Pretty River Snowshoe Scramble

January 10, 2026

10 am Start

2026 Preliminary Results*

2026 Preliminary Splits*

(*ranking order correct, ranking number inaccurate)

2026 Photo Gallery (please add your photos if you're willing to share!)

We love to play in the snow and we know most of you do too! Winter is a fantastic time to navigate through the woods. When the leaves are down, visibility in the forest is excellent and you'll never meet a mosquito.

At our past two Snowshoe Scrambles, we hosted adventurers of all ages in Loree Forest - runners and hikers, novices and experienced navigators. This year we're exploring new horizons in the Pretty River area with a time limit of 90 minutes to give you lots of time to explore.

We're grateful for the strong community support we've received over the past few years. We'll be donating $1 to Beaver Valley Outreach for every Snowshoe Scramble participant.

SNOWSHOE ORIENTEERING IN THE SOUTH GEORGIAN BAY AREA

In the southern Ontario orienteering community, our region has traditionally been known for high quality winter navigation races. For almost 20 years, Ontario's most popular snowshoe adventure run, the Dontgetlost Snowshoe Raid, has been hosted by our parent club in the Blue Mountains or Horseshoe Valley. This year, the Raid will be held on Saturday, January 31 in the forests north of Barrie. Three weeks later on Sunday February 22, we'll have another snowshoe orienteering race in our backyard - Stars W.A.R. (Winter Adventure Race) in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.

Both of these events are "choose your adventure" format events for teams of two, which means finding as many flags as possible within a time limit. They attract participants ranging from Parent-Child teams to national orienteering team members.

If you're interested, the Pretty River Snowshoe Scramble on January 10 could be a perfect stepping stone to these longer snowshoe navigation events in our area - or just come out and join us for some local fun!

MEETING LOCATION

Pretty River (3 Stage) - Race check-in will be at the "3 Stage Trails" location on Google Maps. Parking is permitted only on the south side of 6th Sideroad west of this point.

COURSE AND CATEGORIES:

Participants will have up to 90 minutes to find as many checkpoints as possible using the map provided. Checkpoints will have different point values so there is some strategy involved. We expect that snowshoes will make things a lot easier in mid-January, but it is not mandatory to wear them. In fact, we'll hold this event even if there is no snow!

This course is suitable for adults who are comfortable using maps in the outdoors, juniors with a strong navigation background and children accompanied by parents.

This is an individual event but participants are welcome to go out together if they wish.

Categories: Junior Women (Under 18), Junior Open (Under 18), Adult Women, Adult Open, Masters Women (50+), Masters Open (50+), SuperMasters Women (70+), SuperMasters Open (70+)

Notes

A Participant's age category for this event is based on their age on December 31, 2026.
Participants aged 12 and under on race day must take part with an adult.
A parent accompanying a participating child does not need to register for the race separately but will be asked to complete a participant waiver for themselves and their child.
Children aged 6 and under may accompany a paid participant and their parent at no charge. The parent will need to sign a waiver on their child's behalf.

REGISTRATION

Please register online in advance to reserve a map. Parking is limited due to the recent snowy conditions so we've set a cap on the number of participants. As of Jan. 7 at 11 am, we have 8 spaces remaining. We won't be able to accept entries on the day of the event. **Note that registration closes on Thursday, January 8 at 11:59 pm.**

List of Confirmed Participants

ENTRY FEES

EARLY BIRD

By December 21

ADULT: $20

JUNIOR: $10

rEGULAR

By January 4

ADULT: $25

JUNIOR: $15

LATE

By January 8

ADULT: $30

JUNIOR: $20

Participants may bring their own SportIdent electronic timing card or rent one for $3.

Entry fee includes a copy of the race map, map sleeve, light refreshments and event insurance.

It does not include HST or the online transaction charge.

PARTICIPATION WAIVER

Before you participate in any Dontgetlost Adventure Running event in 2026, you'll need to sign our online Waiver. Please save volunteer time by signing it now. A Parent or Guardian must sign the online Waiver for any participant who will be under 18 on the day of an event. Thank you!

Sign the Adult Waiver

Sign the Minor Waiver (Parent or Guardian)

PARKING

Parking is permitted only on the south side of 6th Sideroad, west of the "3 Stage Trails" location in Google Maps. At all our events, please allow space around private driveways and be respectful of local residents, other forest visitors and passing vehicles. We strongly encourage carpooling due to limited parking.

WASHROOMS

There are no facilities at Pretty River so please plan accordingly.

IF YOU WANT TO DO SOME READING AHEAD OF TIME...

Newer orienteers may find the Learn Orienteering website useful. Start with the Orienteering Basics and Orienteering Maps pages, including the section on Orienteering Map Colours. Note that your map will have a legend and the Checkpoint descriptions will be written in English.

SCHEDULE

9:00-9:40: Participant Check-in and map distribution.

9:45: Course Planner Briefing

Walk or run with the group to the Start location a short distance from the parking.

10:00: Event Start.

11:30: Course Closed. All participants must arrive at the Finish before this time. The Start and Finish are at the same location near the parking.

11:30-12:15 Light refreshments, compare routes with other participants

REQUIRED GEAR

Whistle
Appropriate clothing for the conditions
Basic Compass - A limited number of loaner compasses will be available - first come, first served.
Watch or other timekeeping device, e.g. phone