Superstition Mountains Orienteering 2020
(Part of the 2020 Southwest Spring Week)

Pre-register
(To ensure yourself a map, we strongly encourage you to pre-register)

• The Needle Vista and First Water events are part of the much larger Southwest Spring Weekend. Events in and around Tucson start on Saturday, February 15. Events around Phoenix are on Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23. See the SWSW website here for all the details.
• Pre-register and pay online here. On-site registration is available. We will have some extra maps on-site, but we cannot guarantee you a map if you don't pre-register.
• Parental Consent Now Required. Click here for more information.

We're excited to offer three events at our Needle Vista and First Water event sites as part of the 2020 Southwest Spring Week orienteering festivities.

On Saturday, February 22, we'll start the weekend with a 2-hour Score-O at our Needle Vista site. In a Score-O, participants try to visit as many destinations as they can in the 2-hour time limit. Faster runners will be able to visit all of the destinations marked on the map. We'll have a pre-race briefing at 1:45 PM and a mass start at 2:00 PM. The course closes at 4:00 PM. We'll open registration at 11:30 AM. The first time to start the course is 12:00 PM. The last time to start the course is 3:00 PM. The course closes at 5:00 PM. Penalties apply to those who take more than the 2-hour limit and also anyone who returns after 5:00 PM.

Later Saturday evening, we'll offer a 2-hour Night-O, again at Needle Vista, to further test your navigation skills. In a Night-O, participants search for control locations marked on a pre-printed map with one important twist - the event is held in the dark! Navigating at night requires an increased attention to map details. The Night-O is again a mass start with a pre-race briefing at 6:45 PM and the mass start at 7:00 PM (see details below). We hope you'll enjoy the challenge.

Finally, we cap off the weekend with Classic events at our First Water event site. We're offering 4 different course lengths to keep all our participants entertained: Blue, Red, and Brown for our more experienced orienteers; Orange, and Yellow with easier control locations for less experienced participants.

• Additional information about the Score-O format is found here.
• Additional information about the Night-O format is found here.
• Additional information about Classic events is found here.

The Needle Vista event site is located at a very scenic spot along the Apache Trail Highway. A short walk takes you to an overlook of Weaver's Needle, a very historic and prominent landmark in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. We highly recommend you budget some extra time to take pictures of the area.

The First Water site, located next to the Superstition Wilderness, is even closer to Weaver's Needle and the rugged beauty of the Superstition Mountains.

The two event sites are a true showcase of the rugged terrain and beautiful desert landscapes in the Phoenix area. The events are part of a larger series of events offered for the 2020 Southwest Spring Week. The week starts on Saturday, February 15 with several events in the Tucson area. The schedule moves to Phoenix for Needle Vista on Saturday, February 22 and First Water on Sunday, February 23. Additional information about the 2020 Southwest Spring Week is found here.

Pre-registration for the Needle Vista and First Water events is provided at the 2020 Southwest Spring Week registration page. While we will offer some on-site registration, we highly recommend you pre-register through the official pre-registration page. We will print a limited number of maps for the event. We cannot guarantee you a map if you don't pre-register.

The Needle Vista events start from the paved parking lot about a half mile past milepost 203 on the Apache Trail ( Directions ). Please note that parking is limited at the event start/finish itself. We will send overflow parking to a gravel lot less than a mile southwest of the start/finish line. Those parking in the overflow lot may have up to 1300 meters to walk to the start/finish. We HIGHLY recommend that you carpool to the event. We will reserve spots at the start/finish for those who have multiple participants in a single vehicle. It goes without saying that we'll have simpler logistics if everyone is able to pack into a smaller number of vehicles, especially for the mass-start Night-O.

The First Water events start and finish at the First Water Horse Staging Area ( Directions). There is parking for 30-40 vehicles at this site. While some overflow parking is available 2.5 miles away, we recommend you car pool to ensure there are enough parking spots for everyone.

Cost

Additional Information

What to Bring

Directions

Click here for directions to our Needle Vista event site. Click here for directions to our First Water event site. Needle Vista Safety Plan First Water Safety Plan