LGBTQ+ Community Solar Bike Tour-and-Learn Register

Date and Time:
Sat, May 31, 2025; 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM  (Mountain)

Organized By: Idaho Chapter

Location: Meeting spot: 700 S Capitol Blvd, Boise, ID 83702, USA

Map | Directions

Event Organizers:
Chelsea Smith
   che.smi@gmail.com
   (503) 724-9403
Kai Williams
   kaileywilliams210@gmail.com
   (432) 530-7035

Pic from a previous OUTdoors Idaho Greenbelt Bike Ride to Lucky Peak

Join OUTdoors Idaho for an LGBTQ+-only educational bike tour and picnic! We'll start at Celebration Pavillion in Julia Davis park, head Westbound on the Greenbelt to Esther Simplot Park, then loop back to have our picnic at Julia Davis park. Along the way, we’ll stop to admire the vibrant new Community Solar Mural created by the Idaho Sierra Club’s youth activist team, and learn about the potential that community solar programs have for Boise. We’ll also swing by the Boise Bicycle Project to learn how they harness the power of the sun to power their building. After looping back, we’ll wrap up the ride with a laid-back picnic back at Julia Davis Park, where we will have postcards available for folks to take action to help get Boise's first community solar program before the City's deadline in 2026.

Who is this Outing for?
OUTdoors Idaho outings are explicitly queer-only spaces, and we ask that folks who attend these outings identify with the LGBTQIA+ community (including questioning folks, closeted folks, asexual folks, etc. etc.!). We have created this as a queer-only space with the intention of creating a shared identity group in Idaho’s outdoors, where folks who don’t feel safe/comfortable in other social/hiking groups can join, feel connected, and build queer community in a non-heteronormative, non-cisnormative place. We ask that allies do NOT attend this outing to honor the queer-only space, so participants who want a queer-only space can feel more confident that they’re safe being themselves. However, we also host regular outings for BOTH allies and the queer community. 

To read more about our reasoning behind this policy, check out this blog post!

What to expect:
12:00pm | Meet at Celebration Pavillion in Julia Davis park
12:15pm | Group intros, ride overview, & safety discussion
12:30pm | Start riding west along the Greenbelt towards Esther Simplot Park
1:00pm | Circle and loop around in Esther Simplot Park, crossing the bridge to head back on the greenbelt eastbound
1:30pm | Stop by Boise Bicycle Project in the Lusk District to learn about their solar project.
1:45pm | Continue east. Stop by the Community Solar Mural outside St. Luke's Plaza. Break, time to drink water and take a group picture
2:30pm | Arrive back at Julia Davis park for a FREE group picnic (please feel free to bring your own hobbies or games for our park hangout)

More about the route/skill level:

The route is a 7.7 mile loop that is mostly flat with a few gentle slopes. First we'll head west for 3 miles until we hit Esther Simplot park, where we'll do a loop on the edge of the park and over the bridge. We'll take a break for water and regroup first before heading back eastbound on the Greenbelt, back towards Julia Davis. Along the way, we will stop by the Boise Bicycle Project (2.5 miles from Esther Simplot) to learn how one business is using solar power. We'll keep pedaling eastbound until we hit St. Luke's Plaza (1.8 miles) where our final stop will bring us to the recently completed Community Solar mural, led by the youth-led Idaho Climate Justice League.

There is a moderate amount of shade on the route, although there are some sections with no shade. We advise participants to bring sunscreen and plenty of water. The entire bike trip is 7.7 miles and is estimated to take up to 2 hours, including breaks and stops (60 minutes of riding), followed by a picnic. While the route is mostly flat, this is an intermediate level bike ride due to it's length. We recommend that participants are comfortable with biking this distance and duration, though we will accommodate different speeds and skill levels to ensure everyone stays together. Please reach out if you have any questions about the difficulty level of the route or what to expect!

Safety:
We ask all participants to please wear a helmet while we're riding. 

Kids & families are welcome! (see above for more about the route/terrain and whether it would be a good fit for your kids)  Please fill out a separate registration form for each person, so we can have a signed waiver on file for each person and know each individual's dietary preferences, etc.

No dogs allowed to ensure a safe cycling environment.
 

Level: Moderate

Cost: Free! (picnic meal included)

Signup Instructions: Please register by Thursday, May 29th so we can have a headcount for food and bike rentals.

Bring: Bring: water bottle, comfortable clothes. If you have: bike with inflated tires, helmet. Optional: sunglasses, sunscreen, tube patch kit

Carpool: If you need a ride to/from the event OR if you can provide a ride. Please feel free to arrange that amongst other participants here: https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/kawyox

Note: Carpool transportation is at the sole risk of the participants.

Cancellation Policy: Heavy rain cancels

Full Route Here