Orienteering is a competitive form of land navigation. It is for all ages and degrees of fitness and skill. It provides the suspense and excitement of a treasure hunt. The object of orienteering is to locate control points by using a map and compass to navigate through the woods.

One of our most popular options especially in cooler weather, orienteering combines racing with navigation using a map and compass, in which individual participants us a detailed topographic map and compass to navigate through diverse wooded terrain and visit control points that are in indicated on the map. The location of control points is kept secret from the competitors, until the start, when they are provided with a map. The map may be pre-printed with the control points, or the competitor may be required to copy control points onto their map from a master map. Each team of competitors may start at staggered intervals, are individually timed, and are expected to perform all navigation skills on their own.
Standings are determined first by successful completion of the course, then by shortest time on course. Rules and principles of the sport are defined by the International Orienteering Federation.

Our Orienteering Course is set up at nearby FLOC Outdoor Education Center. This close, yet remote 1500 acre wilderness is the perfect setting for your experience. Only about an hour from Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and Northern Virginia, Harpers Ferry is the ideal setting for your team building adventure.

Score Course

Our typical course is called a Score Course. Team members visit as many controls as possible within a time limit. There is usually a mass start (rather than staggered), with a time limit. Controls may have different point values depending on difficulty, and there is a point penalty for each minute late. The team with the most points is the winner.

Orienteering History

Orienteering began in Scandinavia in the nineteenth century. It was primarily a military event and was part of military training. It was not until 1919 that the modern version of orienteering was born in Sweden as a competitive sport. Ernst Killander, its creator, can be rightfully called the father of orienteering. In the early thirties, the sport received a technical boost with the invention of a new compass, more precise and faster to use. Orienteering was brought into the US in 1946.

In more advanced levels, each orienteer is given a 1:50,000 topographic map with the various control points circled. Each point has a flag marker and a distinctive punch that is used to mark the scorecard. Competitive orienteering involves running from checkpoint to checkpoint. It is more demanding than road running, not only because of the terrain, but because the orienteer must constantly concentrate, make decisions, and keep track of the distance covered. Orienteering challenges both the mind and the body; however, the competitor's ability to think under pressure and make wise decisions is more important than speed or endurance.

The orienteering area should be on terrain that is heavily wooded, preferably uninhabited, and difficult enough to suit different levels of competition. The area must be accessible to competitors and its use must be coordinated with appropriate terrain and range control offices.

The ideal map for an orienteering course is a multi-colored, accurate, large-scale topographic map. A topographic map is a graphic representation of selected man made and natural features of a part of the earth's surface plotted to a definite scale. The distinguishing characteristic of a topographic map is the portrayal of the shape and elevation of the terrain by contour lines.