Urban Orienteering Course

First Class Requirement 2: Using a map and compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.).

All scouts are encouraged to complete First Class Requirement 2 during a camp out or at Summer Camp. However, from time to time we do have scouts who are unable to complete this requirement. The following course allows scouts to complete their orienteering requirements during a normal scout meeting, or during the weekend.

This course is designed to take scouts through local streets, and parks. For the purposes of this course, stay on sidewalks and trails; do not walk down the middle of a street, or through a waterway.

Setup Phase

Start by identifying how many steps it will take a scout to cross a set distance. This number will vary from person to person, so every person completing the orienteering course should follow this step.

*Metric (meters)

     -Identifying 100 meters (approx. 328 feet or 109 yards), the scout should walk across a 100 meter length at a normal pace and count how many steps it takes to complete.

Example:  A scout crosses the 100 meters in 130 steps.  If a direction states to travel 200 meters, this would equal 260 steps.

*Standard (feet and miles)

     -Using a tape measure mark a 30 foot straight line. Scouts should walk across the 30 feet at a normal pace, and count how many steps it takes to complete. Divide 30 Feet by the number of steps to calculate your feet per steps.

Example:  A scout crosses the 30 feet in 12 steps.  30 feet / 12 steps = 2.5 feet per step.  If a direction states to travel 700 feet, divide 700 feet by 2.5 feet per step = 280 steps.

# of feet which equals .10 of a mile:  528

# of feet which equals .25 of a mile:  1320

# of feet which equals .50 of a mile:  2640

# of feet which equals .75 of a mile:  3960

# of feet which equals 1 mile:  5280