As we announced back in May, in addition to our Monday night youth mtb group ride series all summer, CROCT is teaming up with Northfield Public Schools Community Services for an August 13-14 ‘Adventure Mania’ overnight camping trip for area youth to the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trail System in central MN. It’s an IMBA Bronze MTB Ride Center, one of the top mountain bike parks in the country.
See Page 16 of the Community Services summer 2015 brochure for details and then either use the form on pages 46-47 or register online here.
Youth who want to attend on their own must be entering grade 5 and have participated in two of our Monday night offroad cycling group rides. Younger youth can participate but they need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Once someone has registered, Community Services will be in touch with recommendations on what to bring.
The Portsmouth campground group camp site has been reserved for us, and tents, food, and related camping gear will be provided. The families of participating youth are welcome to drive up on their own and pitch their tents in the group site.
Some families have indicated that they’re planning to stay through the weekend. Good choice! If you think of doing the same on your trip, make sure to equip your family properly, BikesReviewed.com is a great source. The Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area has lots more to offer than just terrific mountain biking. There’s the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail (8 miles of paved trail). The city of Crosby has an excellent skate/bmx park right in the middle of town, right on Serpent Lake and next to a playground that was just ranked one of the ten best in the state.
And the area has spectacular clear lakes for swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, etc. Cycle Path and Paddle in Crosby has bikes, canoes and kayaks for rent. See the Cuyuna Lakes Chamber of Commerce website for more. Along with all that the town near by is renown to manufacture the best paddle board for beginners in the world!
The Portsmouth group camp site will NOT be available for family camping over the weekend, however, so those families wanting to stay longer will need to make their own arrangements for camping on Friday night and beyond. The Portsmouth campground has 18 electric and 7 non-electric sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Campers need to self-register at the campground. The city of Crosby’s Memorial Park Campground does take reservations. (The DNR now has 3 yurts in the Cuyuna Lakes mtb park that can be reserved but unfortunately, they appear to be already booked that weekend.)
Transportation will be provided by EcoTrans. We’ll depart at 8 am on Thursday Aug. 13 from the Northfield Community Resource Center (NCRC) at 1651 Jefferson Pkwy (behind the Senior Center). We’ll arrive back in Northfield at 6 pm on Friday Aug. 14.
If you have questions about the details of the trip, contact Melissa Bernhard, Recreation Coordinator for Northfield Public Schools Community Services at Melissa.Bernhard@nfld.k12.mn.us or phone 507-664-3502. If you have mountain biking-related questions, contact CROCT.
Cost: $25 for an individual youth. $80 for a family of four or more.
Once again, to register, see Page 16 of the Community Services summer 2015 brochure for details and then either use the form on pages 46-47 or register online here.
I am specifically looking for your group to lead a mountain biking adventure…..anywhere for youth and their families. I received a grant for the Adventure Mania program and would like you to be involved in giving the youth in our community a great experience on a mountain bike. Any ideas? This past summer a group of ours went to Lebanon. Since I have grant money, I’d like to really use it by traveling somewhere special and then later on if there is no grant, I’d plan to be as local as possible.
