Ride Specifics
Mileage: Day 1: 30 Miles | Day 2: Fun at camp, optional day ride | Day 3: 30 miles
Support: Self supported – you carry all of your own gear on your own bike. We have resources including trained guides and bikes to loan for youth with disabilities. If you are interested in this option, please contact us here.
Lodging: We will stay at Camp Shabbona Woods campground located at (map) in tents.
Pace: 7-10mph. We won’t leave anyone behind.
Trail/Route: Paved road or trail with minimal crushed limestone trail portions.
Age: All families are welcome!
Riders with disabilities: We have resources including trained guides and bikes to loan for youth with disabilities. If you are interested in this option, please contact us here.
Trip Description
Travel south over bridges, canals, and railroads to a hidden gem among the industrial past of Chicago: Camp Shabbona Woods. This is an accessible low-stress ride, suitable for beginners and experienced riders. The route is almost entirely on bike paths or bike lanes that include the Lakefront Path, the new South Lake Shore Drive extension bike lanes, Calumet Park, Wolf Creek Park, and the Burnham Greenway.
The facilities at Shabbona Woods are excellent and amenities include the Sand Ridge Nature Center with animals, exhibits, and walking trails, as well as the Green Lake Aquatic Center across the street featuring a pool for the little kids, a lazy river, and a water slide: campers get free admission.
What’s Included
- Campsite and firewood
- Food for Day 1 dinner, Day 2 breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Day 3 breakfast and lunch.
- Education about our local history and nature
- Very welcoming and supportive guides
What’s Not Included
- Food for Day 1: lunch (please bring a sacked lunch! There are limited options to buy food along our route)
- Snacks during the ride to camp
- Bowls, cups, spoons, forks – bring your own to avoid waste:)
Adding a Donation to Your Ticket Price to Support Other Families
The base ticket price for this event is kept low with the majority of it going to cover the cost of the campsites, food, and supplies. The guides are all volunteers as OOFD is mainly volunteer run.
So when checking out, please consider the ticket price add-ons and pay what you can to either help grow OOFD and our programs as well as help us provide these incredibly low ticket prices to keep our rides, prices, and organization radically inclusive.
About the Guides
Our guides are part of a community of volunteers that believe in adventure and helping others find adventure right out our front door. They exude a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive spirit which are foundational values at OOFD. They have love and appreciation for their home and like sharing knowledge about that home with others, thus helping the riders to develop a stronger sense of gratitude for our local history and nature.
The guides will be set with the route and an extensive script about the area you’ll be riding through with intentionally chosen breakpoints along the way.
They are more than someone to follow on the ride. They are trained and will be there to encourage and support you as well as support with mechanicals that may arise.
Transfer/Refund/Cancellation Policy
Participant Cancellation: No Refunds. By registering, you acknowledge and agree there will not be a refund if you cancel or do not show up for the event. Tickets cannot be resold.
Transfers: You can transfer three days before the event. You can only transfer to an event in the same calendar year. Fill out this transfer form at least three days before your ride departs, and we will follow up in a week or less with instructions on how to register for your new event. Contact us if you have any issues.
Organizer Cancellation: Full Refund | Nobody wants an event to be canceled. In the rare circumstance the organizer cancels the event at their discretion, registered participants will receive a full refund. To date, this organization has canceled minimal events.
Weather and Rain: We do not cancel an event for rain, storm, or any other weather. We ride rain or shine. Chicago weather is typically passing, if the weather requires, we will pause the ride and wait in a sheltered space then continue biking. Some of the best views of the lake and greenery on the trails are after a rainstorm.
Radical Inclusivity and Non-Discrimination Agreement
This is included in your registration form. Showing up with a welcoming and inclusive spirit is crucial and expected of everyone that rides with us.
Bike Camping Packing Checklist and Tips
This event is part of Bikepacking Root’s Community Event Calendar, where we share bikepacking events across the US and Canada. Bikepacking Roots is not involved in the hosting of this event unless otherwise noted. Please reach out to the organizer for more information.
