Camp Everstoke Ready To Capture Your Imaginations in Graeagle California
Boys will be Boys. That thought ran through my mind when I first heard of Camp Everstoke. Why else would grow men buy a blank 91 acres of forested mountain terrain to turn it into a mountain bike playground and camping area for all comers? Oh yeah, because it sounds like a brilliant idea and a lot of fun.
I recently made a trip to Greagle, California, to visit Aaron, one of the owners and designers of the new Everstoke, on a build day on the property. We arrived to find Aaron and a ride buddy working on a new section of trail & discussing the crazy cool flow they would achieve riding down this slope near the road. Everstoke Camp is a home base for mountain bike enthusiasts to camp out in the Sierra, ride all types of single track all day with friends, and improve skills while enjoying the mountains.
Unlike the resorts that welcome you to the mountain to ride for a fee in the Sierra, Everstoke invites all comers to the hill to ride, improve their skills, and challenge themselves with friends and experience new types of homegrown terrain built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers. Book a camp site or leave a small donation for support might be nice!
As Aaron took a break to show us around the property and discuss the vision of Everstoke, I quickly gained so much respect and excitement for this team, as I could hear the sincere passion and see the tremendous effort that they had put in the last two years to make this place a viable and sustainable retreat in the mountains.
The Magical Phone Call
Brian from BKXC and Aaron from MTBing Adventures partnered up in 2021 to purchase 91 acres of rugged land to build mountain bike trails and vacation rentals. How they got here is nothing short of madness and inspiration. Having only hung out a few times while riding and inspiring each other on YouTube Channels that now are their main source of income and support, Brian called Arron out of the blue one day. Brian told Aaron, who lives in the Bay area, about a property near Graeagle they should review. Ninety-one acres backed up to National Forest land, tons of cool natural features, and get this right next door to the Lost Sierras Favorite Mountain bike Brewer, “The Brewing Lair.”
Aaron is in a place where he is ready for change and a time of pursuing his passions deeply. He didn’t hesitate and drove up to Greagle immediately to review the property, giving it a big thumbs up almost immediately. From there, the insane pursuit of a homegrown, personal, shovel-ready project would begin.
Little by little, the dream of Everstoke is being realized. Aaron has almost fully moved onto the property, obtaining a trailer from his Mom, purchasing a sawmill to help build the natural structures and ramps for the park, and daily building trails by hand and scoping out new trail paths with friends who can visualize what a ride through the various terrain might flow like—constantly improving the property with fantastic mountain bike trails and the essential infrastructure components to make the place livable. With the support of their families and friends, Aaron and Brian now have a fully functioning (yet still under development) mountain retreat for the mountain bike community and others with distinct mountain passions.
The dream is to build several vacation rental properties for guests to stay and enjoy The Lost Sierra year-round. Currently, there is one Vacation rental on site and several group campsites that can be rented year-round for bikers, hikers, etc, who want to support, enjoy, and experience the Everstoke lifestyle.
“We picked this location near Graeagle because of the epic mountain bike rides nearby and the constant building of new trails by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship.” – Brian.
Who are these guys:
I won’t pretend to know these guys yet and can only learn so much in a quick interview, so let me have them tell you about themselves.
Aaron, the Star of MTBing Adventures YouTube channel – I’m not a pro mountain biker. Just an average dude loving all the adventures mountain biking has to offer. I do tons of trail building at Everstoke with Brian from BKXC. If I’m not building, I’m riding my bike on some sick singletrack, hanging out with my family, and adventuring every day I can.
Brian from BKXC YouTube Channel– I’m Brian and my mission is to mountain bike the best trails in the world and bring you along with me. Mountain biking is the best way to get fit, make friends, see the world and get a fantastic adrenaline rush.
Why and How to Support this Epic New Adventure in the Sierra
We left Aaron that day as the night air started to cool the mountain property and the light faded away enough that trail building was done for the afternoon, talking on the way home about the respect we had for people who dive into their passions and want to make positive things happen.
I have positive expectations for these two and their families in 2024 as guests, the mountain bike community, and more discover this gem in Blairsden, California. I can see how summer nights will be enjoyed on the property, guests mingling together from camp to camp, telling stories of their epic rides on the property or the various trails surrounding the region during the day. Walking over to the Brewing Lair for a beer and came back to camp to grill out and hit some technical skill elements near camp together. They make friends with strangers and laugh together as they thoroughly explore their passions.
Aaron and Brian are both passionate bikers and inspiring businessmen. They currently fund this project through donations and the little funds they achieve through their patron accounts on YouTube. These sources must increase over time to make this dream a long-term reality. Guest will come and play, camp, and tell stories of their time at Everstoke Camp. Friends of the community will continue to show up to help build, improve, and secure this epic vision and mountain playground. Where it goes from here will depend on that continued support and enthusiasm.
Everstoke will host their second annual Everstoke Enduro on September 15, 2024. More details and sign-ups are available on the website. There are currently seven current Group Camping sites to go along with the Glamping Vacation Rental on the property. They are now taking reservations and ask only the guests who ride or hike on the property to fill out the online waiver form before enjoying the mountainside 20 miles of epic trail options.
Everstoke Camp is another epic passion story in the Greagle basin filled with promise and exciting mountain energy! #Goexplore #discovermore
