Cycle the Nickel Plate Trail
Nickel Plate Trail, Kokomo to Rochester
July 11 - 12, 2026
Co-Trip Leaders: John South and TBD
Type of Trip: Biking/Lodging
Trip Cost/Deposit: $150/$75
Cancellation Date and full payment: June 10, 2026
Wilderness Level: 2
Trip Difficulty: Moderate, 45 miles total, longest day is 25 miles,12 mph, moderate grades, mostly trails, paved or hard pack gravel
Policy on Fitness Self-Assessment
Level 2: Primarily applies to trips in which we carry only day packs. In one day, we can hike up to 9 miles and 4500 feet of elevation gain on maintained trails, or up to 7 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain on more rugged, less-maintained trails. For a Level 2 trip you should be comfortable hiking 6-8 miles in a day in hilly or mountainous terrain with a light day pack. If a backpacking trip has a Level 2 rating, it means the distances are 2-4 miles with little elevation gain/loss.
Level 3: Applies to backpacking trips in which we hike with 25-35 pound backpacks. In one day, we can hike up to 7 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain on maintained trails, or up to 5 miles and 2000 feet of elevation gain on more rugged trails. For a Level 3 trip you should be comfortable hiking 6-8 miles in a day in hilly or mountainous terrain with a 25-pound backpack.
Group Size: 8/7 Maximum/Minimum
Adults. Youth with leader approval OK
This is a two-day trip to ride the Nickel Plate Trail from Kokomo to Rochester, a total length of 45 miles on paved trail. On Saturday will start riding in Kokomo and finish in Peru. After a shower and dinner, we will attend the Peru Amateur Circus. We will stay at a local hotel – 2 persons per room. Sunday we will ride from Peru to Rochester- 25 miles. I’m sure we will find some ice cream before the trip is over. Clothes and personal items will be transported each day. The trip include travel to and from a starting point on the north side of Indianapolis, circus tickets and hotel cost. Food will be at each person’s expense.
Questions may be submitted to ciwcinfo@gmail.com.
All trip participants must fill out and submit a
CIWC Medical Form and Liability Release.
Effective on all trips, there will be a $50 nonrefundable registration fee. This fee will be assessed to those who sign up for a trip, get on the roster and then later cancel. Even cancelling before the cancel date. Those who never make the active roster (i.e. those who stay on the waitlist) will NOT be charged the $50 cancellation fee.
