The Good Land Milwaukee 2025 - Adult Overnight
A Weekend Bikepacking trip From Chicago to Milwaukee, with a Campground Ho'down and Bike Bar Crawl
Date and time
Location
The Perfect Cup
4700 North Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60625 United StatesRefund Policy
About this event
- Event lasts 2 days 9 hours
Ride Specifics
Mileage: Day 1: 80 mile ride | Day 2: 20 mile ride to Milwaukee, 10 miles-ish in Milwaukee, and 20 miles back to camp in Racine, WI | Day 3: 80 miles to Chicago (options to take a train)
Support: Self supported - you carry all of your own camping gear on your own bike. No vehicle support.
Lodging: Tent (camping gear not provided). We will stay at Cliffside Campground (Racine County) located 7320 Michna Rd, Racine, WI 53402 (map).
Pace: 12-15mph
Trail/Route: Paved road with minimal gravel incorporated and possible snow.
Age: Adult Ride (21+)
Trip Description
We will leave with a crew from Chicago on Friday morning, bike 80 miles to Racine and camp at Cliffside Campground. That is standard to how we usually have run this ride.
Saturday morning we are going to leave our tents set up at Cliffside, ride 20 miles into Milwaukee to enjoy some food and libations, and ride the 20 or so miles back to Cliffside to camp a second night.
On Sunday, we will get up, and the group will ride back to Chicago with options for folks to hop the train 35 miles into the ride in Waukegan. Otherwise, we will be riding the full 80 miles back to our original start point in Chicago.
Read more about the 2023 adventure in this blog post.
What's Included
- Campground fees
- Food for Day 1 dinner and Day 2 breakfast.
- Education about our local history and nature
- Really nice and supportive guides
What's Not Included
- Food for Day 1 lunch
- Food for Day 2 lunch
- Snacks
- *We will stop at designated restaurants where you can buy your lunch
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/Cancelation 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 permitted before the event and to an event in the same calendar year. Check out this Transfer Policy flowsheet to determine what next steps you need to take. 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; primarily in response to the Covid19 pandemic.
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 Here
This is included in your registration form. Showing up with a welcoming and inclusive spirit is crucial and expected of everyon that rides with us.
Bike Camping Packing Checklist and Tips here
Learn More About Us
Facebook | Instagram | Website
Frequently asked questions
All bikes are welcome! On most rides, the routes are mixed terrain ranging from paved road to limestone and gravel; super skinny tires aren’t ideal but we’ve seen them work. We've even had an adult trike complete one of our rides. There will be zero judgement of your bike. Just props for showing up.
Yes! We have a ton of blogs with advice on how and what to pack. Check them out on our blog or we have a list of them linked here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G3yX8w8vq8n8Z8yhMAYlLCjMYBDSqpOY8cXf5iqWo_c/edit?tab=t.0
We do not have a waitlist anymore. Our events often do sell out so its a good idea to get your tickets a fair bit in advance. That said, there are usually a couple of folks that drop out last minute, so if you keep an eye out, you might be able to snag a spot a few days before the event.
A bike rack or other systems to keep your gear off of your back/shoulder is a great idea, though if that is how you roll, no worries. We strongly advocate riding without a backpack, at least on our longer rides. Milk crate set-ups are a good starting point. Check out our website for more suggestions
Very few of our rides provide van support, and if the ride does provide it, it will be explicitly mentioned in the ride description. However, this vehicle should not be relied upon to pick up riders. It is mainly to haul gear.
General rule of thumb is a steady 12 miles per hour, though some of our advanced longer distance rides the pace will vary from 12 to 18 mph. On shorter beginner rides, as well as Family and Youth rides, the pace can be as low as 8-10 mph.
On most rides, we do our best to ride together. Separation in the group can occur.A guide will always be riding at the back and at the front. So no one will be left behind. Everyone will do their best to keep the pace of the lead guide and should not plan to ride faster than the lead guide.
No, we ride rain or shine. Some of the best views are after a rainstorm. So if there is severe weather, we will break and seek appropriate shelter along the route, then continue on to our destination.
In the case that a rider is consistently falling significantly behind the rest of the group, a guide may consult with that participant and advise on an alternate method to reach camp or home. This is always a last resort, and almost never happens.
Bring two spare inner tubes and consider getting your bike checked out beforehand. Our guides are ready to help with emergency repairs. We are usually too far from a bike shop in case anything major happens. If a roadside repair is not possible, then you may need to get to get the nearest train.
We champion perseverance. Our guides will support and encourage you to push on because the reward of completion is great. In the event of injury, major bike failure or just not being able to push on, the guides will help direct you to the easiest way back (usually via Metra or other train).
We do not. You can check out Bobby's Bike and Hike which does multiple day rentals.