What's better than a day at Red Top? TWO days at Red Top!
We begin Saturday with a full menu of courses at the Iron Hill overflow parking area. If you've never enjoyed the mental and physical challenge of Orienteering, now is your chance to learn with a White course, or practice and develop your navigational skills with Yellow or Orange. And if you're ready to challenge yourself with a more advanced course we'll have Silver, Brown, Green and Red.
Beginner instruction volunteer would be appreciated.
| Course | Description | Distance | Controls | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | Beginner | 2.4 km | 10 | 40 m |
| Yellow | Novice | 2.7 km | 10 | 125 m |
| Orange | Intermediate | 4.6 km | 10 | 180 m |
| Silver | Very Short advanced | 3.2 km | 8 | 115 m |
| Brown | Short advanced | 4.2 km | 10 | 135 m |
| Green | Medium advanced | 5.2 km | 14 | 210 m |
| Red | Advanced | 6.3 km | 14 | 230 m |
The Sunday meet will be in the North end of the park. The start/finish will be located near the parking area of the new main Visitors Center. There are no shelters or seating available; please plan accordingly.
Primary courses offered will be a 60-minute and a 90-minute Score-O event. For those unfamiliar, a Score-O event has a start, finish, and control point locations identified, but no pre-determined route; you determine the controls you will visit and in what order. Each control will have a point value identified on the clue sheet with the more difficult and/or distant points garnering more points. The person with the most points in the shortest amount of time is the winner. The caveat is the time limit; runners must return within the chosen course time limit or receive a penalty of 5 points for each minute or portion of minute which they are “over-time.” (i.e. if you are 1.5 minutes over time, you will be assessed a 10 point penalty). Limited Yellow and Orange courses will also be available with a 2 hour time limit. Runners will select their start times when registering.
Notes:
1. Each Score-O event will be limited to 75 participants. Runners for each Score-O group will assemble at the start area 10-minutes prior to their scheduled start. Maps will be distributed 5 minutes prior to event start time to allow runners to plan their routes. A shotgun start will occur at the chosen start time; no start box will be used as runner times will start automatically. Runner times will end when they return to the finish area (control box).
2. Arrive early as there is a new parking attendant booth that requires a $5 parking fee or a GA state park pass. The line often backs up. It is highly recommended to carpool as much as possible. Please be respectful of the park and others as this area is still open to the public.
3. In accordance with GAOC Covid Guidelines, there will be no equipment rental for the event. Water will NOT be provided on any course. Participants must bring their own compass, e-stick, whistle, and water.
4. There are a fair number of newly downed trees (root stocks) in the park that are not identified on the map. Additionally, there are root stocks that ARE mapped, but no longer present or which now more closely resemble a knoll. The areas within control circles are NOT affected.
| Course | Description | Distance | Controls | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score-O(90) | 90 Minute Score-O | 90 Minute time limit | 30 | mass start at 10:30 am |
| Score-O(60) | 60 Minute Score-O | 60 Minute time limit | 21 | mass start at 10:45 am |
| Yellow | Beginner | 2.4 km | 9 | 80 m climb |
| Orange | Intermediate | 3.8 km | 12 | 150 m climb |
Event volunteers are always needed and appreciated. Each volunteer is awarded a coupon that may be used for free (and early) event registration or items from our merchandise page.
If you are interested in helping out at the start or control pickup, please select your volunteer position(s) on the registration page.
Runners must select their start time when pre-registering, and will be started promptly at their selected start time. So that we comply with limits on the number of people at the park at the same time, please arrive at the parking area no earlier than 20 minutes before your start time, and leave the parking area within 15 minutes of finishing your course. To facilitate social distancing, please come to the start no earlier than 3 minutes before your start time, but be sure to be at the start on time.
From Atlanta, go north on I-75 and take exit 285. Turn right onto Red Top Mtn Rd and follow into Park. Once in the park, follow the orange and white "Orienteer" signs to the start location.
Saturday: Iron Hill
Sunday: North Visitors Center
Typical fees are shown below. Participants may go out on the course as individuals or as a pair.
| Full Members | $7 |
| Associate and Non-members | $10 |
| Additional Maps | $3 |
| State Park Parking Fee | $5 |
For current forecast click here.
Saturday: Jeremy Carter - (770) 286-6277
Sunday: Ron Hojnowski - (985)788-8567