Yakima Women & Non-Binary Weekend (Steady)

Please note, this is a Women and Non-binary ride only. W&NB rides are only for individuals that identify as a woman or non-binary, including trans-gender women and cis-gender women. Male identifying riders can support this group best by finding other appropriate rides on the Free Group Rides calendar and leaving this space for W&NB riders.

THIS IS A WEEKEND EVENT THAT INVOLVES CAMPING WITH TWO DIFFERENT BIKE ROUTES. READ ALL INFO BEFORE REGISTERING SINCE THIS WILL BE A SMALL INTIMATE GROUP!

We will be group camping at Yakima Sportsman State Park near Yakima, WA from Friday, 4/30/27 through Sunday 5/2/27.

Cost: Cascade Bicycle Club will be covering the cost of the group camping site. 

You will be responsible for your own equipment and food, however. At a minimum, you will need a tent, pad/cot and sleeping bag. There is potable water at the park.

Suggested items:

• Food for meals if you plan to eat at camp
• Camp stove/burner if you plan to cook your own food
• Headlamp/lantern
• Plate, utensils, mug/cup for hot beverages, water bottle
• Bug spray and sunscreen
• Camp chair/stool
• Towel and toiletries (they have free hot showers and electricity in the restroom)
• First aid kit
• Phone charger
• ID card/cash/debit card
• Bike essentials (spare tube, patch kit, tools, etc.)

Things Ride Leader will provide:

• Kettle for hot water
• Can opener, salt, pepper, cooking utensils (tongs, spoon, egg turner)
• Dish tub, soap and sponge
• Trash bags for daily use (they do have dumpsters at the campground)
• Hot chocolate, instant coffee, tea bags, and sugar (bring your own creamer)
• Lines to hang wet towels

Note: I have a one-burner camp stove, one pot and one skillet, so can only use one item at a time. If anyone has a larger camp stove, we may not all need to bring one (I think having 4 burners would work ok). As we get closer to the date, we'll have a zoom meeting to go over stuff to bring, cooking, etc.

About Yakima Sportsman State Park:

The park is set in a lovely area with large grassy areas and surrounded by trees. There are some hiking trails and a couple of ponds. It tends to be very quiet at night and is well maintained. The group site has its own restroom and free hot showers. It also has a fire pit (RL will purchase wood for the evenings if there's no burn ban).

Schedule:

• Friday: Arrive after 3pm at Yakima Sportsman State Park. Dinner will be whatever you bring or cook, or you can drive into Yakima and eat at one of the many restaurants. RL will greet everyone as they arrive. Please try to arrive before 9pm so we can introduce each other.
• Saturday: Breakfast on our own. Suggested items like oatmeal, cereal, muffins - things that can be made and eaten quickly. Hot water/hot beverages available. Help clean up after breakfast. At 9am we will have a safety briefing in the parking area by the group campsite, then ride from the State Park to Zillah, Toppenish and Wapato. We will be stopping at a really good Mexican restaurant called MI Pueblito in Toppenish around the midpoint. They have vegetarian options, but not vegan. About a mile or so before arriving back at the campground, option to stop at Bale Breaker Brewery for a drink/snack. They have fire pits and a really nice outside seating area besides the indoor seating.
  Free rest of day (bring games if you have some). Dinner will be the same as Friday night.
• Sunday: Breakfast on our own. Hot water/beverages available. Help clean up after breakfast. Pack up camp and reposition vehicles (leaving your reservation tag visible - shouldn't need a Discover Pass; we need to do this because we won't be back before checkout time at the site); At 9am we will have a safety briefing at the parking area by the group campsite, the we will ride from the park to the Yakima Greenway to Eschbach where will eat lunch at Zack Zzaa's Pizza (if you don't like pizza, pack a sack lunch). Once we return to the State Park, you are free to depart (you may want to shower/change before departing.

There is no electric outlet at the group camp site. If you ride an ebike , make sure you have enough battery charge for both rides!

Day 1 Route: This route will take us on rural roads with minimal traffic, along farm land (they grow a lot of hops). In several of the small towns we'll ride through, we'll see vivid murals welcoming visitors. In Zillah, we will visit the Teapot Dome gas station, now a historic site. Toppenish is known for its murals. They even have a map of all of them! There will be one very small section (about a quarter mile) of packed dirt/light gravel that runs between a field, but thinner tires should be just fine. Total mileage is 48.6 miles. You can read the blog post about the scouting trip, along with photos here.

Day 2 Route: This route has us riding on the Yakima Greenway and will be mostly away from vehicle traffic. The trail goes by the river, orchards, and railroad trestles (see the link for some photos of the area). Total mileage is 27 miles.

For each route, we will climb and descend hills at our own pace, and we will regroup frequently. The pace will vary between 12-14 mph. We'll also limit our speed on any multi-use paths to the legal maximum (usually 15 MPH, occasionally 10 MPH).

Use the restrooms at the group camp prior to departure. We will stop along the way for restrooms/food as indicated on each route map.

Note: If weather forecast calls for rain anytime during the weekend, the trip will be cancelled. Ride Leader will send an email on Thursday evening, April 29, 2027. Please check before leaving for the ride.

We hope you can join us!