• Olympic Valley, CA, 96146
  • United States

2025 Nav-X GPS MAP TREK #5 @ Tahoe NF

Quick Info

  • Date: 2025, Tuesday, July 1 to Sunday, Aug 31

  • Location: Tahoe NF near Mt. Watson and Burton Creek SP, Tahoe City, CA

  • Courses: 4hr & 8hr GPS Map Trek (45 checkpoints)

  • Prices: $22 (4h) & $32 (8h); Juniors 50% off, Club members $2 off; also see below for new pre-printed map options.

  • Suggested Race Time: Tuesday, July 29 at 10am

  • We are offering pre-printed maps for $10. Maps will be mailed to you within 5 days and should arrive in your mailbox within 7 days total. For Tahoe NF, you need to order your map (1:15,000 scale, 13 x19”) by July 31.

  • Our suggested race time is Tuesday, July 29 at 10am (tentative), the day after the conclusion of BAOC’s Tahoe 4-day event. We will have a Nav-X team member there to hand out pre-printed maps (1:15,000 scale, 13” x19”) if you register for this option ($6) by July 23. Since this is not an official event, there will be no signage so just meet the Nav-X staff member at the start triangle (Small parking lot on Fiberboard Road southwest of Mt. Watson). The maps will be available from 9:30am - 10:30am.

  • All the instructions including directions to the Start are below.  Be safe and have fun!

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES

  • YOU ARE DOING THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK - WE TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY INJURIES OR DEATH.  HAZARDS INCLUDE STEEP HILLS, LOOSE ROCKS, CLIFFS, OCCASIONAL DENSE AND SHARP BRUSH, BEARS, AND RATTLESNAKES.

  • There is cell phone coverage in most areas of the course.

  • Due to the self-serve format, you may be completely on your own when you run your course. Be aware of this! You should bring a whistle in case of an emergency.  

  • WATER - Bring enough water for the duration of the event or replenish on course. In July and August, streams will be drying up and lakes will be the more reliable water source. There is no water or facilities at the parking lot. Treat or filter.

  • ELEVATION - Most of the course is 6500-8500 ft elevation; your pace may be affected.

  • Other hazards - Bears are in the area, though it’s rare to see them.  If you do, make noise and they will likely lumber off in the opposite direction.

  • Please be careful; you are undertaking this course on your own.

EVENT INFORMATION

  • MAPRUN - Please see this page for instructions on how to use the MapRun smartphone app.  It’s important that you load the course while you still have Internet service.  Search for “2025 Nav -X GPS Map Trek Tahoe NF” and pick the right course (4 hr or 8 hr). Or you can click one of the links provided above to load the course

Take I-80 to exit# 188B in Truckee. Follow highway 267 for 10.6 miles past Northstar resort to Brockway Summit. Turn right onto Fiberboard Road (paved) and follow for 8.1 miles to a small parking lot on the right. Note that Google calls Fiberboard Road Carnelian Bay Ave which changes to Mt. Watson Road after the intersection with Forest road #6. Google may also suggest that you can reach this parking lot from Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe but those routes are very rough and usually gated shut.

  • BATHROOMS - There are no facilities at the parking area.

  • CAMPING: Please note that dry/dispersed camping by your vehicle is NOT allowed in this area (only if you are hiking in). There is camping on the map at Watson Lake with vault toilets and bear boxes, first come first served.  Watson Lake is about 0.7 miles off Fiberboard Rd. There are other campgrounds and hotels in the area, reservations are highly recommended during the summer months.

  • GEAR REQUIREMENT - you must carry the following on your course

    • Smartphone/GPS watch - goes without saying since we are using an app for timing.

    • Compass

    • Whistle for safety

  • GEAR RECOMMENDATION - We also recommend participants bring the following:

    • Fully covered legs and arms (some of the dry manzanita branches can really do a job)

    • Shoes with sticky rubber for good traction on granite (avoid thick soled running shoes like Hoka One One because you may find yourself contouring quite a bit. Salomon Speed Cross or La Sportiva Bushido are great options.)

    • Water treatment (tablets, filters, UV...whatever you prefer)

    • Food/calories for the duration

    • Electrolytes, either tablets or dissolvables (Nuun, Salt stick), to avoid cramping

    • Headlamp

    • Rain jacket (weather can change quickly in the mountains)

    • Small roll of duct tape (can be used to give support to a sprained ankle, as band aid for cuts, etc.)

    • Depending on your comfort level in the woods, you may consider additional “worst case scenario” aids like a signaling mirror, SPOT/InReach beacon, emergency blanket, etc.

  • TRASH - While on the course, practice Leave No Trace (LNT) - bring all trash back to the parking area.

TERRAIN & COURSE NOTES

  • TERRAIN - Typical Tahoe Basin terrain between 6500 and 8500 ft. Hills, cliffs, coniferous forests, open granite slabs, steep terrain.

  • PROHIBITED AREAS: Observe the restricted areas and any park signage. Restricted areas are marked on the map with purple cross-hatching or solid olive green color. 

  • COURSE - The course was designed and set by Vicki Woolworth. There are 45 checkpoints varying in point value from 30 to 100 points. Generally, higher value controls are either inconveniently located, harder to find, or require great physical effort. For intermediate participants there are quite a few checkpoints near trails. For participants with great navigational skills but less physical stamina, there are a few tricky high pointers reasonably close to Start/Finish.

  • START - The start area is shown on your map as a triangle just south of the parking lot. Do not approach the start until you are ready to go! Your GPS device will start you automatically and alert you by beeping once you are within 15 meters of the spot. 

  • SCORING:  Just like our other events, each checkpoint has a point value reflecting the difficulty (higher point value for tougher checkpoints).  The point value is the “10 part” of the checkpoint code.  Examples:  33 = 30 points, 50 = 50 points, 88 = 80 points, 123 =120 pts, etc. Late penalty is 10 points per minute.

  • MARKERS - Most checkpoints are marked with biodegradable ORANGE or RED/ORANGE flagging.  Be aware though, that as time goes by, animals and hikers may remove some markers so they are not guaranteed to be there when you get there. Your phone/watch beeping/vibrating is what matters, and what keeps score.

  • FINISH - the finish is marked on your map with a double circle and is at the same place as the start. When you are within 15 meters of the spot, your GPS device will register a finish. Do not approach the finish until you are ready to end your course. (Depending on the device, it may be possible to continue the course after this, for example if you approached the finish spot by accident. However, this might not work for you, so we recommend you don’t go near the finish until you are done.) Remember to upload your result after you finish (if it doesn’t happen automatically).

  • MAP PRINTING - We will provide a Zip file containing PDF files of the course map at 1:15,000 scale (13” x 19”, 1 page), 1:15,000 scale (8.5” x 11”, 4 pages), and separate control descriptions (symbolic and text) within 24 hrs of registration.The text checkpoint descriptions are on the map. You will need to print your own maps or choose one of the 2 pre-printed map options. For $10, you can have a map mailed to your address (allow 7 days for maps to arrive); this option is available until July 31 on the registration page. For $6, you can pick up a map at the in-person meetup on Tuesday, July 29 from 9:30am-10:30am; this option is available until July 23.

MAP NOTES

Here’s a link to some extensive map notes that were written for the World Rogaining Champs. Some of the information doesn’t apply as this event will be printed at 1:15000 scale with 5 meter contours. There were also some updates made to the trail network.