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Newton 311 Services

Orienteering

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Orienteering is a sport that can be done outdoors year round and promotes physical fitness by challenging you to read a detailed map (using a compass if desired), make decisions, and plan a route to find control markers along a designated trail.

In competitive courses, the fastest time wins, so planning the best route and navigating through trails becomes a useful skill. In non-competitive courses, orienteering becomes a fun “treasure hunt” to find all of the controls.

Programs are offered to teach beginners how to do orienteering. Click on the program links below for more information on youth or beginner orienteering programs. Registration for programs is available online at www.newtonmarec.com

For more information about our orienteering programs contact Channon Ames at cames@newtonma.gov or at 617-796-1529

Youth Orienteering Programs

Newton Parks and Recreation partners with Navigation Games to teach youth orienteering classes. These 4 day programs for elementary and middle school aged children are designed to develop orienteering and map reading skills. These immersive classes develop skills through fun and engaging map navigation and scavenger hunt like activities. Children experience the outdoors in a way that enhances spatial awareness, positive feelings around the outdoors and promotes environmental stewardship.

Special 1 day themed programs are offered from time to time through Newton Parks and Recreation. These may include Vampire-O, Photo-O, or other themed activities.

Go to www.newtonmarec.com to see what is being offered.

Orienteering Skills Program

Our orienteering skills programs are great for beginners to learn the skills needed to complete an orienteering course. These programs will have trainings on various aspects of orienteering then participants will go out to complete a beginner course. Each park will focus on teaching and enhancing different skills including understanding the map, orienting and thumbing the map, understanding scale and pace, controlling your speed, relocating, understanding control descriptions, using a compass, planning a better route, and using attack points and aiming off.

These programs are meant for families and youth ages 13 and over because there is no supervision provided as people head out to complete the course. For some trainings, younger children can sign up with a registered adult.

Go to www.newtonmarec.com to see what is being offered.

Scouts and Groups

Orienteering training programs can be designed for scouts and groups.

Introduction to Orienteering trainings focus on understanding the orienteering map, learning orienteering skills, how to use a compass, and practicing your skills on an orienteering course. These trainings are best for people in 2nd grade and older and run approximately 90 minutes.

Groups with a basic knowledge of orienteering can participate in additional trainings to learn about map scale and pace counting, taking bearings with a compass, understanding control features, planning a better route, and practicing those skills on a more challenging course. These programs are best for people in 4th grade and older and run 90 - 120 minutes.

Need to do an orienteering course to meet a scout requirement? We can set up a white and/or yellow course for your troop.

Programs can be customized for your group. Contact Channon Ames at cames@newtonma.gov or 617-796-1529 to customize a program for your group.

Beginner Courses

Permanent courses for beginners allow people to experience orienteering on their own. With the help of Eagle Scouts, Newton Parks and Recreation has installed 5 permanent courses throughout the City.

Parks are listed in order of difficulty with 1 being the easiest. Courses are designed for beginners to build on their orienteering skills as they progress through the 5 courses. There is additional information about each of the courses under each park.

Each park has several course options with different routes. Course 1 is the easiest of the courses at each park.

As with any athletic activity, participants should keep in mind their level of fitness and skill when deciding which course to participate in. Please check out the Orienteering Considerations information before starting any of the courses.

Want to learn more about orienteering? Sign up for one of our orienteering skills classes or check out https://betterorienteering.org/beginner/ to learn more.

1. Auburndale Park

Auburndale Park is our first and easiest course designed to build confidence in orienteering. It allows users to become familiar with reading a map and following trails to find control markers throughout the park. This is a great course to practice orienting and thumbing the map.

The course is approximately 1.8 km long, features mostly level trails with a few small hills, and markers are easily visible from the trail. Control code CM adds a bit of a challenge for this beginner course. This course can be completed in approximately 30 minutes depending on your pace. Individuals ready to run can complete the course faster, those walking or with small children may take longer to complete the course.

Parking is available in the parking lot at the Auburndale Cove located across from 104 West Pine Street, or on the carriage road on Commonwealth Ave at the intersection of Islington Rd in front of Lyons Park.

Course Maps

Auburndale Cove Start - White Course 1

Auburndale Cove Start - White Course 2

Auburndale Cove Start - Accessible Course

Lyons Park Start - White Course 1

Lyons Park Start - White Course 2

2. Cold Spring Park

Cold Spring Park is the second park in our beginner orienteering series and helps to improve map reading skills. This course has a few different options for which route to take and is a good course to start understanding map scale, pace counting, and controlling your speed.

The course is approximately 2.1 km long, features mostly level trails with a few small hills, and markers are easily visible from the trail. This course can be completed in approximately 45 minutes depending on your pace. Individuals ready to run can compete the course faster, those walking or with small children may take longer to complete the course.

Parking is available in the parking lot at Cold Spring Park at 1094 Beacon Street.

Control Punch Card

Course Maps

White Course 1

White Course 2

3. Kennard Park and Conservation Area

Kennard Park and Conservation Area is the third park in our beginner orienteering series and introduces control description symbols to the map. This is a great park to visually understand the symbol on the map with different land features such as a well, stream, cliff, depression, and boulders. Use the 2018 International Orienteering Federation control descriptions sheet to start learning what different symbols mean.

This course is approximately 1.7 km long with a few hills and has some rocks and roots in the trails. Some of the controls for this course are located next to the trails, some are a few feet off the trail, and the first and last controls are located near prominent features. This course can be completed in approximately 30 minutes depending on your pace. Individuals ready to run can complete the course faster, those walking may take longer.

Limited parking is available in guest parking spaces at 246 Dudley Rd.

IOF Control Descriptions

Course Maps

4. Nahanton Park

Nahanton Park is the fourth park in our beginner orienteering series and encourages beginners to start developing skills using a compass with the map. This course features a beginner (white) course and an advanced beginner (yellow) course.

Each of the courses is approximately 1.6 km long with some hills, some narrow trails with branches or vegetation creeping into the trails, and some trails with rocks and roots in the trails. This course can be completed in approximately 30 minutes depending on your pace. Individuals ready to run can complete the course faster, those walking may take longer.

Parking is available at 455 Nahanton Street near the Nature Center and at 525 Winchester Street near the Community Gardens.

IOF Control Descriptions

Control Punch Cards

Nahanton Clue Sheet

Course Maps

Nature Center Start - White NC 1

Nature Center Start - White NC 2

Nature Center Start - Yellow NC 1

Nature Center Start - Yellow NC 2

Community Garden Start - White CG 1

Community Garden Start - Yellow CG 1

5. Edmands Park

Edmands Park is the fifth park in our beginner orienteering series and is an advanced beginner course. The use of a compass is encouraged, although the course can be completed without a compass. This course has many interconnecting trails making map reading and navigating correctly an important skill needed to complete the course. This course encourages users to plan a better route.

This course is approximately 1.4 km long, but has some areas with steep terrain and several rocks and roots in the paths so it is a more strenuous course. Some of the controls are located along the trails while others are further off the trails but are visible from the trails. This course can be completed in approximately 35 minutes depending on your pace. Individuals ready to run can complete the course faster, those walking may take longer.

Parking is available along Blake Street.

IOF Control Descriptions

Control Punch Card

Edmands Clue Sheet

Course Maps

Yellow Course 1 - Start across from 135 Blake Street

Yellow Course 2 - Start across from 135 Blake Street

Yellow Course 3 - Start across from 63 Blake Street

Ready for the next step?

Check out the following groups for more orienteering opportunities:

New England Orienteering Club - https://www.newenglandorienteering.org/

Cambridge Sports Union - http://csu.attackpoint.com/