50th Anniversary Weekend
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Saturday, Apr. 25: Lake Elmo Park Reserve, 1515 Keats Avenue North, Lake Elmo, MN
Sunday, Apr. 26: Lake Maria State Park, 11411 Clementa Ave NW, Monticello, MN
Event Details
MNOC is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Join us for an exciting weekend of orienteering to celebrate!
50th Anniversary Events (on Saturday)
Photo Slideshow: Please send any MNOC photos you have that you would like to share with the group to either:
Stories from MNOC events: We are assembling a list of interesting stories from MNOC events that include some gems like the Pete Wentzel swim leg story, The Course of Shame (Wirth 2017), Wedding planner nightmare at Lake Rebecca and others. Please contribute your story here: https://forms.gle/sXCxxP5ZJNwgkJ488
MNOC memorabilia silent auction: Do you have MNOC tee shirts, hats, buffs, other orienteering gear you want to get rid of? Please bring it along to the event and put it in the silent auction; all proceeds to MNOC.
Help to create the map of everywhere MNOC folks have orienteered: We will have a large map of the USA and a map of the world. Please add to this map any locations that you have orienteered around the world. Special prize to the person who has orienteered in the most extreme place ( North Korea, Arctic, underground ????) ; the winner will be decided by popular vote.
MNOC History timeline display: We have assembled a history of MNOC including key people, events and more. It will be on display at the event.
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Saturday, April. 25 - Short & Middle Distance / Micro / Retro
Lake Elmo Park Reserve
1515 Keats Avenue North, Lake Elmo, MN
Overview
This is a short middle distance event. See the OUSA event type page for more information. There will also be micro and retro course to enjoy. Plan to enjoy one or all three courses!
Courses
Middle Distance: Will offer a mix of trails, open terrain, and forests.
Short Distance: A shorter course similar to middle-distance.
Micro: A memory-O with very short distances and no control codes.
Retro: A short course to experience orienteering as it was 50 years ago, using a hand-copied course on a black and white map and old school pin punches.
Schedule
Registration/Check-In/Starts: 10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Courses closure: 2:30 pm
Food Served: TBD
*All participants must return to the finish by 2:30 PM. It is important that you return on time, so please have some way to keep track of time while you are out on the course.
Food
As part of the celebration, we are providing food after the event. We will have tacos with fixings! There will be chicken and vegetarian options along with GF options.
Start Location
Start location is at the Nordic Center (map). Watch for MNOC directional signs.
Race Management
Setter: Ian Harding
Vetter: Tom Lacksonen
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Sunday, April 26 - Regular Meet (NRE)
Lake Maria State Park
11411 Clementa Ave NW, Monticello, MN
Overview
Visitors who come to Lake Maria State Park will enjoy one of the few remaining stands of the "Big Woods," a maple, oak and basswood forest that once covered part of southern Minnesota. Learn more about Lake Maria State Park.
Courses
Regular Orienteering Meet with White/Yellow, Orange, Brown, Green, Red, and Blue Courses (All Skill Levels). To find out more about orienteering courses, see our Event Types page.
National Ranking Event (NRE)
This is an OUSA sanctioned event.
Schedule
Registration/Check-In: 11:15am - 1:15pm
Race Start: Noon - 1:30pm
Course Closure: 3:30pm
*Course closes and ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST RETURN TO THE FINISH BY 3:30. It is important that participants return on time. Have some way to know the time while you are out on the course.
Start Location
Trail Center. MAP Watch for orange and white directional signs.
Parking
Parking can be limited at Lake Maria, so we encourage people to carpool.
Race Management
Setter: Darryn Kozak
Vetter: TBD
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Pricing and Other Information
* Pre-Registration is required. There is no day-of registration. We want our volunteers to enjoy the events too.
PRE-REGISTRATION PRICING *
Saturday Short & Middle Distance / Micro / Retro
$25: Adults
$15: Juniors**
Food pricing
$10: Adults
$7: Kids (6-16)
$0: 5 and under
Sunday Regular Meet
$25: Everyone
$15: Juniors**
*$15 discount for orienteering club members. (Your Member Discount Code is located on the membership card that you were emailed after purchasing your annual membership. Use this coupon code when registering to receive $15 off) This discount applies to whole weekend whether or not you attend both Saturday and Sunday events.
**Juniors are 19 years old and under
Park Entrance Fees
Lake Elmo County Park: A day pass costs $7 (or $30 for annual). The pass can be purchased at the park office, at kiosks outside the park office, or at kiosks at the parking lots. More Info
Lake Maria State Park: A day pass costs $7 (or $35 for annual). The pass can be purchased online or at the ranger station. More Info
ONLINE pre-registration closes at Noon on Friday, April 24 (Central Time).
GROUP REGISTRATION: At most of our regular events, we allow up to 3 people to participate together on a single registration. To do this, one person should register and select a course. The second and third person then register, but instead of selecting a course, select "Not Competing," and add a note to the registration stating who you will be participating with.
Volunteer
Many volunteers are needed! Use the Volunteer button at the top of this page which will take you to the general volunteer page. When you show up for your volunteer shift, please connect with the other MNOC volunteers so they know you have arrived. Thanks!
See task descriptions here.
Come Clean, Leave Clean
The Minnesota Orienteering Club practices a Come Clean, Leave Clean policy. This helps us maintain a good relationship with the parks we utilize, sets a good example for other users, and limits the transfer and spread of many of the plants that make our venues less enjoyable.
Race Results
Race results are usually published within 24 hours of the event. View our Race Results page to see the results.
Questions
If you have questions or comments about this event, please feel free to Contact Us.
Orienteering Etiquette
Here are a few tips to make orienteering enjoyable for all:
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Stand Back: Move at least 5 meters away from check-points after you've punched. Doing so 1) allows other competitors easy access to punch, and 2) doesn't give away the control location to other competitors.
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Seal the Lips: Do not shout to others in the woods. Especially avoid shouting "it's over here!" - that's not fair to others on the course who want to find the control themselves. So if you are in a group, stay within speaking distance.
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Encourage Participation: If you are in a group with less skilled orienteers, let them navigate to every other control in order to practice their skills.
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Don't Follow: Don't follow other orienteers on the course (except when specifically allowed in Minnegoats and other special events). Run your own course and refine your orienteering skills. Besides, they may be running a different course or may be making an error.
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Keep It Clean: The park should be left in better condition than you found it. Be aware of, and cautious not to cause damage in, sensitive areas such as wet spots and steep slopes. Also, artifacts in the woods should be left as you found them, and don't damage trees or plants. And please do your part to pick up trash and leave the park cleaner than you found it.
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Keep It Clean #2: Please avoid profanity and adult topics. Small children are typically present at almost all MNOC meets. Help us create a fun and family-friendly environment enjoyable for all.
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Share The Trails: Be courteous and respectful to other park users and be sure to yield right-of-way when on trails. The city and state park departments are kind enough to let us hold events in their parks, so please help in retaining that valuable relationship.
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Be Courteous: Please be nice to our volunteers. Everyone working at a meet is volunteering their time. Volunteers are often trying to do two or more things at once, so be patient.
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Control Retrieval: If you can, please stick around until the event is done to help with control retrieval. This simply entails going around the park and collecting the check-point flags that were used for the event. We like to have 6-8 volunteers help with this at the end of every event.
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Volunteer: Orienteering events, along with the entire MNOC club, is run by volunteers. We'd love for your help in running the events, so please sign up to be a volunteer if you have a few hours to spare. We'd greatly appreciate it.