Somewhere near the Oregon Coast. Photo by Praxillea.
We’ve hashed out an interesting and exciting camping schedule for 2013! Right now, we don’t have specifics on dates (except for the holiday weekend trips), but we’ll be working them out soon.
A few things to note about this year’s schedule:
- We’re not doing a camping trip every month. We’ve left March and November off the calendar due to the iffy weather for tent camping.
- We’re now dividing our year into two “seasons”: “indoor” (yurt or cabin) camping during the winter (Dec-Feb), and tent camping during the spring/summer/fall (Apr-Oct).
- The below schedule contains only the basic Cycle Wild trips. Not included are Annual Trip(s), a possible collaboration with Kidical Mass, mid-week camping trips, and more mini tours and unofficial camping trips.
- We’ve tried to maintain a mix of beginner friendly, intermediate, and advanced trips, to keep everyone interested. Most of the places we’re going to we have previously visited at least once, though this year we’ll have two new destinations: Sunset and Eagle Creek.
- We’ve heard the pleas for “more dirt!” and “more primitive!” The Mount Hood mini-tour over Independence Day “weekend” will cover those bases. We hope to do more dirt/primitive touring beyond that, those rides should pop-up as “extra-curricular” rides on top of the bottom schedule.
- And this is the biggie: Starting in January, we’ll be asking all interested attendees to pre-register. Pre-registration will make it easier to plan these trips, as we’ll know how many people to expect. For the most part, folks know more than a couple days in advance whether or not they’ll go on a weekend camping trip, so this won’t be a big deal. And this prevents the scenario of a ride leader waiting at the start point and no one showing up. (Yes, it has happened, at least once.) Pre-registration won’t cost anything for the basic trips, however, we are still discussing whether we’ll require fees up front upon registration for trips where we have to book facilities (like yurts, cabins, and group camping.)
So without further ado, the schedule!
| Trip | Dates | Difficulty | Estimated Cost* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stub Stewart State Park | Jan | Easy | $15 + food | Cabin camping |
| Battle Ground Lake State Park (WA) | Feb | Easy | $15 + food | Cabin camping |
| Sunset USFS Campround (Gifford Pinchot Nat'l Forest, WA) | April | Moderate | $10 + food | May/may not be treated drinking water, so be prepared to bring filtration, boil water, or carry in water. |
| Milo McIver State Park | May | Easy/Ideal Beginner Trip | $10 + food | Group camping site |
| Champoeg/Silver Falls State Park | Memorial Day Weekend | Challenging | $25 + food | Champoeg will be Friday night destination for those who can leave work early (or don't have to work), breaking the trip to Silver Falls into two days. There will be a Saturday group leaving Portland and heading directly to Silver Falls. Camp in Group Camp Saturday and Sunday nights, return to Portland Monday. |
| Stub Stewart State Park | June | Easy/Ideal Beginner Trip | $10 + food | Will be held during Pedalpalooza. |
| Mount Hood National Forest (mini tour) | Independence Day "weekend". (see notes) | Challenging | $25 + food | Independence Day falls on a Thursday, so this tour would require Thurs and Fri off in addition to the weekend. This tour will feature some dirt roads and some primitive camping. It is recommended you have some experience with primitive camping. Water filtration systems recommended. |
| Eagle Creek USFS Campground (Columbia River Gorge) | August | Moderate | $15 + food | Group camping. New section of HCRH trail between Yeon State Park and Bonneville Dam should be open by then, meaning NO I-84 riding! Please note: there is a staircase that must be descended/ascended. Not recommended for trailers/recumbents. |
| Cape Lookout State Park | Labor Day Weekend | Challenging | $15 + food | May be option for Friday afternoon departure with camping en route on Friday. Spend Sat and Sun nights in hiker-biker sites at Cape Lookout. |
| Clackamas River (Mt. Hood National Forest) | October | Moderate | $10 + food | Specific location TBD |
| Champoeg State Park | December | Moderate | $10 + food | Yurt camping |
Notes:
Costs vary. Cycle Wild does not charge anything for camping. Park sites charge a fee for campsites, and campers either pay a park fee individually or reimburse the person who made the reservations. Food is the responsibility of the individual, so food costs vary.
