Buckeye Hills Orienteering Events

Saturday, January 9, 2021:
2-Hour Score-O
4-Hour Score-O
3-Hour Bike-O
5-Hour Adventure Race

Pre-Register (Deadline: Thursday, Jan 7 at 11:59 PM)

• Please pre-register for the event and select a start window here. You are not obligated to attend if you pre-register, but pre-registration allows us to plan to print a sufficient number of maps. It also allows us to meet Covid-19 requirements for social distancing. We cannot guarantee you a map if you don't pre-register.
• Parental Consent Now Required. Click here for more information.

On Saturday, January 9, we're offering three events at our Buckeye Hills event site: a two or 4-hour Score-O, a three-hour Bike-O, and a 5-hour adventure race. Those who participate in the Score-O will travel on foot to find as many destination markers as they can in either two or four hours. Participants in our Bike-O travel by mountain bike to find as many markers as they can in three hours. For individuals and teams looking for a bigger adventure, you can combine the two events into a 5-hour adventure race.

Mornings in January are typically in the mid 40's. The temperature can climb into the low 70's by midday. The desert vegetation in the Buckeye Hills area is sparse. Some varieties of cactus are present in the Lower Sonoran Desert around the park, but the vegetation isn't nearly as thick as higher-elevation spots around Phoenix. There are rocky areas which will slow your progress, but for the most part, the area is quite runnable. We also excited with our new 5-meter contours for the area. The navigation is more precise than the last time we used the area.

With the current virus restrictions, we are required to take special precautions to ensure our participants' safety (see below). We hope you'll consider joining us for one of our Buckeye Hills events.

To make this event as safe as reasonably possible in the current COVID-19 environment, we are taking the following measures:

• One of the conditions for our Buckeye Hills permit is that we extend participant start times over a longer period of the morning. In order to help manage our start times, we ask that you pre-register for the event. During pre-registration, you will select a specific half-hour time window to start your event. Please plan to start your event in your selected half-hour window.
• All individuals (or family units) will maintain a six-foot separation at all times.
• Team sizes are limited to 6 people or less.
• The registration/pay station is largely self-serve. We highly recommend bringing exact change to minimize the exchange of money.
• We'll have a Timer on-hand to issue maps and record timing.
• A hand-washing station is provided on a table adjacent to the registration table. Please wash hands before and after registering/signing waivers/paying/picking up score cards and clue sheets. Please also bring your own hand towel for that purpose.
• No water is available on the courses. We also will NOT provide our usual complementary snacks and drinks at the Start/Finish area. Bring your own snacks and water for a full day of orienteering.
• There is no beginners’ clinic.

Participants who pre-register for the event benefit from our priority pricing.

Part of pre-registration for this event involves selecting a start window. In order to keep participants as separated as possible, we ask everyone to start their event within the time window they select.

While on-site registration is still available, pricing for on-site registration is more expensive. In addition, we'll print some extra maps for each of our events, but we cannot guarantee a map for those who do not pre-register.

Pre-Registration is open until Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 11:59 PM. After the pre-registration closes, you can still try your luck and register on-site. We will have pre-printed maps for everyone who pre-registers. We cannot guarantee a map for those who register on-site.

Click here to pre-register.

Parental Consent Now Required (Click here for more information)

All participants under age 18 are now required to have a signed parental consent form on file with the club. You can complete the form before the event and either scan it and send it to us by e-mail or bring it with you to the event.

Standard club fees apply for the Score-O and the Bike-O. For the adventure race, we will charge the registration fee for the Score-O plus the fee for the Bike-O. This is a little different than our usual mass-start adventure races. Click here to open a page with more information about our club fees. The fee schedule is also repeated at the bottom of this webpage.

Details of our Score-O events are found here.

Details of our Bike-O events are found here.

Details of our Adventure Race events are found here. The Buckeye Hills Adventure Race is simply a combination of the two navigation events. There is no UTM plotting and no watercraft section. Teams are comprised of 1 to 4 individuals. The teams start with the Bike-O. All of the bike checkpoints are optional. After teams complete the bike section, they continue to the Score-O on foot. All Score-O checkpoints are optional.

Scoring is based on one point per checkpoint visited. The winner is the team that visits the most checkpoints. Note that this is not a mass-start event. Teams are allowed to start at any time between 7:30 AM and 8:30 AM. There is a 5-hour time limit. There is a penalty of 1 point deducted for every 5 minutes after the time limit. For example, if the team starts at 8:30 AM, they must return by 1:30 PM. If they return one second after 1:30, the penalty is one point. If they return at 1:35, the penalty is still one point. If our example team returns 1 second after 1:35 PM, there is a two point penalty. Finally, if they arrive after 2:00 PM, they are marked DNF (Did Not Finish).

The list below is the minimum recommended equipment for the Score-O.

• Whistle (Mandatory for all. Available for purchase for $1)
• Compass (Mandatory for all. Available for rent for $1)
• Water. Water is NOT available at the start/finish . We also DO NOT have water stations on the course. You are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
• Sun screen. While there is shade on all the courses, we encourage you to protect yourself from sunburn.
• Sturdy hiking shoes and long pants are recommended. You may encounter some thick brush and loose terrain.

See the General Adventure Race description for mandatory and suggested gear for the Bike-O.

There are some choices for dispersed camping in BLM lands surrounding the Buckeye Hills Regional Park. Camping is not allowed within the park itself, and you are not able to access BLM land from park roads. Instead, you can access BLM property from the Robbins Butte turnoff (just south of milepost 147 on US-85). You can find more information at BLM websites.

• Camping

Directions to the Buckeye Hills Regional Park.
Buckeye Hills Safety Plan