2026 Ultimate Orienteer #3 – Lord Hill Park (Score-O)
ULTIMATE ORIENTEER
Sunday, April 19 at Lord Hill Regional Park – South Entrance in Monroe, WA
Meet Director: Ing Uhlin
Event #3/9 in the Ultimate Orienteer Series!
CYA/Ultimate Mashup
December’s Bog Slog was cancelled due to floods, so we’re combining it with an Ultimate Series Score-O in April!
An event with a mass start, each control on a Score-O course is worth a specified number of points. Generally, the more difficult controls (because of their navigational difficulty or distance from the start) are worth more points than easier controls. Competitors collect as many points as possible within a specified time limit. Point penalties are assessed for those returning after the time limit.
Careful course planning, keeping your eye on the clock, and staying located are all keys to success in Score-O. Even experts may have trouble visiting every control in the given time limit. Pick a route that best uses your time: maybe that means maximizing points in a short distance, or maybe you want to explore a new area and visit some controls along the way; it’s up to you!
COURSES
Course designer(s): Mathew Rogers
The Score-O course has 30 controls with the total points of 1200. A Beginner Score-O course of 9 controls will be offered in addition to the courses listed below. The map scale is 1:7,500 and the contour interval is 5 meters.
Score-O Course/Class Assignments for Ultimate points
If you want to earn Ultimate points, check the table below to see which category you should sign up for.
For example, if you’re a female 16 or under, your Ultimate age class is F-16 and, for this event, is assigned to the Short course. If you are up for a more challenging course, you can also earn points in F-20 on Medium or F-21+ on Long. Just keep in mind that other courses are more difficult, both navigationally and physically, and that you’ll be earning points only in the class you sign up for.
| Class | Course/Time Limit |
| • Female 16 and Under • Open 16 and Under |
Short/60 minutes |
| • Female 20 and Under • Open 20 and Under • Female 60+ • Female 70+ • Open 70+ |
Medium/90 minutes |
| • Female 21+ • Open 21+ • Female 50+ • Open 50+ • Open 60+ |
Long/120 minutes |
Recreational classes
If you don’t care about Ultimate points, sign up for a Rec category on the course of your choice.
How are courses measured?
Courses are measured as the crow flies, in a direct line from control to control. Unless you have wings, you will travel farther than this distance! Courses are measured in kilometers, so a good rule of thumb is to simply round up to miles to estimate how far you will go. So in a 5 kilometer race, you’ll likely travel up to 5 miles.
COURSE NOTES
Welcome to Lord Hill Regional Park! Here you will find steep elevation changes, dense undergrowth, complex trail networks and beautiful vistas! I hope you enjoy the race and are not too put off by the hardships to come.
There are many things that make this race less than ideal. At this point in the year, the nettles are growing quickly and are unavoidable when going off trail. I cannot stress this enough, please wear full leg covering or you will have a very bad time. Devils club is also found in some low-lying areas of the map, particularly along streams and swamps. While not as bad as nettles, they are still unpleasant to touch so if you come across them, treat them with care. There are also some steep, rocky trails that you should take care not to trip or twist an ankle when running down.
You may encounter horses. If you do, please step off to the side and let them pass before carrying on. Always follow all directions given to you by the rider. In addition to horses, you should also watch out for mountain bikers. There are some mountain bike only trails that are marked as out-of-bounds in purple cross-hatching on the map. Do not run on these trails, and please check for any downhill riders before crossing them.
Vegetation at Lord Hill is always changing. I have updated some egregious areas of the map for this event but I have not done a full review. Some areas may be slightly more or less green than depicted on the map. As in previous years, all rootstocks and stumps are removed from the map due to the sheer volume of them. Additionally, due to recent rain, streams, swamps, and ponds are running a bit higher than usual. Use caution when attempting to cross.
As always, good luck! While this one will certainly be hard, there is definitely something for every level of orienteer. Remember, this is a score-o, so you will be able to pick which controls you get. When you find yourself knee-deep in nettles and not having a good time, don’t feel bad about bailing. Have fun!
Mathew Rogers
SCHEDULE
Start Location
The start is approximately 15 minutes uphill walk from the parking/check-in/portable toilets. Please plan accordingly.
All courses, including Beginner, are score format.
- 9:00-9:45 am – check-in
- 9:00-10:00 am – newcomer instruction
- 10:00 am – map handout, 120 min (Female 21+, Open 21+, Female 50+, Open 50+, Open 60+)
- 10:05 am – course planning, 120 min
- 10:10 am – mass start, 120 min
- 10:15 am – map handout, 90 min (Female 20 and Under, Open 20 and Under, Female 60+, Female 70+, Open 70+)
- 10:20 am – course planning, 90 min
- 10:25 am – mass start, 90 min
- 10:30 am – map handout, 60 min (Beginner, Female 16 and Under, Open 16 and Under)
- 10:35 am – course planning, 60 min
- 10:40 am – mass start, 60 min
All courses close at 12:30pm.
PRICES
Pre-registration required!
$22 base price
– subtract $5 for CascadeOC members
– subtract $5 for using your own e-punch
Participating as a group? Just $5 for each additional adult (18+) group
member, no cost for additional minors.
Maximum group size is 4 (including the group leader).
What’s an e-punch?
An e-punch records your race. At each control, you’ll dip the e-punch into an electronic box, which will beep and flash as confirmation. After you finish, you’ll download the e-punch at the download tent and get a receipt that show which controls you visited and how long you took between each; these are your “splits.”
Part of the fun of orienteering is comparing your splits with people who completed the same course, and discussing the routes you took!
SIGN UP
LOCATION
PARKING
On site.
CARPOOL
Looking for a carpool? Join the club email group and share your request to find a ride.
THE MAP
Covering 1,463 acres of forest, ponds, and open meadows, Lord Hill offers some of the best navigation west of the Cascade Mountains. It features rolling hills, a wide-ranging trail network, and enough navigable land to have back-to-back events on a 1:10,000-scale map with little to no overlap.
Though Lord Hill has north and south entrances, the club routinely uses the southern entrance for its ample parking and closer access to “the bowl,” an open, grassy area ideal for the arena-style finishes used in larger events.
Since 2014, Lord Hill has been the preferred location for the annual Bog Slog during the winter, and is often used for another event during the year as well.
Read more on the map pageSAFETY & ETIQUETTE
Return to the Finish
All participants MUST return to the finish and download their e-punch or turn in their punch card.
Even if you have not finished your course, you must still return to the the finish and confirm with event staff that you have returned safely.
Out of Bounds
Some areas may be marked out of bounds. It is imperative to respect these boundaries to maintain our relationships with land managers. Participants MUST NOT go out of bounds. Any participant caught going out of bounds will be disqualified.
Course Closure
All participants MUST return to the finish by course closure time. If a participant does not return by course closure, event volunteers will begin coordinating a search party.
If you need a long time on the course, start as early in the start window as possible, wear a watch, and be prepared to cut your course short to make it back by the course closure time.
Whistle
All participants MUST carry a whistle on the course. Complimentary whistles are available at the start tent (please only take one).
If you are injured on the course and need assistance, blow three long blasts to call for help.
If you hear a call for help, abandon your course to find the person in distress.
Voices
Part of the fun and fairness of orienteering is navigating your own course, so please be polite when you find a checkpoint and don’t holler that you’ve found it.
