All-City Solstice Campout

All-City Solstice Campout

Homies,

All-City would like to invite you to join us on June 25-26 for the MPLS edition of the 2016 Swift Industries Campout!

We will be leading a group ride from MPLS to Ann Lake Campground in Big Lake, MN, stopping for beer, snacks, and coffee along the way. The ride will be primarily on pavement, and approximately 60 miles... you can expect a conversational pace, and a few stops along the way. Once we get there, we’ve reserved the group site and plan on firing up the grills for some good ol’ camp cooking. The next morning, those who aren’t up for the ride home are more than welcome to jump on the Northstar Line for the express trip back to downtown MPLS.

Please note that this ride is a BYO event – please plan on packing and hauling your own camping gear, bike tools, food, beverages, etc.

Overall, it seems like a pretty great way to spend the longest day of the year and we’d love to have you come along (if you do intend to join, please make sure to RSVP on our event Facebook page.

Hope to see you there!

All-City Solstice Campout
June 25-26th
Meet at the Midtown Greenway Under the Global Market
Roll Out at 11:30
BYO - Everything

About the Route:
The route out of the city follows the Mississippi River (and for many miles, the Mississippi River trail, or MRT) almost the entire way. We’re on bike trails for the first 20 miles or so, then a mix of country roads for the rest. The route total is right around 55 miles. Some roads have a nice wide shoulder/bike lane, and others have a much smaller standard 4-foot shoulder. Traffic should be light but we’ll definitely want to ride single file when the shoulders are narrow. Expect to see your view change from cityscapes by the river and highways heading out of town, to small picture-perfect farms before we snake north from Big Lake into the woods and lakes of the Sand Dunes State Forest. Our campsite is wooded, with a number of hammock options. We’re just a short walk to a small swimming beach, right on Ann Lake. There’s fresh water and a bathroom at the campsite. Everyone is welcome to ride back on Sunday, but many of us will opt for the 10-mile bike back to the Big Lake Station, where we can take the Northstar line train right into downtown Minneapolis.

A few other route notes:

There are a number of gas stations along the route for water bottle refills, bathrooms, and snack purchases. A few, but not all, are noted on the map.
There’s a grocery store and liquor store in Big Lake, where we’ll plan to stop for dinner makings. Make sure you have room in your bags/trailer to get your food the last 10 miles to the campsite.
If you plan to take the train home, note that there are only 3 departure times from Big Lake southbound on Sunday, 9:30am, 11:50am and 2:40pm. If you miss all three, you’re biking home.

If you plan to take the afternoon train, there’s an amazing brewery right around the corner from there. Could be a great lunchtime pre-train stop on Sunday afternoon - Lupulin Brewing

Here's the link to the Google Map of the Route