| Location | Directions |
|---|---|
|
Cole Field House
Google Maps Link Apple/iPhone Link |
From Baltimore: I-95 S, at the Capital Beltway (I-495) take exit for Rt 1 south (to College Park). Travel about 2 miles south on Rt 1 and make right on Campus Drive (enter University of Maryland). Take Campus Drive for about 0.5 miles, pass Stamp Student Union building and continue straight (exit from Campus Drive). In about 0.2 miles there will be plenty of parking lots. Park there. Registration will be by the tennis courts, on the west side of Cole Field House. From Washington DC downtown: Take Rt 1 (Baltimore Avenue) north to College Park. Make left on Campus Drive in College Park city. Take Campus Drive for about 0.5 miles, pass Stamp Student Union building and continue straight (exit from Campus Drive). In about 0.2 miles there will be plenty of parking lots. Park there. Registration will be by the tennis courts, on the west side of Cole Field House. From Beltway: Travel to exit 25 and get on Rt 1 heading south. Then travel about 2 miles south on Rt 1 and make right on Campus Drive (enter University of Maryland). Take Campus Drive for about 0.5 miles, pass Stamp Student Union building and continue straight (exit from Campus Drive). In about 0.2 miles there will be plenty of parking lots. Park there. Registration will be by the tennis courts, on the west side of Cole Field House. |
|
Hornbake Plaza
Google Maps Link Apple/iPhone Link |
Registration will be held at Hornbake Plaza, which is the open area on the right-hand side of Campus Drive as you enter from Route 1, just after passing the traffic circle with the big "M." Parking is in Lots 1B-1F. To get there from Hornbake Plaza, continue up the hill on Campus Drive, then take the right-hand fork just past the Stamp Student Union onto Union Drive. Continue to the end of the road and park in any of the lots on the left. Do not park in any lot not labeled 1B-1F, or you may be ticketed.
From the Beltway: Travel to exit 25 and get on Rt 1 heading south. Then travel about 2 miles south on Rt 1 and turn right on Campus Drive (entering the University of Maryland). From Baltimore: Take I-95 S, and at the Capital Beltway (I-495) take the exit for Rt 1 south (to College Park). Travel about 2 miles south on Rt 1 and turn right on Campus Drive (entering the University of Maryland). From Washington DC downtown: Take Rt 1 (Baltimore Avenue) north to College Park. Turn left on Campus Drive in College Park city. |
|
Kim Engineering Plaza
Google Maps Link Apple/iPhone Link |
Check-in is at the Kim Engineering Building Plaza, an open area on the West side of Paint Branch Drive. We recommend entering UMD on Campus Dr. from the East, and then turning right very soon onto Paint Branch. Drive North on Paint Branch Dr., pass the QOC check-in site on your left, continue North across a small stream and then park in lots 9B, XX1, or 11B. These lots should be free on the weekend.
From the Beltway: Travel to exit 25 and get on Rt 1 heading south. Then travel about 2 miles south on Rt 1 and turn right on Campus Drive (entering the University of Maryland). From Baltimore: Take I-95 S, and at the Capital Beltway (I-495) take the exit for Rt 1 south (to College Park). Travel about 2 miles south on Rt 1 and turn right on Campus Drive (entering the University of Maryland).
From Washington DC downtown: Take Rt 1 (Baltimore Avenue) north to College Park. Turn left on Campus Drive in College Park city. |
|
Mowatt Lane
Google Maps Link Apple/iPhone Link |
From the Beltway: Travel to exit 25B and get on Rt 1 heading south. Then travel about 2.7 miles south on Rt 1 and turn right on Knox Road. Turn right on Mowatt Lane (.3 miles). The Mowatt Lane Parking Garage entrance is 200m on the right. The garage is divided into three parking zones with different rules. We recommend parking in zone U2 (Free). Zone U2 is 650 spaces of student parking that is free for everyone on the weekends. Most of the first floor and all of the second floor of the garage is zone U2. Paid visitor parking is avaliable in the northern-most row of the first floor and the outside lot. Visitor spaces are paid parking 24/7. The upper floors of the garage are zone 19 and are permit only 24/7. In the unlikely event the garage is full, additional free parking is available in lots 1b and 1c. To get to the registration area in front of Van Munching Hall, exit the garage to the west and head northwest to Van Munching Hall. |
About This Venue
The University of Maryland's College Park campus is one of QOC's few urban venues, and the alma mater of many club members. Rather than the usual forest trails, orienteers here navigate through campus buildings, plazas, and paths.
QOC events at UMD are typically run as a Score-O (visiting as many marked controls as possible within a time limit) or, occasionally, a Sprint format, rather than the classic point-to-point courses used elsewhere. Controls are often placed near buildings and are not always obvious on approach; courses cross roads carrying real traffic, and the campus is often in some state of construction. Metal spikes and studded shoes are prohibited campus-wide — regular running shoes are required. Detailed, large-scale maps (around 1:4,000) are used given the density of the area.
The unusual format and setting make UMD a favorite change of pace for orienteers with some experience navigating classic courses; it is less suited to a first-ever event given the different skills involved, though newcomer instruction is generally still offered.
Registration and check-in are usually - but not always! - based near the Kim Engineering Building and Plaza on campus, with parking in designated campus lots signed for the event. Restrooms are available in or near the Kim Building.
