The majority of our Route Stewards will be brought on through our recently announced Community Routes Project (CRoP).  These Stewards are folks who have developed, refined, and committed to continually stewarding one or more of the exceptional routes highlighted as a part of Community Routes Project. These stewards typically live near their route(s) and are champions for bikepacking in their communities. We are looking forward to developing a showcase of CRoP routes from around the country, and we anticipate that these Route Stewards will have the opportunity to collaborate with and advise the Bikepacking Roots team on other route planning projects in their localities as opportunities arise.

We also rely on committed Route Stewards to support ongoing stewardship efforts of our flagship Bikepacking Roots routes.

At this time there is no separate Route Steward application process. Please see more details about how to submit a Community Route here. 

In addition, we are making some updates to the ongoing Stewardship of our Signature Routes. If you live along, or near, any of our Signature Routes and are interested in contributing to their long-term stewardship, please reach out to [email protected].

Bikepacking Roots Community Stewards are folks who are passionate about building community around bikepacking and welcoming new folks into the activity through hosting events and organizing overnighters. Fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for folks of all identities and backgrounds is a must for community stewards. 

Bikepacking Roots supports Stewards in hosting Community Campouts in collaboration with Bikepacking Roots or as part of other local groups that they are a part of. A key goal of Bikepacking Roots’ Community Campouts is to lower the barriers to bikepacking while connecting cyclists to local bikepacking communities and routes. Bikepacking Roots supports Stewards with campout planning resources, facilitation training, communication resources, event promotion, insurance and/or small stipends as applicable.

Additionally, since 2024, Regional Stewards have been instrumental in supporting Bikepacking Roots’ in the hosting of Regional Bikepacking Summits around the country. We hope to continue growing these opportunities as our capacity grows.

Bikepacking Roots’ Community Stewards often host a variety of other community bikepacking events, such as Bikepacking 101 workshops. 

We are building community among bikepacking leaders from all over the United States and Canada through monthly virtual Community Stewards meetings. These meetings often center around a theme such as hosting bikepacking trips, workshop ideas, how to start a bikepacking gear library and more.

We are able to bring new Stewards into our program on an ongoing basis as capacity allows (we are still a very small team & are working to get aspects of the program up and running)!

Through this program, we are striving to build a diverse bikepacking community all across the country. We are very much interested in including representation of people of color, all gender identities, sexual orientations and abilities. We will also be selecting Regional Stewards with an interest in achieving diverse geographic representation of folks around the country. Currently, we would love to engage with new Community Stewards in the Southeastern US, the MidWest, and across Canada.

Do you think you might be a good fit for the Community Stewards Program? If so, please complete this application to tell us a bit more about yourself, why you are interested in the program, and why you would make a great fit as a Bikepacking Roots Community Steward.

Bikepacking Roots Advocacy Stewards will be local advocates for bikepacking to policy makers, land managers, etc. They will serve as our eyes and ears on the ground and bring key local and regional advocacy issues to the attention of Bikepacking Roots. They will also participate in national advocacy efforts and engage their communities in these efforts. They will attend local bike-advocacy events. These Regional Advocacy Stewards will have the opportunity to participate in advocacy training and peer learning opportunities as we build out our program.

An application for Regional Advocacy Stewards is coming very soon!

Bikepacking Roots is excited to further develop our network of Regional Advocacy Stewards across the United States and Canada.

How each Regional Advocacy Steward engages with Bikepacking Roots may vary, but some of the key components of this role may include:

• To serve as our eyes and ears on the ground and bring key local and regional advocacy issues to the attention of Bikepacking Roots so that we can lend our organizational support.
• To be local advocates for bikepacking to policy makers, land managers, etc. either individually or through your local trail organization or other regional advocacy efforts.
• To engage your local communities in national advocacy efforts impacting the bikepacking community.
• Attending local bike-advocacy events and sharing information with Bikepacking Roots as relevant.

Regional Advocacy Stewards will have the opportunity to participate in advocacy training and peer learning opportunities as we build out our program.

We are interested in connecting with advocates with a range of experiences, so if you are eager to play this role but don’t feel like you have a lot of direct experience yet, we still welcome your application.

An application for Regional Advocacy Stewards is coming very soon!