Vermont Bikepackers Beginners’ Community Campout

Region: Green Mountain National Forest – Goshen, VT 

Hosted by Bikepacking Roots Community Stewards & Vermont Bikepacker’s Board Members: Alex Getty and Ashley Rosemeyer

Join us for a free, fun, gravel and forest road ride and campout in the Green Mountain National Forest in Goshen, VT.

It’s a chance to:

• Explore some classic gravel and off-road riding in the Central Greens.
• Make new bikepacking friends and build community.
• Attend a workshop and get your questions answered if you are new to bikepacking or bikepacking-curious.
• Dip your toes into the world of bikepacking with a centralized base-camp location.
• Extend the trip if you are an experienced bikepacker by biking to the event.
• Learn more about the national nonprofit Bikepacking Roots and local Vermont Bikepackers (a chapter of VMBA)

Event Overview:

The event will be based at the beautiful Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center, which has been reserved for the weekend to offer this event free of charge for participants. Located in the heart of the Green Mountain National Forest, the Outdoor Center provides access to the Blueberry Hill network of trails, the Vermont Long Trail, The Catamount Trail, and the Moosalamoo National Forest Trails. There is ample camping space and the convenience of campground amenities.

The goal of this event is to combine off-road biking and camping to serve as a comfortable introduction to bikepacking. Blueberry Hill will serve as a basecamp where day rides will leave from, and camping will be available on both Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday morning will start at 8am with an introductory workshop to answer questions about bike setup, how to pack bags, etc. Participants will be encouraged to load up their bikes to try out different setups – and volunteers will be on hand to help with DIY set-ups.

Then riders will set off around 10am. The route will be a loop that consists of gravel roads, forest roads, and some double/single track. There may be a few sections on pavement that connect to other trails. There are several options for resting mid ride such as Silver Lake and Moosalamoo. The main ride is 33 miles with ~3,700 ft of elevation gain, and an option to cut it short about halfway through. There will also be an option to extend for those looking for more miles.

Riders will return to Blueberry Hill to reconvene and share stories over dinner and campfires. Another optional ride is planned for Sunday morning.

Who Should Attend:

This event is for those new to bikepacking and/or looking to expand their skills and competencies in this activity. The atmosphere will be supportive and non-competitive, with the goal of sharing bikepacking and creating a safe and inclusive opportunity to bikepack. You bring your bike, gear, food and self-sufficient riding skills and we’ll bring the community and camaraderie.

Registration:

Sign up now here.