Queen of the Hills
A National Ranking Event Sanctioned by Orienteering USA
Saturday, November 4 – Sunday, November 5, 2023
Recreational course registration continues through Thursday, November 2nd.
***UPDATED*** MEET NOTES ARE NOW AVAILABLE
The Meet Notes include detailed map and course notes as well as much of the information on this web page.
Please download / print your own copy; only limited copies will be available at the Information table.
Saturday – Iron Hill
Sunday – Fair Hill
(NRE Registration is closed) | Find out who’s registered for the NRE
* * * * * * *
Click here to register for Recreational classes
Who’s registered in Recreational classes
Schedule
October 8, 2023 (Sunday): Regular Registration extended – closes at 12:00 midnight Pacific Time; Late Fees added after midnight Sunday, October 8th.
October 22, 2023 (Sunday): Late Registration – closes at 12:00 midnight Pacific Time; Registration after October 22nd only accepted if maps are available for your requested course.
November 2, 2023 (Thursday): Recreational Course Registration deadline – closes at 12:00 midnight Eastern Time
Saturday, November 4: Day 1 – Classic courses in Iron Hill Park, Newark, Delaware
Sunday, November 5: Day 2 – Classic courses in Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, Elkton, Maryland
Saturday, November 4, Queen of the Hills Day 1 at Iron Hill Park
- 8:45 am: First shuttle bus to Iron Hill parking area (approx. every 15-minutes)
- 9:00 – 11:00 am: Registration information table open in Arena (pick up rental e-punches; information; any changes)
- 10:00 am: First Competitive start (assigned start times)
- 10:30 am – 12 pm: Recreational starts (open start)
- 3:00 pm: Courses close; all competitors must return to finish/download
- 4:30 – 7:00 pm: Happy Hour / dinner @ Iron Hill Brewery, 147 E. Main Street, Newark, DE (Reservation is under “Queen of the Hills” in the back room.) No preregistration; first-come, first served. Attn: Juniors! Junior Get-together at 5:00pm at Iron Hill Brewery; Course Review at 7:00pm the Holiday Inn Express meet hotel (see Travel tab for address)
- SPECIAL NOTE: Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 am Sunday morning. Remember to turn clocks back one hour.
Sunday, November 5, Queen of the Hills Day 2 at Fair Hill RMA
- 8:00 – 10:00 am: Registration information table open in Arena (pick up rental e-punches; information; any changes)
- 9:00 am: First Competitive start (assigned start times)
- 9:30 – 11:00 am: Recreational starts (open start)
- 2:00 pm: Courses close; all competitors must return to finish/download
- ~12:30 – 1:00 pm: Awards
Note: All competitors are required to carry a whistle while orienteering on their course.
Registration
Queen of the Hills NRE (competitive) registration is closed
See who’s registered for the NRE
Late entries for all competitors after October 22, 2023, will be accepted only subject to map availability.
Email the registrar to confirm that a map is still available for your desired course.
Start times for competitive participants will be posted on EventReg. All competitive registrants will also receive an email with their start time(s) several days before the first event.
Fees Per Race
| Fees and Deadlines | Regular Registration closes at midnight PDT October 8, 2023 | Late Registration closes at midnight PDT October 22, 2023 | Recreational closes midnight EDT November 2, 2023 |
| Adult | $45 ** | $55 ** | $10 / map |
| Junior* | $20 ** | $25 ** | $10 / map |
* Junior Defined: born in 2003 or later (i.e., age 20 or younger on 12/31/2023).
** The OUSA member discount is also offered to confirmed members of other IOF organizations.
E-punch Rental: $5 per race for competitive entries; included in Recreational fee. $40 charge if e-punch is not returned to DVOA.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR BLUE COURSE COMPETITORS:
Blue courses both days have 30 or more controls. If you own an SI-5 (# up to 499,999) or SI-8 (#2,000,000-2,999,999) e-punch stick, it will not hold all the control information.
In such a case, write a NOTE TO REGISTRAR as you register indicating your need for a loan, and a rental SI-9 e-punch will be provided at no extra charge.
Event Refunds
Refunds requested by email to registrar on or prior to midnight EDT October 14, 2023, will be a full refund less $10.00 for processing. There is no refund after midnight EDT October 14, 2023.
Recreational Courses
Beginner and Advanced Beginner courses only will be offered for recreational orienteers (these will be the same White and Yellow courses that competitive orienteers will run). All recreational entries will be charged $10 per individual or group for this event, which includes rental e-punch if you do not have your own. There are no additional discounts for DVOA or OUSA members in the recreational category. Pre-registration is required for recreational courses and will close on Thursday, November 2 at midnight EDT.
Register for Recreational courses
at Iron Hill and/or Fair Hill
See who is registered
On Saturday, White and Yellow recreational courses will be offered at Iron Hill Park. A shuttle bus ride is required to reach the Arena/Start.
On Sunday, White and Yellow recreational courses will be offered at Fair Hill Resource Management Area. Start is within walking distance from the Arena.
Timing System
The SPORTident (SI) electronic timing system will be used. Participants may use their own SI card or rent one when they register.
BLUE course note: Courses include 30+ controls; SI-5 and SI-8 cards do not hold enough punches. Please add a note to registrar if you need to borrow an e-punch (no surcharge).
Beacon mode will be enabled for this event for use with SIAC cards, with the exception of Start boxes. All competitors must punch the Start box.
- SI card rental: $5.00 per day (competitive NRE entries)
- Replacement fee for lost SI card: $40
Maps & Courses
Queen of the Hill Meet Notes are now available!
They include information from the web page as well as additional details about the maps and courses.
Please download for your reference and for printing if you desire.
Limited copies can be viewed at the Registration/Information table.
DAY 1 – Iron Hill Park
Download a PDF of the old Iron Hill map
Iron Hill Map:
Scale: 1:7500 for White, Yellow, Orange, Brown X, Brown Y; 1:10,000 for all others. Contour Interval: 5m
Base Map: Ivar Helgesen (photogrammetry)
Fieldwork & Drafting: Vladimir Zherdev, Eric Weyman (2020-2021), Wyatt Riley (2023)
Iron Hill terrain views
Iron Hill Terrain/Map Notes: Broad hillside with mostly open woods and moderate to dense trail network. Significant detail in the form of boulders, pits and quarries (from past mining operations). [See Iron Hill History from our 2021 event here.]
The updated version of the map was field-checked by Vladimir Zherdev in 2019 with a second pass by Eric Weyman in 2020. Eric also made more recent minor updates competed in October 2021. Map scale for the White, Yellow, Orange, Brown X & Brown Y courses is 1:7500. Map scale for all other courses is 1:10,000. Contour interval is 5 meters.
The disc golf course will be closed during the race. Most courses cross through the disc golf area. The tees consist of small concrete pads. Targets are metal baskets, shown on the map with a black “o” (symbol 530 – prominent man-made feature). Fairways are cleared of brush and some edges are therefore mapped with a distinct vegetation boundary symbol. For the entire Iron Hill map, all vegetation boundaries are shown using the green dash symbol (symbol 416). This symbol was chosen to minimize confusion with boulders and rocky ground. A map sample showing the green dash vegetation boundary and typical disc golf elements is shown below:
Boulders 0.5 meters high and above are mapped. Rootstocks 1.5 meter and above are mapped. Rootstocks are shown with a brown “X” which is a non-IOF symbol.
DAY 2 – Fair Hill Park
- Fair Hill Big Elk Chapel on Route Gadget
- Download a PDF of the 2005 Fair Hill Big Elk Chapel map (5 MB)
Fair Hill Map:
Scale: 1:7500 Brown X, Brown Y. 1:10,000 All other courses. Contour Interval: 5m
Base Map: Ivar Helgesen (photogrammetry)
Fieldwork & Drafting: Vladimir Zherdev, Updates: Jon Campbell (2023)
Fair Hill Terrain/Map Notes:
Fair Hill is a 5,656-acre Natural Resources Management Area, part of the Maryland State Park System. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and is located less than one half mile west of Delaware. It is also an internationally recognized destination for equestrian training and events featuring Dressage, Cross-Country, and Show Jumping competitions. Fair Hill is known for its pristine fields, woodlands and natural beauty. The area is bisected north-to-south by the Big Elk Creek, fed by multiple small streams and waterways on the property. The terrain is mainly rolling hills with “puzzle-like” wooded areas containing dense trail networks, connected by open fields, some with scattered jumping fences and prominent trees.
NOTE: Rootstocks on the Fair Hill map are shown using the Green “X” IOF symbol.
Fair Hill terrain views
Course/Class Structure
Classes are assigned to courses according to the following table (refer to OUSA Rules, Appendix A.40):
| Competitive Courses | ||||||||
| White | Yellow | Orange | Brown Y | Brown X | Green Y | Green X | Red | Blue |
| F-10 M-10 F-12 M-12 M/F-White | F-14 M-14 F-Yellow M-Yellow | F-16 M-16 F-Orange M-Orange | F70+ F75+ F80+ F85+ M80+ M85+ F-Brown M-Brown | F-18 F55+ F60+ F65+ M65+ M70+ M75+ | F-20 F35+ F40+ F45+ F50+ F-Green | M-18 M50+ M55+ M60+ M-Green | F-21+ M-20 M35+ M40+ M45+ M-Red | M-21+ |
| Non-Competitive Courses | ||||||||
| White | Yellow | |||||||
| White-REC | Yellow-REC | |||||||
| Your age is defined as the actual age you will be as of 12/31/2023 F-10 = female 10 years of age or under M75+ = male 75 year or older F-Orange = female of any age | ||||||||
Day 1 – Classic at Iron Hill – Preliminary Course Stats
| Course | Length | Climb | # Controls | Scale |
| Blue | 9.7 km | 225 m | 33 | 1:10,000 |
| Red | 7.3 km | 190 m | 27 | 1:10,000 |
| Green X | 4.8 km | 100 m | 16 | 1:10,000 |
| Green Y | 4.3 km | 110 m | 15 | 1:10,000 |
| Brown X | 3.1 km | 60 m | 11 | 1:7,500 |
| Brown Y | 2.8 km | 45 m | 9 | 1:7,500 |
| Orange | 3.2 km | 70 m | 12 | 1:7,500 |
| Yellow | 2.2 km | 55 m | 8 | 1:7500 |
| White | 1.7 km | 30 m | 7 | 1:7500 |
Day 2 – Classic at Fair Hill – Preliminary Course Stats
| Course | Length | Climb | # Controls | Scale |
| Blue | 12.0 km | 385 m | 30 | 1:10,000 |
| Red | 8.1 km | 295 m | 22 | 1:10,000 |
| Green X | 6.3 km | 185 m | 15 | 1:10,000 |
| Green Y | 5.3 km | 135 m | 14 | 1:10,000 |
| Brown X | 4.6 km | 135 m | 10 | 1:7,500 |
| Brown Y | 4.0 km | 105 m | 11 | 1:7,500 |
| Orange | 4.5 km | 125 m | 12 | 1:10,000 |
| Yellow | 3.8 km | 90 m | 11 | 1:7,500 |
| White | 2.4 km | 65 m | 11 | 1:7,500 |
Competitive Classes
All classes (M/F21+ and older) will run courses as specified in the OUSA Class Structure (URL: http://orienteeringusa.org/rules#A11). Brown & Green age classes are split as per guidelines in Rules, Appendix A.40:
Brown X: F-18, F55+, F60+, F65+, M65+, M70+, M75+
Brown Y: F70+, F80+, F85+, F90+, M80+, M85+, M90+, F Brown, M Brown
Green X: M-18, M50+, M55+, M60+, M Green
Green Y: F-20, F35+, F40+, F45+, F50+, F Green
Day 1 Course Notes
- Walk to start: Start is close to Arena.
- Finish is about 450m from the Arena and Download. Be sure to download and collect your free bag before returning to your vehicle!
Day 2 Course Notes
- Walk to start: 1.2 km from Arena, mostly flat. We hope to have one portajohn near the start.
- Finish and Download are in the Arena
Directions
Day 1 – Iron Hill (coordinates 39.6291520, -75.7633904)
- From the North: Take I-95 South to Exit 1A, Rt. 896S. Merge onto DE 896 South (going North will put you in UD football traffic) and follow to the first traffic light at Old Baltimore Pike. Turn right on Old Baltimore Pike and travel 1.3 miles southwest to Praise Assembly Church on the right (just past Iron Hill Park). Park at the Church. Shuttle buses will run between parking and the Arena beginning at 9:00 AM. Starts are fairly close to bus drop-off and toilets; see Arena layout below.
- From the South: Take I-95 north to Exit 109, MD 279 North, and follow signs for MD 279N / Newark DE. After merging onto MD 279, go 0.9 miles and turn right onto Iron Hill Road. *Turn left when Iron Hill Road T-s into W Chestnut Hill Road. At the first traffic light (Otts Chapel Road) turn right, and continue approximately 1.5 miles to Old Baltimore Pike. Turn left onto Old Baltimore Pike and look for signs for parking at Praise Assembly Church on the left. Shuttle buses will run between parking and the Arena beginning at 8:45 AM. Starts are fairly close to bus drop-off and toilets; see Arena layout below.
- From the meet headquarters on MD 279, turn right to head north for about a quarter mile and turn right onto Iron Hill Road, and continue from * above.
Day 2 – Fair Hill (coordinates 39.6884614, -75.8413730)
- From the North: From I-95, take Exit 109A-109B toward Newark, Delaware, then keep right to continue on Exit 109B. Follow signs for MD-279N / Newark, DE. **Merge onto MD 279N. In about 0.8 miles, ***turn left onto MD 277 W (Fletchwood Rd). Continue on MD 277/ Fletchwood Road—which becomes Elk Mills Road—for about 3 miles, then turn right onto Russell Road. In about 0.5 miles, turn left onto Gallaher Road and watch for O signs.
- From the South: From I-95, take Exit 109A and continue from **.
- From the meet headquarters: Turn right to head North on MD 279 and follow directions above from ***.
Embargoed Areas
Per OUSA Rules of Competition, Iron Hill Park, and the portions of Fair Hill NRMA Park, south of MD 273, are off limits for all purposes (including hiking, training or orienteering) for those competing in this event.
Arena Maps
Maps of the venue showing parking, registration, and start areas for each day are posted here.
Iron Hill, Newark, Delaware
Parking and Arena Layout (PDF)
Fair Hill, Elkton, Maryland
Parking and Arena Layout (PDF)
Awards
All regular adult and youth OUSA courses/age classes will be offered and top three will receive awards based on the combined times from both days in the NRE classes.
Awards presentation: Sunday, 1:00 pm (est.) in the Fair Hill Arena
Results
Day 1:
- By course
- By class
- RouteGadget
- DVOA Format (including pace & DVOA rankings)
- Attackpoint (including splits & AP rankings)
Day 2:
- By course
- Day 2 splits by course
- RouteGadget
- DVOA Format (coming soon)
- Attackpoint (including splits & AP rankings)
Overall (two-day combined): Combined results by class
More DVOA Results
Travel
Directions to the events: see the Directions section above. The closest commercial airports are Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), airport code PHL; and Baltimore-Washington International, south of Baltimore, Maryland, airport code BWI.
Event Hotel
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Elkton-University Area, 1570 Elkton Road, Elkton, Maryland 21921 Phone: 1+443-350-9154
- Call the hotel and mention ‘Queen of the Hills.’ If rooms are still available, you can get our block reservation rate of $149+taxes.
- Hampton Inn Elkton, 2 Warner Road, Elkton, Maryland 21921 Phone: 1+410-398-7777
Mention Group Code DVO- Room with one King bed $179 (10 available in block)
- Room with two Queen beds $169 (10 available in block)
Saturday Afternoon Informal Happy Hour, 4:30-7:00 pm
Come to Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant at 147 Main Street in Newark, Delaware. Our reservation is under “Queen of the Hills” in the back room.
You’re welcome to socialize with like-minded orienteers, and join us for happy hour and dinner anytime between 4:30 and 7:00 pm!
Juniors Get-together: 5:00 pm at Iron Hill Brewery (see above) and Course Review 7:00 pm at Holiday Inn Express & Suites Elkton
What Else to Do in the Area
- Longwood Gardens – 26 miles away/35 min
- Longwood Gardens, one of America’s quintessential landscapes, is a place of ever-changing seasonal beauty, handcrafted feats of horticultural wonder, and an awe-inspiring collection of the most beautiful plants from around the globe. longwoodgardens.org
- Visit Philadelphia – 48 miles/50 min away
- Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library, https://www.winterthur.org/ (one-time home of the du Ponts)
- Brandywine River Museum of Art (large collection of Andrew Wyeth paintings), https://www.brandywine.org/museum
Safety
Time Limit: Classic course time limit is 3 hours. Anyone nearing the three-hour limit should proceed to the finish and download area as quickly as possible, whether or not they have completed their course.
Hospital / Urgent Care: ChristianaCare, Christiana Hospital, 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Road, Newark, DE 19718. Phone +1 302-733-1000
Note: All competitors are required to carry a whistle while orienteering on their course.
Event Officials
- Event Director: Angelica Riley
- Event & Course Advisors: Ralph Tolbert, Mary Frank, and Wyatt Riley
- Course Setters: Sergei Ryzhkov – Iron Hill (Saturday, November 4); and Bob Agosta – Fair Hill (Sunday, November 5)
- Registrar: Janet Tryson
- Course Vetters: Glen Tryson
- Awards: Angelica Riley
- Start Team: Tim Walsh and Ron Wood, and Mark Frank
- Registration/Welcome Table: Patty Carrigan
- Parking: Jim Eagleton
- Results: Vadim Masalkov
- Refreshments: Svetlana and Nikolay Frolenko
- Photography: Julie Keim
- Announcer: Greg Balter
- Marketing/Social Media: Oriana Riley
- QotH Webpage: Janet Tryson
- Permits: Mary Frank
- Control Pick Up – Patrick Shannon