Good Bike Camping Adventures for First Timers

Are you looking for a good first bike camping ride? Out Our Front Door’s got you! 

A big part of our mission is to welcome and support folks that are new to bike camping. As we state in our Radical Inclusivity and Non-Discrimination Statement, “Regardless of your race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, economic status, or even the types of bikes you ride, we want you rollin’ with us.”

Our guides are here to help you and our rides are set up to naturally teach some of the best practices of bike campings such as riding at a moderate pace, taking lots of snack breaks, and support with camp tasks such as starting the campfire and cooking camp meals.

A lot of folks can get caught up in the idea that they don’t have “the right bike,” or that they need to buy a whole bunch of expensive gear. That simply is not the case as you can learn in a couple of blogs we wrote about the bikes, gear, and prep for OOFD overnight rides.

Good Resources for First Timers

Beginners Welcome: Bike Camping Basics by Out Our Front Door

You, Yes You - The Gear on OOFD Overnight Rides

You, Yes You - The Attitude, The Atmosphere on OOFD Overnight Rides

Bike setups-For a bike overnight
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Gear List- How to pack for a weekend bike trip

Key there, is you can make one of our rides happen with spending very little on gear and all bikes are welcome. We’ve even had someone ride with us on a squeaky old adult tricycle all the way to Illinois Beach State Park. 

What about mileage and pace?

A good question to consider though is what OOFD ride is a good ride/distance for me as someone that is new to bike camping? Also, here, we are not going to turn away a beginner from any of our rides.

If you ride a lot and put the training in, you are welcome on even our hardest ride, 110 miles in one day out to Starved Rock. That said, it usually best to start with a lower stakes and lower mileage ride for your first on, maybe a campground that is between 20-50 miles away. 

And as for pace, we usually aim to keep about a 12mph pace though on some of these shorter, beginner rides, we have gone at a bit more chill pace, such as 10mph. Also, its important to note that OOFD will never leave you behind. We always have a guide at the back of the group, making sure we don't "drop" anyone, and they are there to support you and cheer you on, or if you have had enough, they can help you figure out other options. 

Below are a few of our rides that are best for brand new bike campers especially if you haven’t done any longer distance rides in your life. One great thing to keep in mind is that most of our routes run very near train lines that offer an "easy out" in case you did bite off more than you could crew. Folks have hopped a train half way through a ride to the campground or back home if they hit a wall or if their bike/body had had enough. 

Adult Overnights for Beginners

Parade March and Campout at Camp Sullivan
Mileage: 15 miles on Day 1, 20 miles on Day 2 
We did this ride for the first time in 2023 where we got a marching slot in the South Side St. Paddy’s Day Parade in Beverly. About 35 OOFD folks marched and went to a “parade party” for lunch and then 10 of us rode out to Camp Sullivan in Oak Forest to camp. Overall, the ride was 15 miles from the parade party and then 20 miles back to Beverly the next day. One of the shortest rides we do. 

What Lies West  to Blackwell Campground in DuPage County
Mileage: 25 miles to the campground. 25 miles back to the city.
This ride is a pleasant cruise along the Prairie Path to one of the more beautiful local campsites. This ride is around 25 miles each way. We often ride this one earlier in the season during the Spring. 

Illinois Beach State Park
Mileage: 50 miles to the campground
This is a great, challenging ride for a first timeer. We have two rides to this gem of a park which is about 45-50 miles north of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, just a touch south of the Wisconsin border. We head there in the summer and then again for our big end of the season celebration in late October for our Sun Harvest ride. This ride always gets a bunch of newbies out as well as tons of OOFD volunteers who want to celebrate the end of a big season of bike camping, so there is that much more support with so many OOFD volunteers riding as guides and participants. Plus, there are multiple train options to get home on Sunday, including one right outside of the campground. 

Flock Off the Block 
Mileage: Various start point options with distances from camp ranging from 20 miles to 100 miles
This ride aims to bring all sides of Chicago together for a night of camping in one of our Cook County Forest Preerves. Each year there are a variety of start points with distances ranging from 20 miles to 100 miles, so there is something for everyone. 

Any Ride to Camp Sullivan or Camp Shabonna
Mileage: Usually between 20-30 miles
Any of our rides that you see go to Camp Sullivan or Camp Shabonna are great beginner rides as these spots are just outside of Chicago in the Southeast and Southwest suburbs so the mileage to camp is usually between 20-30 miles. 

We tried something new in 2024 with a Weekday Ride to Camp Sullivan to help accommodate any riders that have to work on the weekends. 

And a new thing in 2024 was the Shabonna DIY ride which allows you to start from anywhere, anytime and just arrive to Camp Shabonna where OOFD guides will have the campsites reserved and dinner cooking and breakfast in the morning. 

We have done free rides out to these campgrounds as well for Essential Workers, so keep an eye out for those rides each year too. 

​You can learn more about our Adult Bike Camping Adventures here.

Family Overnights for Beginners

All of our Family Overnights are built for beginners and many of the families that ride with us either are bike camping for their first time or did bike camp for their first time as a family with OOFD. 

These all range from 20-30 miles to camp and the same back to the city with most having a rest day in between where we visit a local waterpark or other cool spot in the area. 

The pace usually is quite chill, around 8-10mph with even slower sections when the very little ones get a chance to ride which usually puts us around 5-6mph. We take breaks about every 5-7 miles making it very doable. We've had some 6 year olds complete entire family overnights riding themselves the whole time! 

​You can learn more about our Family Bike Camping Adventures here.