Orienteering is the sport of skilled navigation. The goal is to find a series of checkpoints (called controls) shown on the map, choosing routes both on and off trail to find those checkpoints, and return to the finish.  

With only the course map and a compass to guide you, navigation is all important.  To stop participants from simply following others most events start competitors individually a few minutes apart.  Other events use other methods to spread people out.  

You might like to read this article from studies at McMaster University - "Finding a new way to train the brain: Orienteering"

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Orienteering traditionally occurs in forests and other natural areas.  Now orienteers are equally at home in urban areas with many events taking place at university and business campuses and providing a new type of navigational challenge.

Though most often a running race or walking event, orienteering can also happen on cross country skis, snowshoes or mountain bike.  Ski and mountain bike orienteering is best in areas with dense trail networks that force you to determine which is the best route from control to control. 

Orienteering Ottawa offers all of these formats at different times of the year.  Our Foot and Bike events occur in the forest and the city.  We offer ski and snowshoe orienteering in the Winter. 

In the forest the focus is on careful map reading and precision navigation to find controls in the middle of the forest.

Urban orienteering is about choosing efficient route choices and not getting stuck in dead-ends.  

Orienteering is practiced on specially created orienteering maps that show all the details you need to complete a course.  In addition to the course itself these maps contain very fine topographic detail and include all significant boulders, cliffs, small marshes, and man-made objects - including small trails. Open areas as well as thick vegetation are depicted with colour overlays so the orienteer can choose the fastest route and the most appropriate for the individual skill set between controls.

How quickly can you get from the start to the finish via the three controls?

Point to Point Courses

The majority of orienteering courses are point to point, requiring competitors to visit the controls in a pre-specified order with results based on how quickly you complete the course.  These courses come in lengths from 1.5-3 km sprints with easy navigation to 12+ km long distance events that challenge competitors both physically and navigationally.  

Our ever popular Foot and Bike events are generally of this format and offer a range of lengths and difficulties.  Our Winter Events are also of this format and offer courses from Novice to Advanced.

The more controls you find in the allotted time, the more points you get.

Score Orienteering

In score orienteering, or score-o, competitors have a set amount of time to find as many controls as they can in whatever order they choose. Score orienteering events are often half an hour to an hour and half long.  Longer score-os, between 2 and 24 hours long are called Rogaines.

With score-os the challenge is as much about knowing your own pace and choosing a good course route as about navigation.  With a mass start and common finish time this makes them good fun and very social thus the popularity of our Summer Solstice Series.