The Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club

GPHXO Annual Meeting
State 48 Brewery Lager House (Scottsdale)
Open to Everyone. Free Food!

This event is open to everyone: members and non-members alike. If you're new to orienteering come on out and learn about the sport while enjoying some free appetizers.

For more information and directions visit the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club's event website: https://gphxo.org/Events/2026/20260109_AnnualMeeting.htm

NOTE: Please RSVP though the link above so we can get a accurate headcount for food orders and seating.

On Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM, members of the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club and the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department will present a clinic teaching basic navigation concepts used in orienteering. The clinic is offered outdoors at Papago Park, just west of the Hole-in-Rock parking area. Participants will learn important techniques to navigate with a map and compass. While GPS receivers provide an easy way for people to navigate, conditions sometimes make the GPS units unreliable or unusable (navigating in deep canyons, dead batteries, etc.) Navigation techniques used in orienteering are an invaluable complement to navigating with a GPS receiver.

NOTE: See this link here for directions. Please pay special attention to the directions. You need to drive about 100 meters past the parking area at Hole-in-Rock, to the ranger station/rest room building. We won't arrive until around 8:30 AM, so you're unlikely to find us if you arrive at 8:00 AM.

Additional information concerning our Beginner's Orienteering Training is found here.

NOTE: Only people who have already registered via the link below may attend. Just hitting 'Attend' on this Meetup page doesn't register you for this class.

NOTE: PRE-REGISTRATION/PRE-PAYMENT is REQUIRED.
Pre-Registration is open until Thursday, January 8th at 11:59 PM. The City of Phoenix and the City of Tempe do not allow us to conduct on-site registration. Pre-registration for this event is required to control the size of our clinics and allow us to plan the number of copies of our training materials to print.

To pre-register click here: https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/papago2026-01-10

Cost
The fee for the Beginner's training is $5 per participant.

Schedule
Beginner's class starts promptly................................................9:00am
Beginner's class ends................................................................10:30am

What to Bring

• Whistle. Participants at orienteering events are required to carry a whistle. Since orienteering involves navigating off-trail, participants can sometimes travel to areas that are rarely visited by other users of the area. The whistle is a safety precaution which allows orienteering participants to signal their presence to others in case of an emergency.
• Compass. We prefer that participants bring their own compass. This will allow them to learn techniques during the training, then practice the techniques further at home. We will provide compasses to those who are not able to bring their own.
• Sun Screen. Even though we are starting fairly early in the morning, we suggest you apply sunscreen to avoid burning.
• Water. There won't be water at the beginner's clinic. For the sprint courses Sunday there will be water at the start/finish. You may also want to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.
• Sturdy hiking shoes and long pants. The sprint courses involve hiking off trail, sometimes in areas with thick brush.

For more information and directions visit the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club's event page: https://gphxo.org/Events/2026/20260110_PapagoPark.htm

NOTE: Pre-registration is required! No onsite registration is available for this event! You must register at the link below. Just hitting 'Attend' on this Meetup page doesn't register you for this event.

We hope you'll join us for our first orienteering event of 2026. On Sunday, January 11, we're presenting a 3-hour Score-O at our Little Pan event site northwest of New River. The start/finish for the event is the Little Pan OHV parking lot, approximately 3.2 miles northwest of I-17 exit 236. The terrain includes drainages, hills, and cliffs surrounding the Agua Fria River. We hope you'll consider joining us for another day of navigation fun in the Phoenix area.

Schedule:
Check-in/Registration..................................................................7:30am
First Time to Start a Course.......................................................7:30am
Last Time to Start a Course.......................................................9:30am
Course Closes...............................................................................12:30pm

PRE-REGISTER HERE:
Due to changes in our permitting, pre-registration is required for this event. We do not plan to print extra maps, so please make sure you pre-register. Pre-Registration is open until Friday, January 9th at 11:59 PM.

Click here to pre-register: https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/littlepan-2026-01-11
(NOTE: Clicking "Attend" on Meetup does not register you for this event. Registration must be made at the above link.)

Fees:
Due to permitting restrictions, we are not allowed to charge a registration fee for the Sophie's Flat and Little Pan events. However, we still have costs associated with presenting the events, including printing costs, insurance, etc. The registration pages in the link above include options to donate. Please consider donating to the club to help cover the costs associated with participation in the events.

Parental Consent:
Parental Consent is Required for Participants Under Age 18 (Click here for more information: http://gphxo.org/Business/Forms/ParentalConsent.htm

What to bring:

• Whistle (Mandatory for all. Available for $1)
• Compass (Mandatory for all. Available to rent for $1)
• Water. (Water is NOT available at the start/finish . We also DO NOT have water stations on the course. You are strongly encouraged to bring your own water bottles or a camelback.)
• Long pants are recommended (scrub brush and cactus)
• Sun screen (While there is shade on all the courses, we encourage you to protect yourself from sunburn.)
• Sturdy hiking shoes

For more information and directions visit the Greater Phoenix Orienteering Club's event website: https://gphxo.org/Events/2026/20260111_LittlePan.htm
Events/2023/20230225_SouthwestSpringWeek_Phoenix.htm