| North American Orienteering Championships | |
| Status: | active |
| Genre: | sports event |
| Date: | May—November |
| Frequency: | biennial |
| Venue: | various |
| Location: | various |
| Country: | Canada, United States |
| Prev: | 2024 |
| Next: | 2026 |
| Organised: | IOF, Orienteering Canada, Orienteering USA |
| Website: | https://www.cal-o-fest.com |
The North American Orienteering Championships (NAOC) is a biennial orienteering event organized by the International Orienteering Federation.
Originally, the North American Orienteering Championships consisted of just two forest races. The competition was held in odd-numbered years until 1977, after which it changed to even numbered years starting in 1980. A sprint race was added to the program in 2006. The event's location always alternates between Canada and the United States. The NAOC has been held in conjunction with other orienteering competitions such as the Canadian Orienteering Championships (1990, 1998, 2018, 2024) and the Asia-Pacific Orienteering Championships (1990, 2002).[1]
The current championship events are a long distance, middle distance, sprint distance, and either a forest relay or sprint relay. The events can take place in any order.[2] The competition has open age and gender categories as well as an elite category. Throughout the competition, points earned by Canadian and American competitors in the elite categories are added up. The team with the most points is declared the winner and is awarded the Bjorn Kjellstrom Cup, first awarded in 1980.[3]
| Long distance | 70–80 min (women) 90–100 min (men) | ||
| Middle distance | 30–35 min | ||
| Sprint | 12–15 min | ||
| Forest Relay | 105–135 min | Three-person teams | |
| Sprint Relay | 55–60 min | Mixed four-person teams |
| Year | Dates | Location | Host Club(s) | Winning Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6—7 November |  Dumfries, Virginia | Quantico Orienteering Club | |
| 1973 | 1—2 September |  Gatineau Park, Quebec | Ottawa Orienteering Club | |
| 1975 | 24—25 May | Bear Brook State Park, New Hampshire | New England Orienteering Club | |
| 1977 | 8—9 October | Lachute, Quebec | Ramblers Orienteering Club | |
| 1980 | 1—2 November | Brecksville Reservation, Ohio | Northeast Ohio Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 1982 | 21—22 August | Carberry, Manitoba | Manitoba Orienteering Association | United States |
| 1984 | 6—7 October | Harriman State Park, New York | Hudson Valley Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 1986 | 16—17 August | Milton and Barrie, Ontario | Hamilton King's Foresters | Canada |
| 1988 | 29—30 October | Hickory Run State Park, Pennsylvania | Delaware Valley Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 1990 | 11—12 August | Caroline, Alberta | Alberta Orienteering Association Edmonton Overlanders Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 1992 | 7—8 November | Prince William Forest Park, Virginia | Quantico Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 1994 | 20—21 August | Barrie, Ontario | Hamilton King's Foresters | Canada |
| 1996 | 19—20 October | Meramec State Park, Missouri | St. Louis Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 1998 | 2—3 August | Bonaparte Provincial Park and Merritt, British Columbia | Sage Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 2000 | 28—29 October | Harriman State Park, New York | Hudson Valley Orienteering | Canada |
| 2002 | 13—14 July | Dalmuir, Alberta | Foothills Wanderes Orienteering Club Edmonton Overlanders Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 2004 | 29—30 May | Cleveland, Ohio | Northeast Ohio Orienteering Club | Canada |
| 2006 | 6—9 October | Hamilton and Milton, Ontario | Golden Horseshoe Orienteering | Canada |
| 2008 | 26—28 September | Altmar and Fayetteville, New York | Central New York Orienteering | Canada |
| 2010 | 2—4 July | Cranbrook, British Columbia | Kootenay Orienteering Club Foothills Wanderers Orienteering Club Greater Vancouver Orienteering Club | United States |
| 2012 | 18—21 October | Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania | Delaware Valley Orienteering Club | United States |
| 2014 | 10—13 October | Arnprior, Ontario | Orienteering Ottawa | United States |
| 2016 | 23—25 September | Hanover, New Hampshire | Orienteering USA | Canada |
| 2018 | 18—21 August | Whitehorse and Carcross, Yukon | Yukon Orienteering Association | United States |
| Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2023 | 28–31 July | Truckee, California | Bay Area Orienteering Club Cascade Orienteering Club | United States |
| 2024 | 6—11 August | Kingston and Calabogie, Ontario | Orienteering Ottawa | Canada |