Lopez Island 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 Spencer Spit State Park on Lopez Island, WA from Friday, 7/16/27 through Sunday 7/18/27. 

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
• Firewood if no burn ban

Note: I have a one-burner camp stove and a one-burner propane stove (like those used in a restaurant), 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 Spencer Spit State Park

The park is a scenic, 200-acre marine and camping park nestled on the northeastern shore of Lopez Island in Washington's San Juan Islands. Renowned for its unique, half-mile sand spit that encloses a peaceful saltwater lagoon, the park offers panoramic views of Decatur and Blakely Islands. It is one of the few car-accessible state parks in the San Juans, making it a highly popular destination for families, beachcombers, and water enthusiasts alike.

The group campsite features a dedicated kitchen shelter equipped with an electrical outlet, a potable water spigot, three picnic tables, a pedestal barbecue, and a large fire pit. The restrooms are shared with the single campsites a short walk away. There are no showers at the state park, but there are free (donation based) public showers in Lopez Village at 265 Lopez Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261. Please note that these showers can run cold more often than warm.

Good news is that there is at least one electrical outlet at the group campsite. I will be bringing a power strip so we can recharge eBike batteries and cellphones! I will also bring my plug that can hold two USB and 2 USB-C cords. Bring your chargers/cords! 

Schedule:

• Friday:  Arrive after 2pm at Spencer Spit State Park. For those driving onto the ferry, reservations are advised and will open sometime in April 2027. If you prefer to ride your bike onto the ferry, you will need to carry all your camping supplies with you and you can pay to park in the long-term parking. The summer ferry schedule isn't posted yet (I will email an update with the ferry crossing times from Anacortes to Lopez once the schedule is posted). 
  Dinner will be whatever you bring or cook, or you can drive into Lopez Village and eat at one of the restaurants or pick up something at the grocery store (deli closes at 4pm). 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 6:30 am we will have a safety briefing day-use area (by the parking lot), then ride from the State Park to the ferry dock. We will be aiming for the 7:10am ferry to San Juan Island (ferry schedule and time will be updated when the summer schedule is published). We will be riding to Roche Harbor with an hour stop for lunch/shopping before continuing our route back to Friday Harbor. We will most likely be catching the inter-island ferry back to Lopez Island after 6pm, so we will be having a late dinner back at the group camp once we ride back from the ferry dock. 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 load 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 by the parking lot, then we will ride from the park around Lopez Island. We will be eating our lunch in Islandale at the general store. There you can purchase fresh-made sandwiches or other items for your lunch. There are picnic tables outside in the back of the building where we can sit and eat before returning to our camp. Once we return to the State Park, you are free to depart (ferry schedule will be posted once the summer schedule comes out).

Day 1 Route: We will be mostly riding on roads with some traffic (but shouldn't be heavy). Some of the roads goes through farmland while others go along the coast. On the west side of the island, we will be doing a fair amount of climbing, but between the beautiful scenery and our lunch stop in Roche Harbor, it’s well worth it! Total mileage is 30 miles (not counting the out and back to the ferry/camp which is about 9 miles altogether).

Day 2 Route: This route involves riding along roads on the shoulders with minimal traffic. Lopez Island is one of the best places for road cycling. Be sure to wave back to the locals since they will surely be waving at you! Total mileage is 30 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, July 15, 2027. Please check before leaving for the ride.

We hope you can join us!