Maps & Courses

Terrain

Prince William Forest is a large park used for numerous prior national events because of its premier terrain.  The terrain is typical of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge/Valley region, consisting of mixed pine and hardwood forest. The woods tend to be fast with good footing, but with sections of slower deadfall that add route choice complexity. There are few trails on the Pine Grove map and no trails on the advanced courses of Oak Ridge. The numerous ridges range from 20-30 meters in height;  the few rock features in the park are generally small.  There are small streams, and one large creek bisects the Pine Grove map.

The Oak Ridge area of Prince William Forest (PWF) used for Day 1 of the Royal Romp had some early usage by QOC in the 1960. After that it went unused for decades. As the name implies, it is basic ridge and valley terrain but often with broad or subtle contours. It’s mostly open forest but it does have significant areas with green vegetation or deadfall. More recently, upon remapping of the area, a National Ranking Event (NRE) was held there in December 2020. For the Royal Romp the 2020 mapping was significantly expanded. The expansion includes super-fast and open flatter terrain that’s a delight! Shuttles are required to reach the Oak Ridge site, so factor shuttle time into your planning. There are only three porta-johns at Oak Ridge so we recommend using the bathrooms before getting on the shuttle. 

Pine Grove and nearby areas of Prince William Forest have been used for orienteering by QOC for decades. It’s still a favorite for many. Like Oak Ridge, the Pine Grove area terrain is classic ridge and valley terrain with mostly open forest and some areas of significant deadfall. Unlike Oak Ridge, the contours surrounding Pine Grove tend to be steeper and more twisted. The map has been updated in 2021. The Day 2 courses utilize a variety of both the flat and technical areas. The courses favor both major and mini route choices. The competitive Day 2 orienteer will balance swiftness, good route choice decision-making, an ability to follow a bearing, and be able to apply multiple technics.


Courses (course and map notes are below)

Distances listed are approximate and subject to change.


Day 1 - Classic - Course Stats

White: 3.1k in length, 60m climb, 13 controls

Yellow: 3.2k, 70m, 10c

Orange: 4.6k, 110m, 10c

Brown X: 4.3k, 90m, 9c

Brown Y: 4.0k, 110m, 8c

Green X: 5.7k, 150m, 9c

Green Y: 5.9k, 145m, 10c

Red: 7.9k, 190m, 10c

Blue: 12.3k, 250m, 14c


Day 2 - Classic - Course Stats

White: 2.5k, 65m, 12c

Yellow: 2.4k, 75m, 9c

Orange: 5.3k, 180m, 14c

Brown  X: 4.0k, 160m, 10c

Brown Y: 4.0k, 165m, 9c

Green X: 6.3k, 265m, 11c

Green Y: 5.9k, 175m, 14c

Red: 8.2k, 315m, 14c

Blue: 11.0k, 395m, 21c

 

Competitive Classes

All classes (M/F21+ and older) will run courses as specified in the OUSA Class Structure (URL: http://orienteeringusa.org/rules#A11). Brown & Green age classes are split as follows:

Brown X: M65+, M70+, M75+, M80+, M85+, M90+, M Brown

Brown Y: F18, F55+, F60+, F65+, F70+, F75+, F80+, F85+, F90+, F Brown

Green X: M-18, M50+, M55+, M60+, M Green

Green Y: F-20, F35+, F40+, F45+, F50+, F Green


Common Map Notes

Maps: 1:10,000 for Orange/Brown/Green/Red/Blue; 1:7,500 for White/Yellow. ISOM 2017.


Royal Romp Day 1 Course Notes

Mappers: Main map by Jon Torrance 2020. Extensions north and south, and updates to the main map by Ted Good 2022/2023.


Royal Romp Day 2 Course Notes

Walk to start: 400m from the event center.

Mapper: Jon Torrance 2021/2022. Updates by Nadim Ahmed 2022/2023.