Bikepacking & Other Events
Bike Packing Clinics and Outings Below
2025 Bikepacking 101 – Preparation Clinics and Weekend Outings
Join Outdoor Pursuits and Trek Gahanna for a beginner-friendly introduction to bikepacking with our two-part clinic series to prep for our bikepacking trips!
Clinics – (Sundays) March 2 and March 23, 6:00 pm, at Trek Gahanna, 1374 N Hamilton Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230
Clinic Topics: The bike, gear, prepping, and training for the trip, how to pack
Register (free) for the Clinics here – Trek needs a count to prepare snacks, etc.
Shakedown Ride – April 12 – Camp Chase Trailhead on Alkire Road departs at 10:00 a.m. 8465 Alkire Road. We will ride to London to the Madison County Senior Center, and return to our cars. 26 miles. We are going to offer the option of spending the night at the center too. Registration Required
Weekend Bikepacking Trip – May 17-18 – We’ll piggyback with TOSRV! Our bike packers will depart from Circleville or AW Marion State Park on Saturday morning and ride to Yoctangee Park in Chillicothe. We’ll join the TOSRV camping facilities, and enjoy all the food, entertainment and festivities associated with TOSRV. On Sunday, we’ll join the TOSRV riders and ride back north to Circleville. This route will be approximately 30 miles each day (on different routes south & north.) Registration Required
Bikepacking Trip Information – Experienced bikepacking leaders will provide guidance and support to first-time bikepackers on all our outings. The trip Leader is Penny Marchal, penny@outdoor-pursuits.org
Registration is required for the Shakedown Ride and/or the Weekend Outing.
Register for either of the outings here!
GAP Trail Adventure – June 5-9
Enjoy incredible scenery and some of the best riding you can imagine on this popular destination trail.
June 5-9, 2025 (4 riding days – 4-5 nights)
Tour Capacity – 25 riders
REGISTER HERE for the GAP Adventure!
Join Outdoor Pursuits June 5th through June 9th for our 1st GAP Trail Bikepacking Tour. This tour will be approximately 150 miles, starting at Cumberland, Maryland, and ending in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Experienced bikepackers will lead you through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the United States. This is a self-supported ride, meaning riders are responsible for carrying their gear. Overnight accommodation is included in the price. Dinner on June 5th and breakfast on June 6th are included, but you will be responsible for all other meals. General Information about the GAP Trail can be found here – https://gaptrail.org/. This ride is presented by, and benefits, Columbus Outdoor Pursuits a 501c3.
Daily Mileage – We ride 31-52 miles per day. Routes are marked and GPS tracks and maps are available.
Point-to-Point Logistics – Riders check in at the Traveler’s Rest Hotel in Pittsburgh. This hotel caters to GAP cyclists, and we’ll enjoy a group dinner & breakfast there before boarding a shuttle bus to transport us to Cumberland, Maryland. We’ll ride the GAP trail westward to finish where you’ve left your cars near the Traveler’s Rest Hotel. Transport of riders, bicycles, and luggage is included in the tour registration. Safe and monitored parking for your car is provided in Pittsburgh at the Station Square parking facility 1/2 mile from the Traveler’s Rest Hotel. We’ve arranged a discount price of $20 for the week.
Terrain – It feels flat because it is a rail trail. There will be gentle elevation gains and losses. The trail is either paved or tightly compacted pea gravel.
Overnight Lodging – After the initial hotel stay in Pittsburgh and shuttle to Cumberland, this is a bikepacking trip. Riders are expected to carry their tents & sleeping bags for three nights of primitive camping. The registration fee includes the cost of three group camps that we’ve reserved. All campgrounds cater to GAP cyclists; you’ll find them beautiful and comfortable. Meals are on your own (except for the opening and closing dinners).
SAG (Support and Gear) – We will have a support vehicle at camps and on the nearby roads for anyone who needs serious assistance. We strongly suggest that you ensure your bike is in good condition before leaving home, and that you have any potential concerns looked at by your local bike shop before the ride. It’s no fun to have your ride cut short by a preventable mechanical issue.
Pricing – Early bird registration is $650 through March 31st. Registration will increase to $700 on April 1st. Registration includes the first night’s lodging at the Traveler’s Rest, two meals there, the cost of overnight camping the next three nights on the trail, the shuttle bus ride, and bicycle transport from Pittsburgh to Cumberland.
Weather – Typically, we have highs in the low 80s and overnight lows in the mid-60s. Afternoon rain is always a possibility. Be prepared for both higher and lower temperatures as that can and does sometimes happen.
Itinerary:
June 5th – Meet at Traveler’s Rest Hotel at 6:00 p.m. A unique hotel that loves cyclists. We have rented the entire hotel. Our overnight accommodation includes dinner on June 5th and breakfast on June 6th. For those wanting more private accommodation, a block of rooms are available at the Holiday Inn. You will be responsible for the costs of renting a hotel room from the Holiday Inn. https://www.sstrpgh.com/
June 6th – 32 Miles
Shuttle arrives at 9:00 a.m. to load our bikes, and gear and us to travel to Cumberland, MD for our GAP start. We will be dropped off at Mile “0”. From here we will ride to Meyersdale, PA. This will be the day with the largest elevation change, but after that, it is all downhill (mostly). Overnight accommodations are at Maple Festival Park Campground. https://www.pamaplefestival.com/
June 7th – 31 Miles
Travel to Confluence, PA. accommodations at the Outflow Group site. A beautiful campsite on the Youghiogheny River. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233679
June 8th – 52 Miles
Travel to West Newton, PA. This will be our longest day in mileage on the GAP. We have accommodations at the GAP Trail Campground for our final evening. This campground caters only to cyclists and is a wonderful place to spend our last night out. https://gaptrailcampground.com/
June 9th – 35 Miles
The final leg of our GAP Trail. We will travel to Pittsburgh, and back to our cars.