• Grouse Ridge (map)
  • Baltimore Town, CA
  • United States

2026 Nav-X GPS MAP TREK #6 @ 100 Lakes

Quick Info

  • Date: Wednesday 1 July to Wednesday 30 September (Map handout TBD, 10am)

  • Location: Grouse Ridge Campground OR Carr-Feely Lake Campground

  • Courses: 4h & 8h GPS Map Trek

  • Price: $22 (4-hr) & $32 (8-hr)

  • LINKS to MAPRUN COURSES (click link while using smartphone) COMING SOON!

    • 4-hr course

    • 8-hr course

Register

INTRODUCTION

  • The 5th event in the 2026 NAV-X Challenge brings us to the mountains near Yuba Gap N of Hwy 80 in the Tahoe National Forest.

    We have set up a course with 40+ checkpoints. Get as many checkpoints as you can in either 4 or 8 hours using the Smartphone app named “MapRun” to record your visit to each checkpoint based on your GPS position.

    For the first time, we are setting up the course as “Start Anywhere” with 2 parking areas to choose from. More info. below.

    The competitive window for this event is July 1 - September 30, 2026. Results during this time period will be included in the official results and accrue Nav-X series points but the course will still be available on MapRun until Dec 1, 2026, after which it will move to the archived courses. Upon registration, you will receive (1) registration confirmation, (2) within 24 hours, a separate email with links to map documents.

    Pre-printed maps are available by mail for $10. Maps will generally be mailed to arrive in your mailbox within 7 days of registering. For 100 Lakes, the deadline for ordering pre-printed maps is September 1.

IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTES

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

  • WATER - There is no water at the parking area - bring your own. There are a few creeks flowing at low rates, and a few lakes with “clear” water. But this is a dry year, and if you do this in August or September, it will be very dry and some of the lakes will be dry or pretty mucky.  Recommend bringing all the water you will need on course from the start.

  • CELL COVERAGE - Unfortunately, there is very little cell phone coverage in most locations on the map. 

  • WHISTLE - 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. .

  • TICKS - are present - check body and clothing after your run.

REGISTRATION

  • Use this link to register via Orienteering USA

  • An Orienteering USA membership is not required: instead, use the Enter Data Manually option instead.

  • If you are part of a team, everyone on your team (over 12 years of age) must register separately.

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 “2026 Nav -X GPS Map Trek 100 Lakes” and pick the right course (4 hr or 8 hr). Or you can click one of the links provided above to load the course.

  • START ANYWHERE - For the first time ever, we are setting up this event as a “Start Anywhere” course. This means that there is no start and finish marked on the map. The first checkpoint that you visit becomes the start and finish for your course. Therefore, part of the strategy will be deciding which checkpoint to take first. We decided to set up the course this way because there are 2 access points with parking for the area, one that gets you close to checkpoints but has a very rough road to drive (Grouse Ridge Campground) and one that is a little farther from the checkpoints but easier to drive (Carr-Feely Lake Campground). The total driving distance is about the same for both campgrounds.

  • DIRECTIONS to Grouse Ridge Campground

    • From Truckee: https://goo.gl/maps/FLQ7GZH9c1KvyXng7

    • From Sacramento: https://goo.gl/maps/fCCEzfnSbmPATaKy8

    • NOTE: The last bit of this route is a very rough road. From Bowman Lake Rd expect another 20-35 min of driving. Regular cars do make it up there, but higher clearance is recommended.

    • PARKING - When you get to Grouse Ridge, drive around (left side of campground) all the way to the trailhead parking (far end). From here, it is about 200 meters to the nearest checkpoint. Proceed on the main trail north from the parking area.

  • BATHROOMS - Both campgrounds have pit toilets.

  • GEAR RECOMMENDATION - We recommend participants bring the following:

    • Smartphone - goes without saying since we are using an app for timing, and/or Garmin watch.

    • COMPASS, and know how to shoot a bearing.  It’s critical on this course.

    • Headlamp as a safety precaution

    • Wind/rain jacket - it’s the Sierra where afternoon thunder showers can happen on a moment’s notice

    • Long pants or at least gaiters

    • A small roll of duct tape - can be used for blisters and to stabilize a rolled ankle.

    • Mosquito repellent.  They are quite aggressive in the coniferous areas near water.

  • TRASH - Bring it with you, there is no trash cans/service.  While on the course, practice Leave No Trace (LNT) - bring all trash back home.

  • BE DISCREET - We don’t have a permit so try not to be too noticeable when entering or exiting off-trail areas.

MAP & COURSE NOTES

  • TERRAIN - It's wonderful terrain with lakes everywhere, and streams connecting them.  But it’s physical, with lots of granite ledges scattered throughout.  Fields of low brush in some areas make it look like there is no way through but on closer look you’ll find ways to get forward without too much bush-whacking.  In fact, a big part of the fun on this course will be route finding.  You won’t be setting any pace records here, but it’s so beautiful, you won’t mind.

  • MAP - The map was created in 2018 from high quality Lidar data with no field checking. The map scale is 1:15,000 and the contour interval is 5 meters. Vegetation density (3 shades of green), cliffs, water features, roads, trails, and other features were added using Google aerial imagery along with the Lidar data. The contours are very accurate, vegetation is pretty accurate, but there are streams/creeks that are not on the map, and many of them are seasonal anyway. There are sometimes trails near the more popular lakes that are not marked on the map.  

  • COURSE - The course was designed by Kyle Poland. There are 40+ checkpoints varying in point value from 30 to 100.  Maximum points is TBD. Generally, higher value checkpoints are farther from the start, harder to find, or some combination of both.

  • 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, etc. Late penalty is 10 points per minute or any part of a minute (1:01 late = -20 pts).

  • START AND FINISH - As mentioned in the previous section, there is no start and finish on the map. The first checkpoint that you visit becomes the start and finish for your course. The MapRun app will start you automatically and alert you by beeping once you are within ~15 meters of the first checkpoint that you visit. Up until that point, you can use MapRun to navigate to the first checkpoint since it will show you your location on the map. Remember to upload your result after you finish (if it doesn’t happen automatically). 

  • MARKERS - All checkpoints are marked with biodegradable ORANGE flagging. Be aware though that as time goes by, animals and hikers may remove some of the flagging, so it is not guaranteed to be present. 

  • MAP PRINTING - We are providing a Zip file with the map documents in PDF format 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 August 1 on the registration page. For $6, you can pick up a map at the in-person meetup on Sunday, xxx from 9:30 am- 10:30am; this option is available until xxx.

If you want to report any problems with the course, please email info@navxchallenge.com