Weeknight Series – #7

Registration Open

When: Tuesday, July 21, 5:00-7:30 pm

Where: Laclede’s Landing, Riverfront, and the Gateway Arch National Park grounds.

Meet Director: Mark Geldmeier

Meet Info: This will be an urban scramble. That is, you’ll be using an orienteering map as usual, but instead of punching, when you get to the circle location you’ll read your clue and look around for the correct answer. Come out and learn a little history while doing a bit of exploration.

*** Update 7/15/2026 ***

The starting location will be near the cruise boats on the riverfront. More specifically at Levee Road at the top of the ramp that leads to the Paddlewheel Café. BTW, there’s a bar at the Paddlewheel Café! It would usually close about 6:30 pm, but they said they’d stay open longer if we’re hanging out. So, come early and enjoy!

The best parking option is to drive down Chouteau Ave, turn left at the river, and look for “Levee Parking” on the right. It’s $11. But sometimes they just wave you through. Other options are to park elsewhere and walk, take the Metro, or use the bike path.

There will NOT be signs, banners, or a registration table. Look for Mark (wearing a SLOC jersey and a orange hat)…standing or sitting in a chair near the Start location.

How it’ll work. You’ll get a map packet containing three things, 1) orienteering map with 24 circles indicating checkpoints, 2) a list of 24 multiple choice questions, 3) a small pencil. You’ll proceed to the checkpoints on the map (in any order) and you’ll be able to find the answer. When you finish, we’ll check your answers. I’ll keep track of approximate start and finish times.

We won’t bother with water or snacks…but there are multiple water fountains. And nearby vendors and restaurants. Oh and see “there’s a bar” above…

We’ll be ready to hand out maps starting at 5:00 pm or a little earlier. Course closes at 7:30 pm (though there’s nothing for us to pick up, so you can stay longer on your own). Come out and play!

Weeknight Series – #5

Registration Open

When: Tuesday, June 23, 6-8 pm

Where: Marquette High School. 2351 Clarkson Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63017. Enter main entrance and veer to the right. Follow signs to a shelter/concession building in the middle of the athletic fields.

Meet Director: Terri Zuber & Mark Geldmeier

Meet Info: This large high school campus has a bit of everything. Mostly open, but a tiny bit of woods and even a creek. There will be two courses. A 45-minute score-O (where you can get them in any order) and a point-to-point course (where you have to go in order). Courses will be open 6-8 pm.

Weeknight Series – #4

Registration Open

When: Tuesday, June 9, 6-8 pm

Where: Queeny Park. Smith Shelter. Weidman Road entrance, take first left to large parking lot. Looks for banners and signs.

Meet Director: Zdenek Palechek

Meet Info: Yes, we were here a few weeks ago, but Meet Director “Z”, has some more hidden places at Queeny Park that he’d like to share. Plus, with the vegetation completely leafed out, the park will look completely different. We’ll be using the older “manual” punch for this one. Courses are open 6-8 pm but we should be setup and ready before then. Come out and play!

Weeknight Series – Opener (REGISTRATION)

When: Thursday, April 2, 5-8 pm

Where: Queeny County Park. Smith Shelter (Weidman Road Entrance)

Meet Director: Zdenek Palecek

Meet Info: A special opening event for the summer weeknight series. Yes, this one is on Thursday evening (the rest of the summer events should be on Tuesday evenings).

Meet director, Zdenek (or you can call him “Z”), has a little treat setup for us to enjoy at Queeny. It’s a short 10 checkpoint course, visiting all of his favorite locations in the park. If you know Queeny, there are woods, fields, ponds, and plenty of trails and manmade things to keep your navigation on track. This will be “rogaine” style, which means you can visit the checkpoints in any order, and you only have to get as many as you feel like.

He’ll be there before 5:00 for any early birds. Show up and start whenever you want. Yes, there might be a few showers or storms around, but we have a shelter to stay dry before and after. Come out and play!

It’s been a long time since we’ve orienteered here. Forest 44 Conservation Area is known as the gateway to the Ozarks. One of the closest locations to St. Louis with a typical Ozark type ecology. Once a cattle ranch, it was purchased by the Missouri Department of Conservation in 1990. There are spring-fed creeks, a network of trails, and a mix of flat areas and large hills. This time of year will still have great visibility in the woods, but with a splash of color from the early blooming red buds. Come out and play!

Date: Sunday, March 29

Location: Forest 44 Conservation Area. East entrance parking lot. From I-44, exit Hwy 141 south. Turn west on Meramec Station Road, then south on Hillsboro Road to parking lot on right. *Note: There is lots of construction. The last half mile of road is completely torn up (it’s temporary gravel). Hillsboro Road is closed south of the parking lot (so you must come from the north). Easiest navigation directions would be to Kraus Farms Equestrian Center. The conservation area parking lot is right next door.

Time: Courses open at 10:00 am. First start 10:00 am. Last start Noon. Courses close at 2:00 pm.

Courses: The Yellow course is the best option for beginners, families, and those that want to have an easy walk. Some are off-trail, but not far. The orange course has a mix of easy and difficult checkpoints. It may be harder than a typical orange course, but appropriate for adventure racers working on their navigation. The red course is for the more experienced participants.

Meet Notes:

• This area is popular for horse-back riding. Yield to any horses on the trails and/or let the riders know you are there.
  • All courses will require a creek crossing at the beginning and end. There might be dry spots to cross but getting your shoes wet is likely (and the odds will increase depending on the rain in the days before the event).
  • The map is old. The trail network is about 75% accurate. Some trails have been re-routed and some retired. The only update to the map was to clarify trails for the Yellow course.
  • The mapped vegetation has matured, but vegetation boundaries are still fairly close. The western half of the area has open woods with great visibility and good running.
  • There are numerous “watering holes” for cattle across the area. These are mapped as small ponds. You’ll visit several of them.

Meet Director: Mark Geldmeier mgeldmeier@earthlink.net

The SLOC Board spring board meeting will be held at the pavilion directly following the event. (~7:00 pm start) The Board meeting is open to all SLOC members and you are encouraged to attend and participate. At meeting, the business of the club is discussed and decisions are made – everything from creation of new maps, club merchandise, educational opportunities to support the community, and our financials. If you are interested in how the club operates, want to be more involved, have ideas that can make us better, please plan on joining us. It’s pretty casual – bring chairs or a blanket and your favorite beverage.

Who are the Board Members?

Two orienteering events in one! 1) a Night-O event on Saturday evening. The navigation is harder but it’s a ton of fun. 2) Middle course distances on Sunday morning. A little shorter but technical orienteering.

Registration is open. There are three registration options so you can register for just one of the events or both. If you’re planning to camp in the group campsite, just put a note “camping” in the comments note.

Meet Director: Eric Buckley

Location: Hawn State Park. Saturday night start at group campground. Sunday morning start at day use area.

Meet Details:

There is no official meet hotel as we hope most people will camp (for free) at the group site; we had a great time staying up waaaaay too late around the fire last year. For those who don’t want to camp, I would suggest Farmington. There’s a Hampton and Holiday Inn at the intersection of 67 & 32. More budget minded folks can find a Quality Inn and Baymont half a mile further south on 67. The gate OUT of the campsite is automated, so you can get out even after midnight.

Saturday: Registration opens at 7:00PM. Feel free to arrive earlier and get your camp set up as you probably won’t want to do that in the dark. We’ll start folks on the beginner or intermediate course as early as 7:30PM but encourage waiting until the sun is down to get the full night-O experience. Advanced course will start at 8:30. All courses close at 11:00PM. Reg and start at the group campsite (just north of the main campground).

Sunday: Registration opens at 10:00AM with starts following shortly after. Courses close at 1:00PM. Reg and start in the day use area just west of the main campground.

Course stats:

Night (standard distance):

Note that the night courses are slightly shorter than they would be during the day, but they are not “dumbed down”. The Red course is very technical. Orange is solid intermediate (similar to Adventure Racing difficulty). Yellow is fairly straightforward, but you will go off trail.

Day (middle distance):

Middle distance is intended to be the most technical orienteering and these courses reflect that.

Jefferson Barracks County Park isn’t really back in the woods, but it’ll have more woods than our summer events. Note: this event is on Sunday. If you show up on Saturday, you’ll encounter 200 cross-country runners!

Registration Open

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025

Time: Courses open 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.  You can start at any time.

Location: Jefferson Barracks County Park. General Atkinson Shelter at the southeastern corner of the park. Use navigation software to follow directions to the shelter or look for orienteering signs along Grant road near Hancock Ave.

Meet Director: Mark Geldmeier

Courses: There will be three “point-to-point” courses. You have to go in order. -Yellow Course (Beginner) – 2.1 km, 7 CPs -Orange Course (Intermediate) – 3.4 km, 10 CPs -Green Course (Advanced) – 5.9 km, 17 CPs

About: Jefferson Barracks has a bit of everything.  Open grassy fields, wooded depressions, a small but challenging open woods section, a paved trail, prairie, and some sections of thick green.  Plus museums, monuments, and lots of military history.

With the late summer drought, the vegetation has dried out. Some of the green areas are more runnable than usual (mainly where there is bush honeysuckle).

Questions: Contact Mark Geldmeier (mgeldmeier@earthlink.net)

Registration Open

*** Update 11/30/2025 7:32 AM – Start location is the Equestrian Campground. Along Frenchman Bluff Road. 39.003904, -90.943841 Red triangle & double circle on map below. See you there! ***

*** Update 11/29/2025 2:00 PM — Rescheduled for Sunday, November 30th ***

Winter time in St. Louis can bring all kinds of surprises. Normally a little snow can make for a lot of fun in the woods. But with 8″ of accumulation at the park, the Winter Storm Warning being expanded to Lincoln County, and the park closing the roadways…Saturday morning was a bust. However, let’s try again for Sunday morning. Courses will be open from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm. There is no “mass start”, just show up and go anytime but be back before the course closes. *If the road to the Stone Shelter is still closed (we don’t know yet), the alternative start location will be at the Equestrian Campground along Frenchman Bluff road (39.003904, -90.943841)

*** Update 11/29/2025 8:29 AM. EVENT CANCELLED! The park has closed all park roads. ***

*** Update 11/29/2025 7:52 AM. In addition to no mass start. The courses will remain open until 4:00 pm. ***

*** Update 11/29/2025 7:23 AM. There will NOT be a “mass start”. Show up whenever you want and start whenever you want. Traffic conditions are slow. Take your time and use caution. ***

*** Update 11/28/2025. There is snow in the forecast. Yes, we still go orienteering in the winter weather. The exception would be if it’s particularly bad or if the park roads are closed. That is not expected at this time. Dress for the weather, drive safely, and we’ll see you there! ***

Are you ready for a Turkey-R. This year’s Thanksgiving event will be a 2hr/4hr Rogaine event. Test your navigation skills in the stunning landscape of Cuivre River State Park on Saturday, November 29th Sunday, November 30th. The event kicks off from the Stone Shelter (N 39’0″36 W 90’56″21) with a mass start at 10:00 AM, so be sure to arrive by 9:00 AM to get checked in, grab your maps, and prepare for a day of outdoor excitement. The course will close at 2:30 PM, so plan your route carefully and beat the clock to the finish! So grab your compass, lace up your shoes, and come join us for a memorable day of exploration and adventure!

Date: Saturday, November 29th. Arrive by 9:00 am. Sunday, November 30th, courses open 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM

Location: Cuivre River State Park. Stone Shelter (or Equestrian Campground)

Meet Director: Manoj Sood

Schedule

Course and Park Notes

• Expect 30 – 35 checkpoints across across 2500+ acres = many route options.
• Out-of-bounds areas are clearly marked—entering them results in disqualification.
• Bonus points awarded for trash collected and returned to the finish line.
• There are a few picnic tables are available at the Start area shelter, but not enough for everyone to spread out their maps. If you need a flat surface for route planning, please Bring Your Own Table (BYOT).
• Water is shut off for the season at the Stone Shelter. No potable water is available at the shelter or bathrooms.
  • A designated water drop station will be set up near the midpoint of the course, accessible from multiple trail routes. Racers should still carry sufficient hydration, as no potable water is available at park facilities.
• Restrooms:
  • Pit toilet: ~½ mile South of the Stone Shelter via trail at the equestrian camp.
  • Porta potty: ~¾ mile by car.
  • Visitor Center: Closed on the weekend.
• It’s fall in Missouri—high visibility clothing is recommended.

Required Gear

• Compass (backup recommended)
• Cell phone (no GPS/maps allowed)
• Food & hydration for race duration
• Whistle

Recommended Gear

• Backup compass
• First aid kit
• Waterproof jacket
• Emergency blanket
• Long pants

Yes, the Green Rock Orienteering Master (GROM) is back but has taken new form. Armed with an updated (Fall 2025) orienteering map by cartographer Jon Torrence, that will include a tract to the West of Scenic Loop Dr., and inspired by Gary Thompson’s upcoming seventh edition of the Tame the Dragon on February 28, 2026, we introduce the Green Dragon.

This “rogaine” style event will borrow the scoring system from previous Tame the Dragon meets. In a Score-O format, there will be 18 controls on the course. You will earn between 10-60 points for each control and also earn bonus points for completing sets of similarly valued controls. This format creates a unique strategic blend of endurance and planning as competitors seek to maximize the 4-hour window allotted to them. For visual learners, see table below.

For those who have been hesitant to head to Lake the Ozarks and commit to a full 8-hour rogaine, this one is right here in St. Louis and only half the time. Beginners are always welcome and will have the chance to go out and obtain controls at their skill level with the knowledge that you are right here in St. Louis County with good cell reception and all within the well-marked Greensfelder Park if you get a bit turned around. Take as much time out there as you like (course closes at 2pm).

For the mid-pack racers, the strategy of the meet opens up an opportunity to level up in the standings if you can plan and execute a strong route. And of course, for our most competitive folks…, well, expect me to run you up and down some hills and find as many parallel errors to bait you as I can. You’ll need all 4 hours to attempt the sweep.

Divisions: Solos and teams are welcome as seperate divisions. Based on registration, we will open up juniors (under 18), family (mix under/over 18), and masters (over 55) divisions.

Date: Sunday, February 15th, 2026

Map Distribution: 9am

Mass Start: 10am; (so you have to be there before 10am)

Time Cutoff: 2pm followed by stories and awards

HQ Location: Wyman Campus at the Enterprise Center Building, 600 Kiwanis Dr, Eureka, MO

Meet Director: Nathan Graves, questions to contourline@stlouisorienteering.org