Alamo Lake State Park
(2.5 hours west of downtown Phoenix)
(~35 miles north of Wenden, AZ)

Saturday, April 20, 2024:
6-/12-Hour Adventure Race
2-/4-/12-Hour Rogaine

Pre-Registration/Pre-Payment (Required)

See who is registered

Updates 16Apr2024:
Event Notes
Start Finish Location: South Lake Overflow Parking - Directions

Note: Pre-registration and pre-payment is required for the Sonoran Desert Navigation Games at Alamo Lake State Park

We're excited to open up a new event site in Arizona for your navigation enjoyment. On Saturday, April 20, we'll take you to Alamo Lake State Park, a remote area approximately 2.5 hours west of Downtown Phoenix, for a full day of events at the Sonoran Desert Navigation Games. During the day, we're offering five events:

• 6-Hour and 12-Hour Adventure Race

  During the adventure race, teams of 1-4 members navigate to as many destinations as they can on foot and optionally by mountain bike or packraft. At the start of the event, we'll provide participants with one or more maps showing locations for all of the destinations. Participants choose themselves how they wish to travel to the different points. While most of the destinations are accessible on foot, a few are only accessible by watercraft and some are located at distances that are best accessed by bike.
  

  Note: Only inflatable watercraft are allowed. In addition, it's likely you'll carry the watercraft between several points, so if you want to visit the checkpoints only accessible by water, you'll want to bring a portable, inflatable watercraft. Inflatable packrafts are the best option.
  

  Packraft Rental
  We have partnered with CD Outdoors for packraft rental. If you wish to rent packrafts from CD Outdoors, you need to reserve and pay for the rental by Monday, April 20. Our friends at CD Outdoors will transport the packrafts to Alamo Lake for the April 20 event.

  For all adventure race checkpoints, all members of a team are required to travel to the destinations together. Participants must never be separated by more than 50 meters.

  While there are no mandatory destinations to visit, several of the water controls are only accessible by watercraft, and teams visiting controls by watercraft must maintain the 50 meter rule. Teams may not visit the watercraft-only controls on foot or by bike. The watercraft-only controls are worth more points than other destinations on the map(s).

• 12-Hour Rogaine

The 12-hour Rogaine is a special category of the adventure race. Participants in the 12-hour Rogaine use the same maps as the adventure racers. The main difference is that participants in the 12-hour Rogaine only travel on foot. Several of the watercraft destinations are not accessible on foot. In addition, several of the bike controls are placed at distances more easily reached by bike. Participants in the Rogaine visit as many of the destinations as they can in the 12-hour limit.

• 2-Hour, 4-Hour Rogaine
  

In the 2-hour and 4-hour Rogaine, participants have up to 2/4 hours to visit as many of the controls as they can on a single map.

• 6-Hour/12-Hour Events: Pre-Race Briefing
  Each of these events includes a pre-race briefing. The briefing for the 12-hour events is at 6:30 AM. The briefing for the 6-hour event is at 8:30 AM. Please be on time for the briefings. We'll hand out maps and provide last-minute details at the briefings.
• For all events, team members must remain within 50 meters of each other at all times. Team members must arrive at each checkpoint together. There is no sending one person off to punch the control card while the rest of the team takes a break.
• All checkpoints are optional. You're welcome to visit as many or as few of the controls as you like.
• For all events, most checkpoints are worth 1 point. The watercraft-only points are worth three points apiece.
• Penalties apply for late arrivals. We will subtract 1 point for every 5 minutes you are late. For example, for the 6-hour adventure race, arriving one second over the 6-hour limit, we'll subtract 1 point. Arriving at 6:04:59, we'll subtract one point. Arriving at 6:05:00, we'll subtract two points.
• The events take place at Alamo Lake State Park. State park entrance fees are required to participate in the Sonoran Desert Navigation Games. The entrance fees are not part of the event registration.

Pre-registration and pre-payment is required for our Sonoran Desert events.
Pre-Registration (Required)
See who is registered

Regular registration continues until Friday, April 12 at 11:59 PM. Regular prices are valid during this time.

Late registration begins Saturday, April 13 at midnight. Prices increase 50% for late registration.

Registration closes Tuesday, April 16 at 11:59 PM.

There is no on-site registration for the events.

Parental Consent Now Required (Click here for more information)
Parental Consent Form

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.

The Fees for the Sonoran Desert events are as follows (per person):

• Regular Registration (closes Friday, April 12 at 11:59 PM)
  • 12-Hour Adventure Race: $60
  • 6-Hour Adventure Race: $30
  • 12-Hour Rogaine: $40
  • 4-Hour Rogaine: $20
  • 2-Hour Rogaine: $10
• Late Registration (closes Tuesday, April 16 at 11:59 PM)
  • 12-Hour Adventure Race: $90
  • 6-Hour Adventure Race: $45
  • 12-Hour Rogaine: $60
  • 4-Hour Rogaine: $30
  • 2-Hour Rogaine: $15

Mandatory Race Gear

• Whistle
• Compass
• Water carrying capacity for 2 liters. Water is available at the start/finish. We will also have at least one additional water station on the course. You are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
• Space blanket. (For emergencies. 12-hour events only.)
• Cell phone. (For pictures or emergency calls. One per team. Not for navigation. Use for navigation will result in disqualification.)
• First aid kit. (Mandatory for 12-hour events only. One per team.)
• Water purification tablets or filter. (Mandatory for 12-hour events only. One per team.)
• Waterproof map holder. (Maps are not waterproof.)
• Headlamp or flashlight with fresh batteries. (12-hour events only)
  The 12-hour events will finish near dusk.
  Participants must carry a light source for safety.

Bicycle Gear

• Mountain bike. You will find it easier to hit cutoff times if you use a bicycle to travel to the bike controls. (You are not required to use a mountain bike.)
• Helmet
• Bike tool kit (At least one per team.)
• Spare tube. (One for each bike.)

Water Gear

The gear listed below is required for those choosing to travel on water.

• Personal floatation device (PFD). Each participant must have their own PFD. This is in addition to whatever boat, canoe, etc. they bring. Mountain bike. We find it easier to hit cutoff times if you use a bicycle to travel to the bike controls.
• Any type of non-motorized watercraft, including an inflatable kayak, packraft, paddleboard, etc.
• Waterproof bag. For transporting any gear you decide to bring with you on the water.

Recommended Gear

• Sun screen. There is little to no shade on all the courses. We encourage you to protect yourself from sunburn.
• Leg gaiters, especially for off-trail travel. The desert vegetation is sparse around Alamo Lake. Some washes have more prickly cat claw. Leg gaiters could help.
• Duct tape.
• Lightweight rain jacket, just in case it's rainy.
• Extra clothing layers. It could be in the mid 40's at the start of the 12-hour events.

Not Allowed

• Any device that uses a satellite connection for navigation, distance, or elevation. This includes standalone GPS units and GPS watches. You are allowed to use a GPS unit for recording your track, but you must not use any of the navigation functions of the unit during the race. We will disqualify any racer using a GPS unit for navigation during the race.
• Motorized bicycles (electric, gas, etc.) (Do we really have to tell you?)

There are plenty of campsites at Alamo Lake. The campsites have toilets, showers, and potable water. You will need to reserve a spot if you want to stay at one of the campsites. See the Alamo Lake State Park website for details.

Cabins. There are cabins at Alamo Lake State Park. At the time of this writing, no cabins are availabe at the time of the events.

The nearest motels are in Salome, ~40 miles away from the event site. We can't guarantee there will be rooms available in mid-April.

The nearest gas station to Alamo Lake State Park is in Salome, ~40 miles away from the event site. It's best to fill up before you start the drive north from Wenden.

There is a small store at the state park. The store has limited hours, but you can get some provisions at the store. It's best to bring supplies with you to the park.