reliable, so use caution when navigating around these:
XC ski tracks (west side of Boreal ski area near I-80) - this year’s course does not go in this area.
Lifts in the Boreal area - they have taken down some, built new ones. There aren’t any controls near these lifts, so minimal impact on this one.
Power lines - the ones on the map are there, but there have been some additional off shoots etc. that are not on the map.
Trails. Most trails are pretty reliable, but there are heavily traveled areas where new trails have emerged, so don’t expect all trails in the terrain to be on the map.
Lakes. Some of the lakes and ponds are dry at this time of year, or have turned into marshes.
Bare rock and granite are not consistently marked. In the area of the Boreal Ridge orienteering map (half of the map south of I-80), it is shown as solid gray. Everywhere else, it shows up as open land with scattered trees, yellow sprinkled with white patches.
North of I-80
This is a new map created by Bill Cusworth, using the latest technology for turning Lidar data into maps, along with other data available. There has been virtually no field checking done, and the map does not contain many of the features that would be there on an orienteering map. However, it does contain the following, that most topo maps do not:
Very accurate contours
Most cliffs
Vegetation that is pretty reliable, though not perfect
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES
YOU ARE DOING THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK - WE TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INJURIES OR DEATH. HAZARDS INCLUDE STEEP HILLS, LOOSE ROCKS, CLIFFS, OCCASIONAL DENSE AND SHARP BRUSH, BEARS, AND RATTLESNAKES.
There is cell phone coverage in some areas of the course but not all. Coverage is best in elevated areas near Highway 80.
Due to the self-serve format, you may be completely on your own when you run your course. Be aware of this! You should bring a whistle in case of an emergency.
HIGHWAY CROSSINGS - The course is on both the north and south sides of Highway 80. There are only two safe places to cross the highway and both have controls: control 32 at the Boreal Ridge Road exit underpass, and control 31 between the Pacific Crest Trail culverts that go under the highway (worth a visit). It is illegal and unsafe to attempt crossing the highway anywhere else.
WATER - Bring enough water for the duration of the event or replenish on course. In August and September, streams will be drying up and lakes will be the more reliable water source. Treat or filter.
ELEVATION - Most of the course is 7000 ft and higher; your pace may be affected.
SUGGESTED BREAK - Control 34 on the south side of the course is at the Donner Ski Ranch restaurant, a good mid-course stop for a cold drink and restroom.
Other hazards - Bears are in the area, though it’s rare to see them. If you do, make noise and they will likely lumber off in the opposite direction.
Please be careful; you are undertaking this course on your own.