Not every bicycle tour has to be an epic adventure across blazing deserts or the frozen tundra.
In fact, most of us can probably find somewhere to camp within a short day's bike ride from where we live. And when you slow down and take the back roads to a destination on your bicycle, even the shortest camping trip can be a personal adventure.
The bike touring enthusiasts at Adventure Cycling Association realize this, as they've launched the “Bike Overnight” website to help inspire and enable short bicycle tours. Like they say in the title, “Don't wait to go cross-country. Go overnight.”
S24O
The website is kind of an outgrowth of the S24O manifesto. While folks have been taking overnight bicycle tours since they discovered a bedroll could be strapped to their bike, the idea gained momentum in recent years after Rivendell Bicycle Works founder Grant Peterson wrote an article about short bicycle tours in Adventure Cycling magazine.
He called his mini-tours “sub-24-hour overnights,” or S24O. Essentially, he and some friends or family would throw some gear on their bikes after work, ride to a close destination to camp, and return home the next morning. The whole trip would take less than 24 hours.
Here's a link to that article, “S240s: Bicycle camping for the time challenged.”
Overnighters
Sub-24 hours might seem a little quick for some, especially those who might have to take some time pedaling out of the city. Some may pick a destination at an inn or hotel. Then it just becomes a bike overnight.
In any case, an overnight bike camping trip is a great way to prepare for the rigors of long-distance bicycle traveling or just to recharge your batteries. Let's face it, an overnight or weekend bicycle tour is all that many of us get a chance to do.
In recent years I've taken bike overnights from my home in the Seattle area north to Old Fort Townsend State Park, south to Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, and east to the John Wayne Pioneer Trail near Snoqualmie Pass. With a second night, I've added Mount Rainier to my local itinerary.
In spite of the miles, I returned home refreshed and satisfied.
Resources
Right now, the Bike Overnight blog features personal accounts of short trips taken by the authors on its front page. These articles can give readers an idea about the types of destinations that are possible, as well as some guidance on gear and food.
Recent articles include trips in Washington state, Connecticut, Texas, and a couple of days on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
Dig a little further, and you'll find “how-to” articles on small-scale touring and how to pack, choose a destination and plan a route.
The website also offers recommendations on gear and some resources to answer the questions of why, where and how.
I think it's great that Adventure Cycling now offers help on the long and short of bicycling touring. With the skyrocketing gasoline prices, I would expect more people to take advantage of this type of close-to-home bike touring this summer.
Some overnight bike trips in Western Washington:
Green River Valley overnight bike tour
Bicycle touring from Seattle to Port Townsend
Bike camping at Iron Horse State Park
2 comments
My husband and I are new cycling enthusiasts and want to start doing one-night trips. We live in Seattle and I am concerned about the availability of campsites within a reasonable distance from the city. Is it realistic that we would find available campsites in the summer without reservations?
I’ve been thinking hard about your question, because it’s something that I wonder about myself whenever I take off on an overnight trip. The short answer is yes, if you travel mid-week. Weekends might be OK too, if you avoid the holidays.
Many, but not all, state parks have bike-hike camping, which is essentially several tent sites around a shared picnic table or two. You can’t reserve the sites, so they’re first-come – first served. The state used to list these, but they’ve since changed the website. Here’s a story from 2014 that lists some local camping at the time — State Parks with Bike-Hike campsites. In addition, Fay Bainbridge Park on Bainbridge Island has bike-hike camping, Tolt MacDonald Park in Carnation has tent sites that are rarely filled (except during local events).
There are many other possibilities, and you can check for reservations if you know when you want to camp. I think you’d be OK. Personally, I’ve always had a spot to pitch my tent.