2025 Nav-X GPS MAP TREK #2 @ Auburn SRA
Quick Info
Date: 2025, Sat, March 1 to Wed, April 30
Location: Auburn State Recreation Area, starting at the Olmstead Loop Trailhead
Courses: 3hr & 6hr GPS Map Trek
Prices: $20 (3h) & $27 (6h); Juniors 50% off, Club members $2 off; also see below for new pre-printed map options.
Suggested Race Time: Sunday, March 30 at 10am
INTRODUCTION
The 2nd event in the 2025 NAV-X Challenge brings us to a classic endurance sports venue in the Sierra foothills - the Olmstead Loop area in Cool, CA.
~50 checkpoints are marked on a Nav-X style map based on Lidar data and you have 3 or 6 hours to try and get to as many checkpoints as you can.
New this year: we are offering pre-printed maps for $10. Maps will be mailed to you within 5 days and should arrive in your mailbox within 7 days total. For Auburn SRA, you need to order your map (1:10000 scale) by March 31.
Our suggested race time is Sunday, March 30 at 10am. We will have a Nav-X team member there to hand out pre-printed maps (1:10,000 scale) and control descriptions, if you register for this option ($6) by March 24. Since this is not an official event, there will be no signage so just meet the Nav-X staff member at the start triangle (Florian St. parking area in Cool, CA). The maps will be available from 9:30am - 10:30am.
All the instructions including directions to the Start are below. Be safe and have fun!
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, POISON OAK AND TICKS.
WATER - There is a water hose at the parking area, and there are several flowing creeks throughout the course. Recommend filtering/treating any water collected on the course.
Mountain Biking is popular in the area so watch out for bikes moving at high speed. The riders are mostly very considerate.
Horseback riding is popular in the area. Be respectful and move slowly around the big animals.
Lots of old, hidden fences (wire and barbed) throughout the course. Be careful.
Avoid dark green vegetation areas of the map - very thick and contain poison oak.
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 “2025 Nav-X GPS Map Trek Auburn SRA” and pick the right course (3hr or 6hr). Or you can click one of the links provided above to load the course.
DIRECTIONS TO PARKING:
The parking area is located here.
From Sacramento and the Bay Area, take I-80 East to Auburn. Take exit 119C/Elm to CA-49 S, continue East/South 6.1 miles to the town of Cool. Right turn onto St. Florian Ct., then take an immediate left into the parking lot.
From Truckee/Reno, take I-80 West to Auburn. Take exit 119C/Elm to CA-49 S, continue East/South 6.1 miles to the town of Cool. Right turn onto St. Florian Ct., then take an immediate left into the parking lot.
From South Lake Tahoe, take US-50 West to Placerville. Take exit 46/Coloma Right to CA-49 N, continue North 19 miles to the town of Cool. Left turn onto St. Florian Ct., then take an immediate left into the parking lot.
PARKING - There are two parking areas. The large one farther from Hwy 49 is for horse trailers. Please use the first parking area that is intended for hikers, runners and mountain bikers. Parking is $10 if you don’t have an annual pass.
BATHROOMS - There are two porta potties at the hiker parking, and 2 bathrooms at the equestrian parking.
GEAR RECOMMENDATION - We recommend participants bring the following:
Smartphone - goes without saying since we are using an app for timing
Compass
Long pants or at least gaiters for the tall grass, brush, and poison oak
Snacks & Water, especially if you are on the 6-hr course
TRASH - While on the course, practice Leave No Trace (LNT) - bring all trash back to the parking area.
MAP & COURSE NOTES
VENUE - The area is located on a plateau East of the North Fork of the American River. Rolling, oak studded hills, with interspersed open land, as well as some pine groves make for relatively fast terrain, though there are places that are more overgrown and brushy. Many trails intersect the area, including many animal trails that may not be on the map. There are several ruins and other artifacts of earlier human settlement. Fences criss-cross the area and most of them can be crossed with not too much trouble by looking for openings, etc. A note on the creeks in the area: Crossing creeks where no trail crosses can be “risky”, because there could be a lot of blackberries and poison oak, making travel very slow. Trail/creek crossings are mostly fine and some have rocks to step on or bridges. But a handful of crossings can get mid-calf to knee deep. Due to the wet winter, the lowlands are saturated with water. Don’t expect dry shoes on this one!
PROHIBITED AREAS: Residences, maintenance yards, etc. Observe the restricted areas (hashed purple lines on map).
MAP - The contours and vegetation were both created with LiDAR data. Many animal trails are quite noticeable, but most are not on the map. If a trail is on the map, it is well traveled. The dark green on the map truly is very nasty (manzanita or poison oak) and should be avoided as much as possible. The narrow ride symbol is used for old road grades and can be very overgrown.
COURSE - The course was designed by Kyle Poland. There are ~50 checkpoints varying in point value from 10 to 100 points with a total possible point total of TBD. The approximate straight-line distance to get them all is about TBD km. Generally, higher value checkpoints are farther from the start, harder to find, or some combination of both.
MARKERS - All checkpoints have been streamered with orange flagging tape. Streamers sometimes get removed by humans or get chewed by animals - so if MapRun beeps at a checkpoint but you see no streamer, don't worry - just carry on. Conversely, if you get to a streamer and MapRun does not beep, you can get it fixed by following the steps in the instruction document. The start/finish does not have flagging because it is in a public place.
START - The Start is shown on your map as a triangle and is on St. Florian Ct. next the the gate to the park. (far enough from the parking area so that you don’t accidentally trigger it when you park). Do not approach the Start until you are ready to go! MapRun will start you automatically and alert you by beeping once you are within ~15 meters of the Start.
FINISH - the Finish is marked on your map with a double circle and is located at the same place as the start. When you are within ~15 meters of the Finish, MapRun will register a finish. Do not approach the Finish until you are ready to end your course. Remember also to upload your result after you finish (if it doesn’t happen automatically).
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, etc. Late penalty is 10 points per minute or any part of a minute (1:01 late = -20 pts).
MAP PRINTING - We are providing a Zip file with the map documents in PDF format within 24 hrs of registration. The text checkpoint descriptions are on the map. You will need to print your own maps or choose one of the 2 pre-printed map options. For $10, you can have a map mailed to your address (allow 7 days for maps to arrive); this option is available until March 31 on the registration page. For $6, you can pick up a map at the in-person meetup on March 30 from 9:30am-10:30am; this option is available until March 24.
If you want to report any problems with the course, please email info@navxchallenge.com.
Thanks for reading, and have fun! - Kyle, Bill, and the Nav-X team