The women's 5 km course consists of a 1 km loop followed by a 4 km loop. The men's 8 km course is two laps of the 4 km loop. The loops follow the cross-country trails in the Stoney Creek Valley and are approximately 1/3 up, 1/3 down, and 1/3 flat. The races start and end in the wide and fairly flat stadium area below the Stoney Creek Centre (look for the ski jump which is across the valley from the Centre).
The 1 km loop crosses a paved path in two places and the 4 km loop crosses one wooden bridge and a paved path three times. The course will be well-marked with orange flags on the left and yellow ones on the right and flagging tape at major junctions. There will be km markers on the 4 km loop.