Olympic Peninsula 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 Bogacheil State Park near Forks, WA from Friday, 8/13/27 through Sunday 8/15/27.

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 two one-burner camp stoves, 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 Bogacheil State Park:

Bogachiel State Park is a thickly forested, 123-acre public recreation area dramatically positioned on the windward slopes of the Olympic Mountains. Located just 4 miles south of Forks, Washington, right off Highway 101, it is a prime basecamp for exploring the broader western Olympic Peninsula

The group camp site is surrounded by old-growth Sitka spruce, western red cedar, and moss-draped maple trees near the Bogachiel River. It has access to modern restrooms with hot showers, drinking water, and standard park garbage/recycling facilities along with some short trails.

Schedule:

• Friday: Arrive after 3pm at Bogacheil State Park. Dinner will be whatever you bring or cook, or you can drive into Forks and eat at one of the 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 at the group campsite parking lot, then ride from the State Park to La Push and through Forks. We will be stopping La Push for lunch before continuing the route and back to camp. There is an indoor restaurant (with restroom) on the Quiluette Reservation in La Push as well as a burger truck with outdoor covered seating. As we enter La Pash, there is a general store if you want to pick up some food there.
  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. Be sure to pack a sack lunch! At 8am we will  will depart and drive to the Camp Creek Olympic Discovery Trailhead located south of Hwy 101 across from the Klahowya Campground (coordinates - 48.060942800004334, -124.10878405897479). There, we will have our safety briefing before accessing the trail and riding through lush forest and around the north side of Lake Crescent to Crescent, WA. We will have our lunch there, but I haven't seen any picnic tables or seating (we may need to sit in the dirt). There is a vault toilet at this end of the trailhead. When we return to the trailhead where we parked, you are free to depart for home.

There is no electric at the group camp site if you ride an ebike. Be sure you have enough battery charge for both rides!

Day 1 Route: We will be mostly riding on roads with some traffic (but shouldn't be heavy). The first section has us riding along Hwy 101, but there will be ample shoulders. Most of the ride is old forest and clear-cuts with a spectacular view of the sea stacks and the Pacific Ocean in La Push. Total mileage is 43.5 miles. 

Day 2 Route: This route takes us on the Olympic Discovery Trail through lush forest with a few slight climbs and winding turns. The scenery is breathtaking and you will find your mind cleared and in the moment! Total mileage is 39 miles.

For more photos and a blog post, go here.

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, August 12, 2027. Please check before leaving for the ride.

We hope you can join us!