Past Event: Join us for the Baker Bash 2023!

Hanging out at campfires, gravel cycling, heading to the Taste of Baker … this event is half tailgating party, half bike camp. Limited to 50 intermediate cyclists. All in historic Baker City, in Northeast Oregon.

This is a great way to contribute to the missions of Dirty Freehub while getting some great riding in with new and old friends. All proceeds from this event will go the development and publication of a Gravel Adventure Cycling Guide for the Hell’s Canyon Region. This guide book will be very similar to the Bend Gravel Adventure Field Guide that we had part in producing in 2022. However, the communities of Baker, Halfway, Joseph, Wallowa, etc. do not have the resources to take on such a project. Thus, we are taking the lead on this!

Dirty Freehub is a nonprofit engaged in inspiring you to ride and creating a community of cyclists that care about the people, places, and lands where they ride.

When

October 6th, 7th and 8th.

The Events

Friday, Oct 6th

2 pm Gravel Ride with Team Dirty Freehub on the Washington Gulch route. Starts at Churchill School.
5 to 7 pm First Friday Art Hop at Churchill and across Baker City.
7 pm Fire pit birthday party celebration at Churchill School parking lot. Bring your chair and be ready to sing and eat cake!

Saturday, Oct 7th

7:30 am to 8:30 Breakfast at Churchill School
11 am Gravel Ride with Team Dirty Freehub on the Keating with Love route. (This route does not start at Churchill School, it’s about a 20 minute drive.).
Eagle Cap Excursion Train. If you are not up for a bike ride, consider a Fall Foliage tour on the train. “Enjoy the amazing fall colors as the train follows the shore of the Grande Ronde River to Rondowa, where it is joined by the Wild & Scenic Wallowa River. The ride continues a couple of miles up the Wallowa, then reverses direction for the return to Elgin. The Two Rivers ride is our standard trip, and the scenery is fantastic! A delicious, boxed meal is included and served along the way. Departs from Elgin 10 a.m. / returns 1:30 p.m.” Adults = $85 / Seniors 60+ = $80 / Youth, 3 to 16 = $40 (kids under 3 ride for free!)
4 to 7 pm Taste of Baker:
Purchase tokens and then stroll through downtown to taste the amazing eats provided by local restaurants in downtown Baker City. Participating vendors line the streets of downtown and offer sample size bites of their tastiest recipes in exchange for tokens.
7 pm – 9 pm Join us at Churchill School theater for a fun game of Jeopardy with just your cycling pals.

Sunday, Oct 8th

7:30 am Breakfast at Churchill School
10 am Gravel Ride with Team Dirty Freehub on one of the Whiskey & Gold (20, 40, and 60) routes.
We have modified the published routes on Dirty Freehub so that they all start and end at the Old Churchill School. All three routes share the same start to mile 10. Note, that they closely resemble the original routes, but are not the same! Please load the GPX files (click here for help) from here for Sunday’s ride.
- Whiskey & Gold 20 / 25 miles & 700 feet of gain / Click to download GPX File
- Whiskey & Gold 40 / 42 miles & 1000 feet of gain / Click to download GPX File
- Whiskey & Gold 60 / 61 miles & 1600 feet of gain / Click to download GPX File

Is This Event For You?

Baker Bash - Bike riders at start This event depends on you being a self sufficient cyclist. You will need to have a working bike and understand navigation (which means you have the routes downloaded to either a phone or a bike computer). You need to understand that you are responsible for YOU!

The route guides contain all of the information about food and water along the route, as well as recommended bike tires. Please review the routes before you sign up to determine if these routes match to your level.

The group will NOT stay together. Typically people will break down into smaller groups, but YOU should be comfortable with riding solo. We do not have a sag vehicle and we will not provide water or food stops along the way. We reserve the right to cancel rides with no refunds or credits.

Class 1 ebikes (pedal assist) are allowed at this event.

Where to Stay

We will be van camping at the Churchill School. You can camp or stay at the Churchill School hostel or B&B or find a place in town.

If you are van camping at Churchill School, you need to call or text Brian at 541-325-1689. They have 10 spots for van camping in their parking area. You will have access to their bathrooms, showers, and water refill for your van. This does not come with power or water hookup. The cost is $25 a night as a donation to Churchill School which is not included in your event registration.

Check out Travel Baker County for more options around Baker City.

Costs

$100 per person which is collected on Meetup. No refunds are available for less than 7 days prior to the start of the event. Weather or smoke cancellations that occur within this 7 day window also will be included in the no refund policy. We reserve the right to cancel individual rides.

Registration

Click to register.