2022-23 Winter League #7 – Point Defiance Park

COURSE NOTES from Chris Cooper:

General Information: 

• Since the last WIOL event at Point Defiance, there have been two substantial changes to the park’s road system.  The first change is that the outer loop roadway has now been closed to vehicle traffic.  The second change is the relocation of the Owens Beach (event parking) entrance and exit.   
• The closure of the outer loop is good news for orienteers and means that those running elementary, middle school and the JV courses will not have to contend with vehicular traffic. 
• The realignment of the Owens Beach exit and entrance might cause drivers pause on their way to the event.  The old one-way entrance has now been closed and the new entrance relocated 350m further along the loop road.  The new entrance has now been combined with the beach parking’s exit road.  Not to worry, there are plenty of signs directing you to Owens Beach.  The site map properly depicts the new roadway configuration 

• It is a 250m walk from the parking lot to the start.  The walk is predominantly uphill so plan accordingly. 
• Due to the changes with the Owen’s Beach entrance, the “Start” configuration has been substantially altered from past events.  Take advantage of John’s RunningWilds (found on Cascade’s training page) for an up to date view of the Point Defiance map changes. 
• Unlike the shorter courses, Varsity, Short and Long Advanced will cross the live traffic of the inner loop roadway.  There are no designated crossing points so, please take care when crossing all roadways south and east of Owens Beach. 
• The parks department has realigned the trails along the park’s western cliff line.  The trail systems no longer hug the top of the cliffs.  In addition, the park staff has added fences where spur trails lead to the cliff edge.  There are no controls near the cliff edge so please respect the trial changes and fence additions. 
• The Varsity and advanced courses will cross the pathway to the start tents.  A crossing guard will be stationed at the intersection.  Please give crossing runners the right-of-way.   

The Courses: 

• The base map scale for the Point Defiance map is set for 1:10,000.  However, the event map scale is set for 1:5,000 for Elementary, 1:7,500 for the middle school and JV courses and 1:10,000 for varsity and the advanced courses. 
• There is no shortage of features along the trails at Point Defiance Park.  Keep an eye out for parallel errors due to mistaken attack points. 
• Vegetation can change rapidly from open forest to dense vegetation and back again.  Those changes can happen faster than a 1:10,000 map will reflect.  Vegetative areas have been updated to best reflect the overall run-ability of an area. 
• There are countless deer and social trails running throughout the park.  I have done my best to map the more distinct trails.  However, not all small trails are reflected on the map. 

• To protect the park’s vegetation, all controls have been set on the park’s main trails, on social trails or on the bare forest floor.  Whenever possible, please use the trails or vegetation free areas to access the controls.  Avoid trampling vegetation whenever possible. 
• Elementary controls will be set on the approaching side of all features.  However, runners should see the feature before they see the control.  The goal is to focus on identifying features and less on the control bag. 
• Middle School runners may travel up to 15m from the main trail to reach the control.  Although, all controls can be seen from the main trail and have a clearly identifiable attack point. 
• JV runners will have multiple route choices between controls.  Knowing when to cut trails and when to take the long way around will be crucial. 
• Varsity and Intercollegiate will have controls with limited back stops and handrails.  A compass and good pace count might be the solution to randomly wandering around the forest looking for a control.   

• Have fun and enjoy the beauty of this unique metropolitan park!