Grease Rag has been leading group bike camping trips for beginners since 2009. This year, the FTW* trip is Saturday to Sunday, August 2nd to 3rd, with an optional Sunday to Monday (3rd to the 4th) stay. Scroll down for details on the trip and how to sign up.
*Femmes, Trans, Women, Non-Binary, Two-Spirited people. FTW does not include cismen who benefit from cismale privilege.
Accessible Bike Camping Trips
We aim to have our trips be low-barrier, fun, skill-building, safer spaces through:
- Sliding scale suggested camping fee of $6-30
If you cannot afford the fee, that is okay. We still want to provide a space for you to experience bike camping in a welcoming environment! The camping fee helps cover the cost of the campsite, basics of the group’s meals, gas reimbursement for the sag wagon, firewood for the campsite. - Dinner and breakfast
We will provide basic building foods (e.g. rice and salad greens for dinner, granola for breakfast) and folks can bring an item to build upon the meal so we enjoy a communal potluck-style meal together. Note: this is offered only for the Sat to Sun portion of the trip. - Gear
We can help folks find biking and camping gear if they do not have what they need for the trip. - Sag support
We will have a sag wagon. A “sag wagon” is a car that can carry your more heavy equipment to the campsite and can aid if there is an issue along the biking route. Note: this is offered only for the Sat to Sun portion of the trip. - Clear expectations and establish a safer space
Lots of encouragement! We will establish a safer space policy up front, provide a quiet area of the camp, designate people to help de-escalate conflict, and provide name tags with pronouns. - Biking, talking, eating, and being with each other is fun!
- Skill Sharing
We will share skills about building fires and setting up tents. Folks are welcome to provide additional skill shares on other topics! - The Route
Our route is mostly flat, mostly on trails, at a casual pace (around 10mph, a slow “muppet pace” like our usual group rides) and we will have mechanical support on the ride. Come to a Grease Rag group ride to get your legs ready.
Schedule
Saturday, July 19th: Mandatory Planning Meeting
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM – Meet outside of Venture Bikes on the Midtown Greenway
Two weeks before the trip! At this meeting, we’ll do a trip overview, figure out volunteer roles, sort out any final gear shares, and answer questions. It will be a great opportunity to chat with each other before the big trip too! The Grease Rag community has a lot of communal knowledge, and we are here to ensure the trip is a success for everyone.
We will meet on the big hill that is next to Venture Bikes which is part of the 10th/11th Ave exit. If the weather is not good, we can move inside Venture Bikes.
Saturday, August 2nd: The Camping Trip
10:30 AM – Meet outside of Venture Bikes on the Midtown Greenway (same spot as the mandatory planning meeting)
We will have a few icebreakers and casual get-to-know-you activities before the ride, along with group stretching. This is when folks can put items in the sag wagon and use the bike shop for last-minute purchases. Bathrooms are located in the bike shop, and there is a cafe if folks need any food or beverages for the ride.
11:30 AM – Roll out
3:00 – 4:00 PM – Arrive at Carver Park
Sunday, August 3rd: Returning from the Camping Trip
10:00 AM – Roll out
2:00 PM – Return to Venture Bikes
The return trip will have similar stops as the departure trip, however, the Excelsior Library will be closed, so on Sun we will stop at a local coffee shop. The Hopkins Depot stop will be open. VB is closed on Sun but Midtown Global Market off of 10th Ave exit is open if you have any bathroom or food needs before going home.
Sunday, August 3rd to Monday, August 4th: Optional
Carver Park only allows people to reserve a weekend campsite if they pay for two nights when reserving between Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. Therefore, we do have the campsite available from Sunday into Monday. One of the camping organizers can stay behind for this option. However, we are unable to guarantee sag wagon support, and there will not be communal meals like on Saturday into Sunday. We can plan group meals together, but this option will be more independent overall.
This option is available for folks who would like to do two nights or folks who want to do the route themselves on Sunday and just do one night of Sunday into Monday. We can all ride together on Monday morning or folks can ride on their own time on Monday.
What You Are Responsible For
- Having a bike in decent working condition
- Getting your labeled gear to the meet-up (masking tape and a permanent marker works great)
- Adhering to our Safer Spaces policy
- Snacks, lunch (along the route to/from the campsite), and beverages/water
- Having your tent, sleeping bag, and overall sleeping arrangement worked out before the trip
- Bringing eating utensils, dishware, cups, water bottle
- Contributing to our salad bar and breakfast bar
- Yourself!
The Ride
Bookmark the Route!
The ride is 24 miles, almost all on trails with some on-road riding, and mostly flat. There will be ride leaders/marshalls, mechanical support, and up to 35 of us riding together. This will be a great experience! We will be rolling at 10-12mph, and no one will be left behind.
To get us to our campsite we will bike out on the Greenway, to the Hopkins Depot, where we will take our first break. We will continue on to the Cedar Lake Regional Trail, then follow the Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail to the Excelsior Library, for our second break stop. There is a brewery, coffee shop/bakery, and grocery store nearby. We will continue on the trail until we reach our campsite.
Campsite
The campsite is the Zumbra 2 group site at Three Rivers Park District Carver Park. It can accommodate 35 people and 5 vehicles. The site has a large stone shelter (back up for rainy weather and can be used for bike storage), a fire ring, a water pump, and picnic tables.
The bathroom has a porta-potty style toilet and has room if you want to use the bathroom to change clothes. There are no showers at the site.
More information about the campsite:
- Three Rivers Park general rules and public safety
- Lake Auburn campground policy
- Group campsite guidelines (PDF) – Our site is at Lake Zumbra 2
What to Pack
In addition to what is listed above under “What You Are Responsible For,” you may also refer to these packing lists:
GR Bicycle Camping Packing List – a handy spreadsheet
Bike Camping Packing Pack List – a big list with tips and recipes!
CAMPING TRIP SIGN-UP!
Fill out this form survey to get signed up for the trip >
We will contact folks after the form is filled out with payment options. Questions? Contact: greaseragmpls@gmail.com.
After 35 folks (which includes organizers) are signed up for a single day, we will cap that day out due to campsite restrictions. We will have a wait list and keep registration live until a week before the mandatory meeting (closing the registration on 7/12).
Inspiration
Don’t let the whiteness and the cis-maleness of the outdoor industry deter you from enjoying the outdoors with us. For inspiration, follow these Instagram accounts dedicated to us outside:
@IndigenousWomenHike on Instagram
@TheBlackOutdoors on Instagram
@BrownFolksFishing on Instagram
@GreaseRagBikes on Instagram (That’s us!)
Read more about FTW bike camping and touring from Grease Rag.