Manassas National Battlefield Park

Manassas National Battlefield Park was the site of two major Civil War battles — the First Battle of Manassas in July 1861 and, just over a year later, the Second Battle of Manassas. QOC orienteers at Stuart's Hill, a section of the park being gradually restored toward its 1860s landscape of open fields, woods, and wetlands.

Stuart's Hill offers unusually open terrain for a QOC venue — large fields are rare among our usual wooded parks — mixed with woods of varying runnability, all fairly flat and bounded to the north by Route 29 (Lee Highway), which courses are designed to avoid running along. Youngs Branch creek crosses the park and is required on every course except White; deadfall is chronically heavy here and not always mapped, so longer courses sometimes require planning a route around it. The current map uses the older ISOM 2000 symbol set, a scale that varies by course level (1:5000 White/Yellow, 1:7500 Orange/Brown, 1:10000 Green and above), and a non-standard 2.5m contour interval that makes the terrain read flatter than it actually is. QOC typically sets a full range of classic courses here, from White through Blue, and the flatter, more contained terrain makes it a popular venue for orienteers moving up to a longer course.

This mix of open fields and mixed woods, both less common among QOC's usual venues, makes Manassas a favorite for groups and newcomers as well as experienced orienteers looking for a change of pace.

QOC events here are usually based out of the picnic area at Stuart's Hill. Nearby, the park's Henry Hill Visitor Center offers free displays and a short film on the battles fought over this same ground. This park does not charge an entrance fee.