2026-06-08 2026-08-06
Biketripping
100 miles or more: at leisure, on the cheap, and as unimpactful as possible.
I love my bike. This will be the subject of another post, but let it be known that I adore my bicycle. My primary qualm with my bicycle is that I want to take it to more places, which is the subject of great fuss, consternation, and getting in the weeds of baggage policies[1]. Luckily, my bike has a built-in mechanism to take it other places—all it costs is my time. Bike trips take time, on the order of several days. It can be tempting to underestimate the time it takes, we'll talk more about that. The length of these trips can be reduced by making the trip one-way and catching a train, lift, or some other mode of transportation back to the origin (there's no shame in making these accommodations!). A round-trip where previously covered tracks are not duplicated is the holy grail of bike trips, promising novelty and engagement for the duration of the journey (or a harrowing experience beyond the beaten track). Personally, I don't mind doubling back: it's a chance to notice the things I missed the first time around (and find out how great that climb was when I get to bomb down it).
Biketripping is an exercise in self-understanding and recognition. It is not a time to aggrandize abilities and experience. Breathe, pause, and reflect. For me, I tend to go about 3mph slower (on average) with my bike fully loaded and travelling long distances. I would recommend against cycling for more than six hours a day. So, with an average speed of 12mph, for six hours, the maximum distance I could happily cover in a day is 72 miles. But I'd rather not drain myself every day (to have a chance at biking the next), so let's call it 60 miles per day. So, I plan my trips in increments of 60 miles, looking for overnight stops with this spacing. When planning such a journey, I'd recommend doing a similar reflection. There is no 'right' pace, just whatever is comfortable. Venturing for longer than four to five days is when rest days become a necessity. For me, one rest day per four days cycling has been a sweet spot (and fun to plan around). Try for warmer months (but beware the sun) but don't be scared of a evening chill, and dive into cool streams, oceans, and tree cover when possible.
There are several ways to bike trip. Some forgo heavy bags bearing camping gear and cooking equipment to find lodging and meals along the road (this is called [bike] touring, sometimes). Others go fully the other way, taking it as a challenge to go backcountry backpacking with a bike as the pack (this is called bikepacking, usually). To others, the difference lies in travelling on-road or off-road. There is infinite nuance for these terms; we'll use the former. I tend to lean towards the backpacking approach, though I will happily stop for lunch or dinner along the route. Hotels are expensive and I enjoy the self-sufficiency[2] of cooking my own meals on the road. Camping gear is expensive, but people who have it love to lend it ;-). Campground fees tend to be around 0–20$/person/night. Restaurants tend to be 20–40$/person/day, while cooking tends closer to 5–20$/person/day. The other advantage of travelling with camping gear is lingering somewhere is much cheaper too (places worth lingering tend to have more expensive accom). For longer journeys (e.g. 5 days or more), consider Warm Showers, a community for long-distance biketrippers. For a small fee (to prevent abuse of the service and pay the bills) and a commitment to host someone else in the future (not binding but highly encouraged), it offers connection to other people who have done this before and would help a traveller with a place to crash or a warm shower (like the name!). It is invaluable for this purpose.
Cars suck. Planes suck worse. Buses and trains suck less. But all major modes of transport result in some amount of emissions: CO2, CH4, tire particulates, CH3Hg for the hydropower in an EV or electrified train[3]. Any system that removes these additional abstractions of transportation is one that's better for the environment. Biketripping isn't immune from these environmental impacts—it relies on car-centric infrastructure and a consumptive attitude towards the environment that results in the creation of campgrounds and trails through pieces of token wilderness so we can feel more worldly[4]. I like to think it's justified because biketripping is an exercise in staying present for a journey. Every hill climbed, water fountain drank from, and surprise storm weathered reflects the experience of a place, beyond some wayward greenery viewed outside the window.
I think part of being human is to go and see.
As part of the biketripping propaganda agenda, here's a brief trip-report from two bike journeys I went on recently.
To Burlington!
My dad and I departing on our ride.
At the end of May, I rode to Burlington, VT (USA), from Montreal, QC (Canada) with my dad. It was fantastic and I'd highly recommend it to anyone considering going on their first bike trip. Nearly the entire route in Quebec is on protected bike paths, though the sections along highway shoulders as the landscape gets more rural can be a bit intense. The journey does involve crossing into the USA, which is not encouraged for non-Yankees. Unfortunately, some of the most interesting parts of the ride are in Vermont. The Champlain islands have some fun hills, a cold lake breeze that feels better than a shower on a hot day, and a stunning gravel trail along the Colchester Causeway with a bike ferry in the middle of it! All told, the entire trip was about 100 miles: 55 miles the first day, 45 the second. There are excellent places (both camping and lodging) to stay near Noyan, Quebec, which is about halfway to Burlington with an easy 5 miles to the border in the morning. The campsite was lovely, with a lovely casse-croûte on site. Restaurants can be found along the entire journey, or stop at the grocery in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and North Hero. Make sure to check the ferry schedule for the Burlington causeway, which starts operating Memorial Day weekend and ends on Indigenous People's Day. I didn't, so we ended up cutting our journey just short of Burlington (before catching a lift down and back). Plus, the beer in Burlington is great :-).
To Warburton!
Katie and I on our way to Warburton.
At the start of August, my partner Katie and I did an overnight round-trip between Lilydale, VIC (Australia) and Warburton, VIC (Australia). It was a great first bike trip in Australia, with gorgeous dirt and gravel bike trails into Warburton with plenty of small towns along the way to stop for a meat pie or to refill on water. We decided to make it a bit harder on ourselves and camped at Starlings Gap, which stood atop a 2,000 ft climb after reaching Warburton. It was brutal, and we nearly turned back, but managed to make it at the end. The campground was accessible by car (which I'd normally feel a bit miffed about), but it meant we got to crash someone else's campfire. The bomb back down to Warburton the next day felt like riding the Evil Knievel coaster (so, fucking awesome). The vegetation was incredibly lush, the redwood experiment forest was haunting, and the aqueduct trail was gorgeous. I'd highly recommend a trip out to Warby, though I would camp further down the hill if I did it again :-P.
[1]. If ever looking to fly with a bike, sincerely consider Air Canada. As opposed as I normally am to Canada's flag carrier (she says as an Aeroplan scab), a bike will be a 50$CAD surcharge on top of a baggage fee (or a straight 50$ if the check-in agent is cool). Or, 'save money' and biketrip across the planet :smile:
[2]. American-ass opinion.
[3]. This is mainly an issue with Canadian hydroelectric power. It is believed a microbe present in these ecosystems is responsible. There is no safe exposure to methyl mercury, and nearly all Canadian hydro results in exposure.
[4]. As ever, the magnanimous William Cronon has described the modern struggle with nature better than I can do it justice. The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature has been a littleeeeee influential on my thoughts on the matter.