Blackwell Forest Preserve - Family Bike Campout
Ride Specifics
Mileage: Day 1: 27 Miles | Day 2: Fun at camp, optional day ride to waterpark, 8 miles | Day 3: 27 miles
Support: Self supported - you carry all of your own tent and camping gear on your own bike.
Lodging: We will stay at Camp Blackwell campground located in West Chicago, IL (map) in tents.
Pace: 7-10mph. We won't leave anyone behind.
Trail/Route: Paved road or trail with crushed limestone.
Age: All families are welcome. 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
Head west on North America’s first successful rails-to-trails conversion, the Illinois Prairie Path, to DuPage County. At twenty-seven miles from Oak Park, this is an accessible low-stress ride, suitable for beginners and experienced riders. The route is almost entirely on the off-street crushed limestone Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) and Great Western Trail with some street riding to get to the path and street crossings.
Blackwell Forest Preserve features biking and walking trails, fishing, and over 1,000 species of native plants and animals. The terrain is made up of oak savannas, prairies, grasslands, and wetlands. Day 2 has a water park option at Wheaton's Aquatic Center (8 miles from the campground).
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
- Your family's camping gear
- Bowls, cups, spoons, forks - bring your own to avoid waste:)
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 a 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.
Ticket Prices and Add-Ons
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.
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
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Blackwell Forest Preserve - Family Bike Campout
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Some are easy and others are a challenge, but just about anyone who has ridden a bike for a day can do the tours. If you are not an avid bike rider already, you should build up your riding distance/endurance. Not sure you can ride it? Check out other people who completed our tours here
First, always bring a spare inner tube. Our prepared Guides are always ready to help, are trained for emergency repairs, and carry extra tools and supplies.
The pace we ride at is around 12 miles per hour. This is to accommodate everyone riding the tour, to be able to take in all the views and to be able to ride a second day. You have to remember their is a second day and you should pace yourself. (We are bikers but we are not running a Tour de France). Family, Youth and Adaptive Rides roll at a slower pace to accommodate those along from the ride oftentimes dropping to the range of 8-10 mph.
No. We still ride if there is rain. Some of the best views are after a rain storm. Though safety is our top priority, so if there is extreme severe weather we will break and wait it out in a provided shelter, then continue on our journey.
We do our best to ride together as a group. That said, if some space occurs in the group, the OOFD guides will not leave anybody behind. A guide will always be riding at the back and at the front.
Always bring two spare inner tubes and a bike tool kit if you have one. Dress for the season, during spring and fall make sure to bring gloves for your hands and layer your clothing. Even when the weather is nice, when riding your bike the wind can make you chilly really quick.
We champion perseverance and the challenge. We encourage to push on, the reward of completion is great. But if turning around is an absolute must, there is always a train station relatively close by throughout the entirety of the tours.
It's really up to you. But we recommend a Touring, Road, Urban or Hybrid bike. These types of bikes make for a more comfortable ride. Attaching a bike rack will help carry your daily supplies and keep weight off your shoulders. Almost all of our routes are on paved paths/lanes or crushed packed limestone.
At the moment no. Our goal as we continue to grow we will be able to provide bicycles for participants.
Most of our rides are 2 days though we have some that are 3, 4, and even 5 days.
