Alamo Lake State Park
Saturday, April 20, 2024

Event Notes

Thanks to everyone who signed up for our 2024 Sonoran Desert Navigation Games at Arizona's Alamo Lake State Park. We're excited that you've decided to join us for a day of navigation fun at this remote Arizona location. If you've never visited Alamo Lake State Park before, you're in for a treat. The park has amenities to make your stay comfortable while the area has a vast amount of rugged terrain to explore. We hope you enjoy your visit.

Below are notes for events at the 2024 Sonoran Desert Navigation Games. Please read the notes carefully as they include important information about your race. Let us know if you have any questions.

The following sections are included below:
1. EVENT LOCATION
2. MISCELLANEOUS
3. SCHEDULE
4. CHECK-IN
5. MAPS, COURSE STATISTICS
6. SCORING
7. GEAR LIST

1. EVENT LOCATION

The start/finish for all events is at the south lake overflow parking area, ~0.4 miles from the Alamo State Park Visitor Center, towards the lake.
Google Placemark
Link to Directions to Alamo Lake
Link to Directions from Visitor Center

2. MISCELLANEOUS

• Weather - Heat Wave Average highs at Alamo Lake in mid-April are in the low 80's F. The lows can drop into the mid-40s F. Unfortunately, it looks like we're in for a heat wave this year. We can expect a high around 95F on Saturday. The low Saturday morning will be ~62F. Please plan accordingly. Bring plenty of water. Hydrate regularly. We'll have 5 places to get water and other drinks on the course.
• Entrance Fee There is an entrance fee to enter Alamo Lake State Park. If you arrive Saturday morning, the park entrance booth opens at 5:00 AM. If you're camping in the park, you will not have to pay an additional entrance fee. If you camp overnight Friday night, the camping technically only allows you to stay in the park until 12:00 PM, so technically, you should pay for the Friday night camping then pay for Saturday in the park. We'll let you work things out with your conscience.
• Lots of Burros The area is home to hundreds of burros. While burros can weigh over 1000 pounds, they rarely bother humans. A male burro or two may charge and try to intimidate, but the charge is a bluff to scare a weird invader away from it's territory. Most of the burros on the southeast side of the lake avoid humans. On the northwest side of the lake, we had three incidents where male burros charged while we were hanging bags. They stopped 50 meters from us and we just stared at each other for a bit. It was a neat bonus wildlife encounter. Don't try to feed the burros. They will bite and if you get close enough, you might catch a hoof on the knee, sternum, or worse. It'll be tough to explain to your friends if you get kicked in the sternum by a burro.
• Snakes Yes, things are warming up. Yes, there are snakes. We suggest you pay attention and avoid the snakes. We've walked the desert setting 100's of events over the years. We've about stepped on 6 snakes total over 20 years. It's unlikely that you'll see a snake, but it's possible. Pay attention and be careful.
• Itchy Vegetation We haven't encountered poison ivy in the area, but scorpion weed is present, as well as other plants that cause skin irritations. After placing some of the controls in the field last week, we developed an itchy rash on our feet and calves. We suggest using gators, pants, long socks, etc. to cover the lower part of your legs.
• Thorny Vegetation The vegetation surrounding Alamo Lake is sparse. Most of the terrain is runnable. Vegetation is more abundant in the washes and along the lake shore. There are thorny plants (cactus, cat claw, etc.), but you're mostly able to see the thorny plants and avoid them. If you do end up with an injury caused by a thorny plant, we'll assume you did it on purpose for sympathy.
• 50 Meter Limit Teammates in all events must stay within 50 meters of each other at all times.
• Visit Controls Together Teammates in all events must visit controls together. You are not allowed to send one teammate to visit a control while other members of the team take a nice break.
• Manual Punching We are not using electronic timing. We have manual punching for all our destination markers. We'll give you a control card at the start of the event. You'll register your visit to each destination by punching the appropriate spot on the control card.
• Cell Phones We encourage you to travel with a cell phone. There is reasonable cell phone coverage towards the north end of the park. At the south end of the park, cell phone coverage is non-existent in the campgrounds and park administration buildings. There is minimal cell coverage near the lake itself. You may take pictures with your phone or use it for emergency communication. You are not allowed to use your phone for navigation. Use of navigation features on your phone will result in disqualification.
• GPS Trackers You may use a GPS tracker (standalone GPS device, GPS watch, etc.) to record your route during the event. You may not use any type of GPS for navigation or measuring distance. Manual bike odometers that measure distance based on wheel circumference are allowed. Barometric altimiters are allowed. Bike odometers that measure distance using GPS are not allowed. Navigation or measuring distance with a GPS unit will result in disqualification.
• Disappearing Control Bags We placed many of the destination markers in the field last week. What we don't know is if the orange and white bags are on the delicacy list for burros. We hope all the bags are still where we left them. If you get to a place where you think the bag is missing, look for a piece of orange tape nearby. We placed the tape in trees/bushes near the bags and wrote a three-letter word on the tape. Record the three letter word on your control card if the bag has disappeared.
• Aid Stations We'll have two manned aid stations on the courses. The two manned stations are accessible for all courses. We'll also have two control locations with water available, one on the foot map and one on the bike maps. Finally, there are two points on the map where you'll be able to purchase drinks and snacks, one on the foot map and one on the bike map. It will be hot in the afternoon. Please take advantage of the aid stations we've provided.
• Restrooms, Showers We'll be in a state park, so the restroom and shower facilities are excellent. Physical toilets, both flush and pit types, are located throughout the park. Otherwise, there aren't many other visitors to the park who are traipsing around on foot or bike, so you'll have most of nature's finest desert terrain to do whatever it is you need to do.
• Early Race Termination If you need to leave the event early for any reason, please sign out with race directors at the start/finish. It would be really bad if we called out emergency services and spent time looking for you only to find out you decided to go home two hours earlier.

Adventure Racers

• No mandatory mode of transportation (Adventure Races Only) For the adventure races, there is no mandatory mode of transportation, except for the three controls on the northwest side of the lake which can only be reached by watercraft (You can travel on foot once you get to the other side of the lake, but you must paddle to the northwest side of the lake and paddle back to the southeast side of the lake.). You can travel by foot, bike, or watercraft to all other controls. It's your choice.

  For controls on the foot map, we guarantee it will be more efficient to visit most of the controls on foot. There may be one control on the foot map where using a bike would be helpful. For the controls on the bike map, half of the controls could be more efficient to visit on foot. The other half are distant controls where using a bike is likely much better. Again, you get to plan your own adventure, so hike, bike, or paddle, you're welcome to use your favorite.

• Alamo Dam, Surrounding Ground Off-Limits You are not allowed to cross any part of the dam or any terrain surrounding the dam to get to the northwest side of the lake. You may only access the northwest side of the lake using your inflatable watercraft. Once you have paddled to the northwest side of the lake, you're welcome to walk and portage your watercraft as needed, but you must return to the southeast side of the lake using your watercraft. Any foot or bike travel on any part of the dam or the terrain below the dam will result in disqualification.

Bikes

• Bikes on Roads and Trails Only When traveling by bicycle, you must remain on an obvious paved road, improved gravel road, jeep trail, or single-track trail at all times. You are not allowed to ride cross-country between points. The desert is fragile, and riding cross country will leave a trace that could take decades to disappear.
• Watch for Motor Vehicles This is especially important when biking on paved roads, improved gravel roads, and even some of the jeep trails. The area around Alamo Lake is an OHV destination (Off-Highway Vehicle). We're sharing roads with RVs, trucks, OHVs, etc., and there aren't a lot of other bicyclists that use the area. Some OHV drivers are especially agressive while they imagine they're racing in the Baja 500. Please be extra-vigilant while traveling on roads during the race.
• Helmets Required (Bike travel only) Helmets are required while you travel on your bike. Travel by bike without a helmet will result in disqualification.

Watercraft

• Not Mandatory You are not required to travel by watercraft during the race. However, three controls on the northwest side of the lake are only accessible by watercraft. To encourage watercraft use, the three controls on the northwest side of the lake are worth 3 points apiece. All other points (20 on foot map, 14 on bike map, and 3 on watercraft map) are worth 1 point apiece.
• Inflatable Only Only inflatable watercraft are allowed. This can include inflatable pack rafts, inflatable kayaks, inflatable paddleboards, etc. No hard-shell watercraft are allowed.
• Inflate before the Pre-Race Briefing You're welcome to leave your watercraft deflated until you get to the water's edge, but we've designed the course so you will likely inflate your watercraft before the event starts, then carry your inflated watercraft to the water. The minimum you'll carry your watercraft is ~500m. When setting the course, we carried our watercraft ~2km. Depending on your route selection, you can choose to paddle more and portage less.
• Human-Powered Only Watercraft must be propelled by human power. No sails allowed. No motors allowed. The most common means to propel the watercraft is with oars or paddles. You're also welcome to strap on flippers and flutter-kick your way across the lake if you like.
• No Transport by Bicycle You're welcome to carry your inflatable watercraft with you on your bike, but we've designed the course so it isn't necessary. You will likely only travel between points by paddling or by carrying your watercraft as you hike.
• PFDs Required You must wear a PFD whenever you're paddling your watercraft. Travel by watercraft without a PFD will result in disqualification.
• Sign Out/In Before you start traveling by watercraft, we require you to sign out with race directors at the start/finish. You are also required to sign back in when you are finished with the paddle section. We want to know when you intend to be out on the lake and when you have successfully returned. We will not include points from the watercraft map for any team that fails to sign out or sign back in.

3. SCHEDULE

Daylight Period

Sunrise: 5:56 AM
Sunset: 7:10 PM
Civil Twilight Start: 5:30 AM
Civil Twilight End: 7:36 PM

4. CHECK-IN

All participants must check in at the event start/finish located at the south lake overflow parking before their race. In addition to asking participants to sign in, we'll also hand out control cards for the events. During the events, at each "destination marker" (control), participants use a manual punch to record their visit to the control location.

After check in, participants in the 6-hour and 12-hour events must attend a pre-race briefing at 6:30 AM (for the 12-hour events) or 8:30 AM (for the 6-hour events). Please be on time for the mandatory briefings. We'll hand out maps and provide last-minute instructions at the mandatory briefing.

After check in, participants in the 2-hour and 4-hour Rogaines can start their course anytime within the 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM start window.

Special Instructions for 6-hour and 12-hour events

Please prepare the following for your check-in:

• Declare if you plan to use a mountain bike for travel during parts of your race.
  Note1: You are not obligated to actually use your mountain bike if you declare your intention. We simply verify your equipment at check-in.
• Declare if you plan to travel by inflatable watercraft during parts of your race.
  Note1: If you do not plan to travel parts of the race using an inflatable watercraft, we will mark off the three watercraft controls located on the northwest side of the lake. You are not allowed to travel to the northwest side of the lake on foot or by mountain bike. You can only access the watercraft controls on the northwest side of the lake via watercraft.
  Note2: You are not obligated to actually use the inflatable watercraft if you declare your intention. We simply verify your equipment at check-in.
• If traveling by inflatable watercraft, each member of the team must show their PFD and inflatable watercraft at check-in.
• If traveling by mountain bike, each member of the team must show their helmet at check-in.
• If participating in a 12-hour event, you must show a working light source at check-in.

5. MAPS/COURSE STATISTICS

The Sonoran Desert Navigation Games at Alamo Lake consists of the following sections:

Additional Map Information

• Rogaine Maps All maps are Rogaine-style maps. We have done a minimal amount of field checking of the maps. You can expect unmapped cliffs, boulders, fences, washes, burro trails, etc.
• Burro Trails Yes, there are many, many burro trails. There are several hundred burros in the area, and they follow each other around like sheep when they travel. (If that makes sense.) We have not mapped most of the burro trails, even though some of them could be excellent for traveling between two points. The burro trails are sometimes quite useful when ascending/descending steeper areas of the terrain. A burro isn't likely to roll down a steep slope like a snowball, and their 800+ pound bodies need nice, stable paths for travel. We used a lot of burro trails in the cliffier areas of the maps.
• Blue Stream Lines Except for the solid blue color representing Alamo Lake, ALL blue lines represent where water would flow if there were water in the area. Falling rain tends to dig channels in the terrain. The blue lines on the map represent streams, washes, arroyos, re-entrants, whatever you'd like to call them. We hope you'll accept this obvious difference between our desert maps and the cool maps you have in your fancy-dancy forested areas where you actually have running water.
• No UTM Plotting None. Nada. Negatory. We don't like creating UTM maps, you don't like UTM plotting, so we have no UTM work during the event.
• Declination All maps are aligned to magnetic north. Don't bother learning the declination at Alamo Lake. You don't need to know it. And, if you have a declination dialed into your compass, go ahead and adjust your compass back to 0 degree declination. Really. Seriously. Our maps are aligned to magnetic north, so if you have a compass where you can adjust the declination, you want to adjust the declination to 0 degrees.
• Alamo Dam Off Limits The land surrounding the dam and all parts of the dam itself are off limits. Any foot or bike travel over any part of the dam or land below the dam to the northwest side of the lake will result in disqualification.

6. SCORING

• Foot map 20 controls available. Each control worth 1 point. This applies to both the adventure races and to the rogaines.
• Bike maps 14 controls available. Each control worth 1 point.
• Watercraft map 6 controls available. Three watercraft controls on the northwest side of the lake are worth 3 points each for a total of 9 points. Three watercraft controls on the southeast side of the lake are each worth 1 point.
• All controls optional There are no mandatory controls to visit. You can visit as many or as few of the controls as you like.
• Ranking Teams are ranked first by number of points and then by elapsed time. If two teams have the same number of points, we'll use elapsed time to make the final ranking.
• Penalties For all courses, we will apply a 1 point penalty for each 5 minutes a team arrives after the cutoff time. For example, a team on the 6-hour event arrives after 6:00:00 hours on the course, no penalty is applied. A team arriving after 6:00:01 will receive a 1-point penalty. A team arriving after 6:04:59 receives a 1-point penalty. A team arriving after 6:05:00 receives a 2-point penalty.
• Disqualification We'll mark teams arriving 30 minutes or more after the course cutoff time as disqualified.
• Disqualification Any foot or bike travel on any part of Alamo Dam or the terrain below the dam will result in disqualification.

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7. GEAR LIST:

Mandatory Race Gear Carried by each participant at all times. Whistle Compass Water carrying capacity for 2 liters. (adventure races only) Water is available at the start/finish, at the remote aid station, and at a minimum of two additional points on the course. Because of the potential for hot, dry weather, we require you to bring your own containers with a minimum capacity of 2 liters. Space blanket. (For emergencies. 12-hour events only.) Cell phone. (For pictures or emergency calls. One per team. Not for navigation. Use for navigation will result in disqualification.) First aid kit. (Mandatory for 12-hour events only. One per team.) Water purification tablets or filter. (Mandatory for 12-hour events only. One per team.) Waterproof map holder. (Maps are not waterproof.) Light source like a flashlight, headlamp, etc. with fresh batteries. (12-hour events only) The 12-hour events will finish near dusk. Participants must carry a light source for safety. Mandatory Bicycle Gear For the 6-hour and 12-hour events, using a mountain bike is optional. At check-in, you must declare if you plan to travel by mountain bike. The following gear is mandatory for those who will include travel by mountain bike. Mountain bike. You will find it easier to hit cutoff times if you use a bicycle to travel to the distant bike controls. Helmet Bike tool kit (At least one per team.) Spare tube. (One for each bike.) Bike lock (optional). You will have to drop your bike and travel on foot up to 100 meters for all controls. None of the controls are accessible from a road or trail, so you won't be able to ride up to the controls themselves. Water Gear For the 6-hour and 12-hour events, use of inflatable watercraft is optional. There are three controls on the northwest side of the lake that are only accessible by watercraft. You are not allowed to travel on foot or bicycle to the northwest side of the lake. This specifically prohibits traveling by land to the northwest part of the lake across any part of the dam or the land surrounding the dam. Crossing to the northwest side of the lake by any means other than by inflatable watercraft will result in disqualification. Once you travel by watercraft to the northwest side of the lake, you may then choose to continue traveling by watercraft or carry the watercraft on foot to visit one, two, or all three of the controls on the northwest side of the lake. At check-in, you must declare if you plan to travel by inflatable watercraft. The gear listed below is required for those who will include travel by watercraft. Any type of inflatable, non-motorized watercraft. This could include an inflatable kayak, packraft, paddleboard, etc. You will likely carry the watercraft up to 2 kilometers on foot. You may inflate your watercraft before the race starts at 7:00 AM. There is no likely need to transport the watercraft by bicycle. Personal floatation device (PFD). Each participant must have their own PFD. This is in addition to the inflatable watercraft itself. Waterproof bag. For transporting gear that you don't want to get wet while you travel on the water. Recommended Gear Sun screen. There is little to no shade on all the courses. We encourage you to protect yourself from sunburn. Leg gaiters, especially for off-trail travel. The desert vegetation is sparse around Alamo Lake. Some washes have more prickly plants such as cat claw. There are also areas with plants such as scorpion weed that will cause an itchy reaction. Leg gaiters could help. Duct tape. Lightweight rain jacket (if rain is in the forecast). Extra clothing layers. It's likely to be in the low 60's at the start of the 12-hour events. Daytime temperatures could rise to 90F. Not Allowed Any device that uses a satellite connection for navigation, distance, or elevation. This includes standalone GPS units and GPS watches. You are allowed to use a GPS unit for recording your track, but you must not use any of the navigation functions of the unit during the race. We will disqualify any racer using a GPS unit for navigation during the race. Motorized bicycles (electric, gas, etc.) (Do we really have to tell you?)