Notes:
Please be sure to also read the Event Director's Notes (posted 10/29/25) and the Course Setter's Notes.
If you are sure you will attend, please register online here before 6 PM Saturday (on-site registration will be understaffed).
If you will want to pay at the event with a credit/debit card, please bring cash or a check in case there isn't a cell-phone signal for the card reader.
You might be interested in reading the vetter's comments (posted 10/31/25).
Online registration has closed (on 11/1/25 at 6:00 PM).
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on the day of the event.
After nearly missing the 2024 edition (which was held in January 2025), we return to a more-normal schedule for the 26th annual Golden Goat and Golden Kid.
Carl Hoel has designed the courses. The Golden Goat, and the shorter Golden Kid, is a mass-start event, traditionally emphasizing long and hilly courses. In keeping with tradition, Carl has included some deviations from traditional point-to-point orienteering (e.g., skipped controls, forked controls, butterfly options, ...).
In addition to the (masochistic) Goat and Kid courses, we will offer a "normal", point-to-point, Advanced Beginner course with standard, separated starts. (However, this course will be a bit more physical than our usual "beginner" course.)
Schedule
Note: Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on the day of the event. Remember to "fall back" one hour.
Golden Goat Mass Start?
Note that this event has a non-standard schedule, with a combined mass start for the Goat and Kid courses.
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Schedule for the Goat and Kid
9:00 – 9:45 AM: Registration open (but we strongly recommend pre-registering online here)
9:45 AM: Group walk from the Assembly Area to the Start Triangle
9:50 AM: Instructions for the Goat and Kid
10:00 AM: Mass Start for the Goat and Kid
12:30 PM: Awards ceremony for the Goat and Kid (later if winners aren't back)
2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish
Schedule for the Advanced Beginner Course
9:00 – 11:30 AM: Registration open (but we strongly recommend pre-registering online here)
9:30 – 11:00 AM: Beginner instruction available (hopefully)
10:15 – 11:45 AM: Starts open for the Advanced Beginner course
2:00 PM: Everyone must have returned to the Finish
Notes for all the Courses
- On-site registration might be lightly staffed, so there could be delays — which is why we recommend pre-registering online.
- At on-site registration, all juniors under age 18 must be accompanied by parents or legal guardians, or bring with them a waiver signed by their parent or legal guardian. (The standard registration form is available here [12KB PDF].)
- Everyone must return to the assembly area by 2:00 PM and check in at the download table. The Goat, especially, travels a long distance from the Start/Finish—make sure you allow time to return!
- For the Goat and Kid courses:
- There is a four-hour time limit.
- You may start the Goat or Kid after 10:00 AM as long as you finish by 2:00 PM. However, late starters will be assigned the same start time as the Mass Start.
- For the Advanced Beginner course:
- You can register and start on the course anytime during the open times above. Thus, for example, you do not need to be "punctual" at 9:00.
- Beginner instruction is 15–20 minute, repeating sessions ("clinics") that introduce the sport of orienteering, and provide enough instruction to be able to complete the Advanced Beginner course. (Beginners are given their course maps at registration. You should get your map before joining a beginner clinic.)
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Costs and Registration
Optional online registration (and payment) is described below. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.
The following fees apply for this event:
$3 for each junior on the Advanced Beginner course
$8 for each adult on the Advanced Beginner course
$5 for each junior on the Goat or Kid course
$15 for each member on the Goat or Kid course
$20 for each non-member on the Goat or Kid course
$1 for a compass rental (optional)
$5 for an electronic fingerstick rental (if you don't own one; you'll need one to complete the course)
$15 for the lowest-cost individual one-year BAOC membership (optional)
$10 cash park fee per vehicle, using self registration (not a BAOC fee)
Notes:
- Juniors are age 8 through 20 (under age 8 is free).
- You can register at the event or online before the event (see below).
- You can rent an E-punch finger stick at the event — or online and pick it up at the event.
- If you register online, you can rent a compass at the event.
- At the event, we can accept payment by cash, check, or credit/debit card (but no electronic payments — e.g., PayPal, Venmo).
Note: If you will want to pay with a credit/debit card, please bring cash or a check in case there isn't a cell-phone signal for the card reader.
- Members of other orienteering clubs can pay the "member" fee. (We hope your club would do the same for our members. 🙂)
More information about BAOC event pricing is available in the club FAQ. All the prices are also shown on the standard entry form (12KB PDF), which you can print and fill out in advance to save some time at the event. (You will need one entry form for each group of people going on a course together.)
In addition to the BAOC fees, there is a $10-per-vehicle park fee that must be paid at the park.
Optional Online Registration
Online registration has closed, but you can still register at the event.
Notes:
- Online registration is not required—you can register at the event.
- You can see who is registered here (but keep in mind that others will register at the event).
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What to Bring
For the Advanced Beginner (Yellow) course, hiking boots with an aggressive tread are recommended.
Due to the dry weather, matted grasses, and loose soils, we recommend O-shoes or shoes with cleats on the Goat and Kid courses.
A compass is not necessary, but can be helpful — and can improve safety — so is recommended. We have compasses available for a $1 rental fee.
We time the courses with the SPORTident system, so each entry/team needs to have a SPORTident fingerstick. If you don't have your own, you can rent one at registration for $5. (Use of the "E-punch" system is easy. You can learn how at the event, or read about it here.)
Venue Facilities
Picnic tables and toilets are available.
Note that you will need to pay a $10-per-vehicle park fee, probably by putting cash in an envelope.
Water
There is no piped drinking water available at this park. BAOC will provide some drinking water at the Assembly Area, at the Start and Finish, and at water stops on the Goat and Kid courses. If you plan to carry water bottles or a Camelback-style water bladder on your course, please fill them at home. Also, please bring any additional water you will want at the park.
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Courses
Here are the course statistics:
Course Length Climb Controls
Adv. Beginner 2.7 km 190 m (7.0%) 7
Golden Kid 5.6 km 420 m (7.5%) 11
Golden Goat 10.4 km 800 m (7.7%) 16
Notes:
- At the event, if you start out on the Goat, you will not be able to cut it short and qualify for the Kid. The courses are differentiated to such a degree that this is not possible. Sign up for either the Goat or the Kid — you can change your mind between registering and starting — but whichever course you start out on, will be your official course.
- The Advanced Beginner course is longer, with more climb, than our usual, first-timer, beginner (White) course. Thus, the course might not be suited to very-young children. However, due to the open terrain, the navigation difficulty will probably be easier than a typical Advanced Beginner (Yellow) course.
- Everyone should be aware that the distances shown are the cumulative, straight-line distances between controls. Your actual distance will be longer! The climb numbers represent the amount of ascending that would be done on the "optimum route" (in the Course Setter's opinion), without regard for any descending.
Be sure to read the Course Setter's Notes for more information.
Early comment from the Course Setter: "The terrain is quite hilly, so the Goat and Kid courses will be physically challenging, while technically somewhat simpler due to the open terrain. There will be an emphasis on long legs where careful route selection is needed."
Hazards
The park warns visitors about both ticks and rattlesnakes. Although the Course Setter encountered neither, the usual precautions should be taken: long pants, gaiters, and watchful eyes before, during, and after the event.
Most of the park is free of poison oak, but it does appear near some potential routes. Generally it is quite visible? — ?large, leafy, and green.
The Goat and Kid courses are long and exposed? — ?adequate sun protection is strongly advised.
Awards
Prizes might be presented to the male and female winners of both courses.
In addition to possible awards, the top 15 finishers on the Goat earn Golden Goat Lifetime Points. The current table of these points, and the rules for their awarding, are available in this file (25KB PDF).
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Request for Volunteers
Even though this is an "abbreviated" event, we will still need some volunteers to help put on the event. For example, we can use help with setup, organizing the mass start, and of course, control pickup.
If you don't plan on running the Goat or Kid, please consider volunteering for registration, beginner clinics, or starts of the Beginner course.
We will need many people for control pickup. 🙂
Please look at this spreadsheet to see all the volunteer positions. If you can commit in advance, please enter your name for your desired task. If you have any questions, please contact Graham Brew, (Stand-in?) Event Director (email). Volunteers will also be enthusiastically accepted at the event.
Driving Directions
The approximate coordinates of the parking area are 37.0633,-121.2148.
Notes:
- Be vary careful turning across Highway 152. The traffic is moving faster than you might think!
- Be aware of the park fee of $10 per vehicle, collected at the park (probably by putting cash in an envelope).
The entrance to Pacheco State Park is between Gilroy and Los Banos on the south side of Highway 152, just west of Pacheco Pass. The approximate coordinates of the turn-off are 37.0665,-121.2192.
From most of the Bay Area: Take US 101 south past San Jose to Gilroy, and then Highway 152 East. Pacheco State Park is to the right just before the very top of the pass, about 10 minutes after the exit for Casa de Fruta (the last "facilities"). There is a large, gravel lot (often used by trucks) on the right-hand side of the road that does connect to the park entrance, but a better route choice is the paved road (Dinosaur Point Rd) to the park, which is immediately after the gravel lot (at the turn-off coordinates above).
From points further east (Central Valley, Sacramento, Livermore, Antioch): Take Interstate 5 south to Highway 152 West. Pacheco State Park is a left turn (there is a turn lane) immediately after the top of Pacheco Pass (at the turn-off coordinates above).