Orienteering Course

What is Orienteering?

Orienteering is an activity where participants use a map and compass to locate control points or markers on an orienteering course. Orienteering courses can be in urban and natural settings, but more often in parks and forests. Courses can be temporary and used for just a day or weekend competitive event. Courses can be permanent, like the Rockwood course, and used year-round.

To participate, you need a compass and a map of the course. The map is provided by the person or organization that created the orienteering course.

For more information about orienteering, visit the Orienteering USA website.


Rockwood Park Orienteering Course

The beginner orienteering course at Rockwood Park contains eight control points situated in the forest. The course includes rolling terrain, streams, and an extensive trail system.

Control points are green metal posts approximately 4-feet high mounted in the ground. The tops are orange and contain a unique alphanumerical code attached to the posts.

The course can be completed any time the park is open. To try it, print the orienteering map and cue sheet. A compass, while useful for navigation, is not needed for this beginner course.

If you have any questions about the course or observe any damage or missing control points, please send an email to Mark Battista.

Chesterfield Parks and Recreation Department thank Tim Gilbert with the Central Virginia Orienteering Club for his guidance and assistance.

Beginner Orienteering Map

Start the course in front of Rockwood Nature Center, which is denoted on the map by S/F (for start and finish).  You can locate the control points in any order. Parking is available by the nature center and in nearby parking lots.

The map scale is 1:5,000. Contour intervals are five feet.

Download the Beginner Orienteering Map (PDF).Control Point 2 - Rockwood Orienteering Course

Cue Sheet

The cue sheet provides three columns of information. The first column indicates the control number which corresponds to the number on the orienteering map. The second column shows the alphanumerical code. This is the number/alphabet sequence you should find at the control point. The final column provides a description of the topography where the control point is located.

For example, if you navigate to control point 2, the control point should be located on a knoll, and the alphanumerical code attached to the post should be B13.

Download the Cue Sheet (PDF).