• Hellman Hollow, Golden Gate Park (map)
  • 898 John F Kennedy Dr
  • SF, CA, 94121
  • United States

2024 Nav-X GPS MAP TREK #3 @ San Francisco

Quick Info

  • Date: Thursday 11 July to Monday 30 Sep (Map Handout 22 September at 10am)

    • ⚠️ The course is closed from 29 July to 21 Aug due to the Outside Lands festival ⚠️

  • Location: San Francisco (Golden Gate Park)

  • Courses: 2h & 4h GPS Map Trek

  • Price: $12 (2h) & $17 (4h)


INTRODUCTION

  • The 3rd event of the 2024 Nav-X season will take place in San Francisco, CA in 3 parks (Golden Gate, Presidio, Lands End) plus the neighborhoods in between.

  • Unfortunately, the Nav-X San Francisco course will not be available due to the Outside Lands Festival taking place August 9-11 in Golden Gate Park. Many sections of the park are already cordoned off as of August 3 and will be closed until August 22. Because of this, we have decided to extend the competitive window for the event to the end of September.

  • Our suggested race time is Sunday, September 22 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 20. Since this is not an official event, there will be no signage so just meet the Nav-X staff member at the start triangle (Hellman Hollow in Golden Gate Park). Map handout will be from 9:30-10:30am.

  • Many spots will have sweeping views of San Francisco, the Bay, and the Ocean.

  • 74 checkpoints are marked on the map. You have 2 or 4 hours to try and get to as many checkpoints as you can.

  • All the instructions including directions to the Start are below. Be safe and have fun!

REGISTRATION

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 San Francisco” and pick the right course (2 hr or 4 hr). Or you can click one of the links provided above to load the course.

  • START AND FINISH - The start and finish of the course are located in the Hellman Hollow picnic area of Golden Gate park. There is ample free parking available!

  • DIRECTIONS TO PARKING:

  • BATHROOMS: There is a bathroom located near the finish.

  • 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

      Water

  • GEAR RECOMMENDATION - We also recommend participants bring the following:

    • Gaiters or ankle coverings to prevent debris from entering your shoes

    • Snacks, especially if you are on the 4-hr course

  • TRASH - While on the course, practice Leave No Trace (LNT) - bring all trash back tothe parking area.

  • BE DISCREET - We don’t have a permit to use any of the parks so try not to be too noticeable when entering or exiting off-trail areas.

MAP & COURSE NOTES

  • TERRAIN - Golden Gate, Presidio, and Lands End are urban parks with a plethora of trails and roads that connect to almost every corner. You will see terrain ranging from steep cliffs, to stairs, to sandy trails and beaches. There is a lot of steep terrain you may encounter, but you will always have a trail as an option to navigate it. On the West (Ocean) side of the Presidio, as well as the Ocean side of Lands End there is a lot of steep loose terrain (cliffs) that you should never have to navigate. Please be careful along any steep trails beside these loose cliffs. You will also have to navigate through city streets in the Richmond and Sea Cliff neighborhoods to get between the 3 parks. Please be respectful of private property in this area. A lot of people call the Presidio their home, and there are several off limits areas marked on the map that respect these homes. Please avoid cutting through these communities unless on sidewalks and roads.

  • MAP - The map for this event was created by combining 4 maps: 1. BAOC’s Presidio map from 2002 (with significant updates in 2024), 2. BAOC’s Golden Gate Park map (with significant updates in 2023 and 2024), 3. Get Lost’s Lands End sprint map from 2011 (with significant updates in 2024), and 4. A new 1:10000 map derived from mostly Open Street Map data for the neighborhoods (Richmond and Sea Cliff) between all 3 parks. The symbols were all scaled to the same standard size at 1:10000 and 5 meter contours (derived from Lidar) were overlaid across the map; the original maps’ contours were removed. The colors were also adjusted to be consistent across all 4 maps.

  • COURSE - There are 74 checkpoints varying in value from 20 to 120 points. The maximum point total is 4680 and the straight-line distance to get them all is around 27km. This course is a relatively fast course with most checkpoints being navigationally fairly easy to get to. The challenge will lie more in the physical exertion of getting to some checkpoints (you may question whether heading all the way down to the beach was worth the points), as well as a good plan to maximize the points you get.

  • START - The start is marked on your map with a triangle. It is located in the Hellman Hollow area of Golden Gate Park. You may get a start punch from the road; be ready to go as you approach the area.

  • 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, 56 = 50 points, 100 = 100 points, etc. The late penalty is the Nav-X standard 10pts/minute.

  • NO FLAGGING - Due to all checkpoints being located in high-traffic areas, there is no flagging anywhere on the course.

  • FINISH - The finish is located at the same point as the Start.

  • MAP PRINTING - You will need to print your own maps. We are providing a Zip file with the map documents in PDF format. The text checkpoint descriptions are on the map. The Zip package contains 3 files: the course map at 1:10,000 scale (9 pages), the course map at 1:25,000 scale for planning, and separate symbolic & text checkpoint descriptions.

  • If you want to report any problems with the course, please email info@navxchallenge.com.


IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES

  • YOU ARE DOING THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK - WE TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INJURIES OR DEATH. HAZARDS INCLUDE STEEP HILLS AND CLIFFS, LOOSE ROCKS, OCCASIONAL DENSE AND SHARP BRUSH, POISON OAK, AND CARS.

  • HOURS - The parks are only open from 8 AM to sunset. Please plan your course so that you will be out of the park by sunset.

  • CELL PHONE COVERAGE - There is cell phone service throughout the entire mapped area.

  • BE SMART - Due to the self-serve format, you may be completely on your own when you run your course. Be aware of this! Though the park has its normal visitors and rangers, you will be visiting areas away from trails where people don’t go. Be a bit more careful as you run, let a friend or family member know before you go, and check in with them once you’re back in cell phone range. You should definitely bring a whistle, at the very least, in case of emergency.

  • WATER - There is limited water at the parking area, and some options you may seek out when on the course. We recommend you carry all the water you’ll need.

  • DANGERS - Car traffic is the most prevalent danger on the map. Please follow the rules of the road, pay attention to traffic when crossing roads, and cross at marked crossings. There are some steep cliffs you will be near from time to time, but the fastest route is most likely on a safe trail.

Thanks for reading, and have fun! - Andrew Peterson and the Nav-X team.