Camping at Cuyuna is Easy in a True North Basecamp Cabin Tent

One of my favorite places to ride is Cuyuna and when I do I stay at True North Basecamp. I've stayed at their lakefront cabins before but I wanted to try out camping in one of their cabin tents.  I have most of the camping gear needed from my bikecamping adventures but I didn't feel like spending the weekend in my bivvy tent so this was a much more comfortable option.  It would give me the camping/bike weekend experience without the hassle of setting up and tearing down camp.  All I had to do was unload my gear and bikes and get to riding.

Each cabin tent is a spacious 10'x12" that has enough room for you, a friend and all of your gear.  They come with two padded cots that I will say I slept quite comfortably on.  After the first night's rest I was ready for a full day of hitting the trails.

Cabin tent campsites include a fire ring, picnic table, plenty of trees for setting up hammocks and a nearby vault bathroom. If you don't have a camp stove, meals can be prepared over an open fire.  Firewood can be easily ordered and delivered right to your campsite by texting your cabin/campsite number and quantity of bundles before 2:00 pm for same day delivery.  Charges will be applied to the credit card on your reservation. 

Whether it's paddling the mine pit lakes, hitting the singletrack, riding the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail or crushing some nearby gravel, True North Basecamp puts you right in the middle of all the action Cuyuna Country has to offer.  Being trail connected is why it's my basecamp for a few days of on-the-bike adventures.

The Cuyuna Lakes State Trail is just a short ride from the Basecamp and offers 8 paved miles through woods and past lakes from Crosby to Riverton.  The trail also brings guests to access points for the mountain bike trails and nearby roads for roadies and gravel enthusiasts.

If gravel roads are your thing, Cuyuna has them so bring along that gravel bike.  Try one of the 40, 70 or 100 mile Woodtick gravel loops or plan out your own route with the help of Gravelmap or RideWithGPS.

One of my favorite amenities of True North Basecamp is the on-site access to 30+ miles of Minnesota's best mountain biking at the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.  I've been known to stay out on the trails all day with a stop or two back at camp for rest and refreshments.

These world class mountain bike trails offer something for riders of all abilities while providing spectacular views of the surrounding forest and mine pit lakes.

After riding all morning it's time to head back to the basecamp for some lunch and a little break before hitting the trails in the afternoon.  At the basecamp you can hit the trails hard all day or take it in at a leisurely pace.  When you're trail connected it's all just a short ride away.

After a day of riding I can cool off by taking a dip down at the lake or drop a line and try my luck at fishing for northerns and panfish.

When the day is winding down its a short ride or walk to the shower house to get cleaned up and changed before starting up the campfire and cooking dinner.

There is so much to do here that I end up exhausted after a full day of riding and couldn't wait to get back to camp for some much needed relaxation and a cold beverage or two.  When trying to fit your Cuyuna bike adventure into a day trip just won't do, the cabin tents at True North Basecamp make camping easy without roughing it.  Just bring your camping gear and bikes, the campsite is already set up and waiting for you.

True North Basecamp has special weekday rates that can save you cash.  Rent one of the cabin tents Sunday through Thursday for only $49 a night, Friday and Saturday nights are just $65 a night.  Check in time is at 4:00pm and check out is at noon.

To book your stay visit the True North Basecamp website for Cabin and Camping reservations.  For updates and more information visit the True North Basecamp Facebook Page, Twitter Page or send them a message on their contact page.

Take a Bike Camping Trip to Carver Park Reserve

Bike camping was something I wanted to try ever since I heard about the bikes-only campsite at Carver Park Reserve from an article I saw a couple years ago by Bikeverywhere's Doug Shidell.  I didn't get around to it last year, but this spring I started purchasing the camp and bike gear I would need.  After some Internet research I had an idea of the gear that would work best to travel light, be comfortable and to carry most of it on the bike.  I took some time to gather together what I would need and packed it all on the bike for testing and tweaking.  I wanted to make sure my bike handled properly with all the extra weight and if anything needed adjusting.  It's better to find out during a test ride and fix it than having a problem on the actual camping trip.

I was now ready to camp and saw that Farmstead Bike Shop was hosting three free bike camping trips to Carver Park Reserve so I decided to to join them for their June outing.  I wanted to get some mileage out of the trip so I decided I would ride from my house in the south metro up to Minneapolis for the meet up at Farmstead.  We then rolled out to the campground with a pit-stop at Excelsior Brewing making it a nice 48 miles for the day.  We set up camp, relaxed and socialized by the fire.  It was a fun trip and the folks from Farmstead were very hospitable.  If you are new to bike camping and want to give it a try I would recommend joining them for their last outing of the season on July 27th.

The 2019 camping season for Carver Park Reserve runs from April 26th to October 27th.  The park has a drop-in, bike-in-only shared campsite at the Lake Auburn Campground that does not take reservations.  The site can accommodate up to six tents and the camping fee is only $10/tent per night.  For larger groups or those wanting a guaranteed site the park has five rustic group campsites that can be reserved online.

Accommodations include a commons area with picnic tables, benches, fire ring and bike rack.  Vault toilets and water are available nearby.  Don't worry about gathering firewood as it is delivered by the park for free.

Getting there is easy since Carver Park Reserve is accessible from the Lake Minnetonka LRT Regional Trail.  For the best bike-friendly routes to the campground use Google Maps with Bicycling Directions to help plot your course.  It will give you several routes to choose from showing elevation change and mileage for each.  Pair your phone with some earbuds or a speaker for turn-by-turn navigational directions using the route you chose on Google Maps.  For GPS device users, a route can be plotted on RideWithGPS or many other cycling mapping sites where a gpx, tcx or tif file can be downloaded and loaded into your device for navigation.  RideWithGPS has an option to print cue sheets also.

If you've been bike camping before you probably already know what to pack.  For those trying it out for the first time, below is a list of things you may want to bring along.

Tent/hammock/footprint
Camp stove/cookware
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Clean cycling/lounge clothes
Toiletries
Battery backups and usb cables
Flashlight/LED lantern
Food/water
Footwear
Washcloth/camp soap/wet wipes
Tool kit/tubes/co2/pump
Matches/fire starters
Cell phone

One rule of thumb that I follow is to keep my gear waterproof.  I use drysacks, roll-top pvc bags, Ziplocs and waterproof bike bags to keep my gear dry.  Camping can get damp and occasional unexpected rainfalls will happen but if your gear is in waterproof bags it makes the experience much more comfortable.

I had a great time bike camping at Carver Park Reserve and plan on doing it again.  The site, amenities and location make it a great spot for giving bike camping a try or just taking a quick overnighter for a little getaway.  Happy camping.