Microadventure Bikepacking
Location: Starts in Rockland, MA camping at Wompatuck, Hingham, MA
Route: Bikepacking, mixed terrain, quite a lot of dirt under your tires on Saturday (Friday is a mostly paved route to get to camp)
Ride Type: Mixed Terrain
Date & Time: Friday night & Saturday morning October 9-10, 2026
Distance: ~10 miles Friday evening, ~25-30 miles Saturday
Price: $45 per person
Must be a NEER member to participate (this keeps the price down for everyone since we don’t have to buy extra insurance; become a member!)
Non-Riding family/friend option! See details below.
Description: This microadventure is the BEST way to test your gear, get in a fun evening at camp, practice making a fire. The route is appropriate for gravel bikes so riders who come on their 40mm tires or bigger will be fine (we are not taking people to the mountain bike trails contained in Wompatuck, it’s big enough and has all levels of riding).
We’ve never run this route before so it’s a new experience for all! It’s a fun, easy way to bikepack and shake out your setup with a great group of people and it doesn’t take over your whole weekend, either!
Test your bikepacking setup, enjoy camping with others of similar cycling interests, and share the experience with your friends. Get into bikepacking before the warm season is over!
Enjoy ~10 miles Friday evening to get to camp (all in the dark), ~25-30 miles of mixed terrain riding Saturday morning
This is not a catered trip, but we do have the basics for making coffee, fire starting, and boiling water which you’re welcome to use, but we’re going to encourage you to get to know your own equipment too!
We’re buying all of the firewood and keeping the fire warm while we’re enjoying time at camp together.
We’re providing knowledge and ideas, ask questions and we’ll get you answers.
Self-sufficiency is important in bikepacking and anytime you’re riding your bike. We will help anyone who has a mechanical to get moving again!
We’re providing a comprehensive packing list so you know what to bring and are prepared for this and any bikepacking trip.
Photo from a warm bikepacking trip fire and post-ride feasting/post-ride food coma Saturday night.
Route Information
Distance: ~40 miles total
Territory: Rockland, MA → Wompatuck
Gear Packing Options: You must bring your stuff on your bike BUT there is parking at the campground if you want someone to drive and bring your camp gear to you. Family members are welcome to attend, contact us separately if you’d like to include your family members.
When:
10 & 11 October 2026. Friday night, 7pm rollout, Saturday morning 9am departure from camp to enjoy a ~25-30 mile mixed terrain ride!
Where we start & Where we Camp:
The start is at a 24-hour parking lot in Rockland, MA. We’re riding for ~10 miles to get to camp, then camping and getting up early the next morning to ride!
Why:
Organized bikepacking trips are hard to find and it’s nice to have the opportunity to test your equipment, figure out how to pack your bike, etc. Every bikepacking trip brings out every level of bikepacker and there’s a tremendous knowledge sharing and good conversation about adventuring that happens on these trips.
Registration:
For the bikepacking trip, please Register at the NEER store!
Questions?Email us at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com
Who can do this Ride?
Any average-fit and competent cyclist with equipment that meets our minimum requirements and who is willing to abide by basic riding safety rules may participate. There are no time cut offs, you’re welcome to take your time. It’s not necessary to ride with others, but people come on these trips to share in the joy of riding together as well. When everyone has a loaded bike, people tend to get spread out on the route. Come prepared to ride alone and if it turns out that you get to ride with people, great! If you prefer to ride alone, no one will take it personally.
All who register to participate in this ride will receive the following pre-ride:
Equipment Checklist: This is a comprehensive list of what NEER recommends for participants to have on bike and body. It also includes a list of items we find useful on self-supported multi-day rides for your knowledge and you’re welcome to add whatever you wish for this ride.
Logistics, Route & Route Notes by 7pm Thursday, October 8: You’ll understand where you’re headed, where to be when, where camping is happening, and more.
Waiver: This ride is being insured by NEER’s insurance. Your NEER waiver covers your participation on this ride.
All details subject to change, all who register will receive every communication by email.
Ride with Your Friend Group or with the NEER Super Domestique
We’re happy if you and your friends want to ride together. There’s no need to ride with anyone specifically.
Slower Riders
NEER has a Super Domestique who will ride with anyone who wants a more mellow pace as the Super Domestique is loading a fat bike with fat tires on it. This means that if you’re a less fast rider, someone will very likely be behind you sweeping the route and you are unlikely to be the last rider. This said, if you’re concerned about your pace or if you’re a new rider, please email us so we can discuss pacing and how the ride will work.
Solo Riders
Solo riders must have their own GPS navigation device with backup battery to charge the unit if necessary.
Ride as fast or slow as you wish, it’s a little nicer if you’re a solo rider to head out earlier before everyone else so that you see others during the day.
Non-Riding Significant Other Camping Option / Bringing your Family
Please let us know if you’ll have someone meeting you at camp via email and we’ll work out the logistics with you. Your person(s) are welcome to take your stuff to camp in a vehicle, we just need to be aware if anyone is parking at the campsite.
Contact Information - Call 413-461-7433 if it’s urgent
Email us with questions at connect@newenglandexpeditionriders.com.
CALL US if you need us to know anything just before the ride start or during the ride at 413-461-7433.
Don’t txt if you need an immediate response, all txt msgs go to our email that we aren’t checking if we’re in front of people at the ride or on our bikes. Ring our phone please with urgent anything!!!
Riding Rules
All riders are required to read and are expected to abide by these Rules. Registering for this ride indicates you have read and accept all of the rules. These make the ride safer and more fun for all.
Proper Bike & Equipment
There are quite a few bikes and setups that work great for bikepacking and gravel riding on terrain you’ll find on this ride. Your choices will potentially impact your speed relative to others. We don’t care how fast/slow you ride, this is up to you, as long as you are on a safe bike with minimum basics and arrive before sunset on both Saturday and Sunday.
Required: A bike with 40mm tires or wider. Mountain, gravel, fat, CX bikes are all acceptable. Ideally, the bike will have 40mm knobby tires or bigger.
Required: Flat pedals or mountain-style pedals should be used, no road pedals/shoes.
Required: A GPS computer with the route loaded ahead of time if you’re riding solo. If you’re riding with a friend group, the group must have 2 GPS computers among members.
Required: Backup battery to charge GPS computer and phone during the ride. (There is no electricity to recharge things at camp.)
Required: A bike that’s in safe working order that has been recently tuned and is free of creaking and squeaking. The chain should be lubed just prior to the ride. Squeaky chains and noisy bikes are unacceptable because it means there is something wrong with your bike and more might be wrong.
Required: All of the tools for typical mechanicals. These are on the Gear Checklist you’ll receive when you register. Lots of extra “nice to haves” are on the Checklist too!
Required: Cell phone and a plan to get back to your car in case your bike or body stops working - we cannot offer rides to anyone (per insurance requirements) and there won’t be a vehicle on the route.
Required: Two full water bottles/other vessel with at least this much water at the start of the ride
Required: Front light to see with for the riding Friday night and rear lights (do not need to be turned on if visibility is good but available), reflector on ankle or pedal. Visibility is always a good thing for safety regardless of weather or time of day. Lights are important at camp too!
Nice to have: Extra calories in your pockets to get you to stores where you can buy more.
Change of clothes to wear after the ride at camp and for sleeping so you’re comfy!