FAQs

What does Hudson, NY have to offer cyclists? 

Amtrak has a station in Hudson, NY, so this means that you can bring your bike on the train from wherever you’re starting from. Or if you are arriving in a vehicle, you can park at the long-term parking that’s located near the train station. On Warren Street there are so many tea, coffee, food, and drink establishments in town that will meet all your pre- and post-ride requirements. 


Road, Gravel, and Mountain Biking are all accessible in half a day of cycling from Hudson: 

  • To the East are the dirt and gravel roads of Chatham and Hillsdale which cross the Taconic Mountains and foothills. From Hillsdale the Harlem Valley Rail Trail runs 25 miles to the MetroNorth regional rail of NYC, and over the border with MA and CT are the Berkshire Mountains and Litchfield Hills. Further North is the Rensselaer Plateau, which offers even more  gravel and camping opportunities.

  • To the South the Empire State Trail passes through tranquil, flat farmlands with rolling hills and Catskill Mountain vistas. 

  • North out of Hudson is the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail which is a 36 mile, mostly paved rail trail that takes you directly to Amtrak’s station in Rensselaer, NY (right across the river from Albany). 

  • To the West is the Rip van Winkle bridge which takes you directly to the foot of the Great Northern Catskills. 6 miles gets you to the Ramshorn-Livingston nature preserve for bird-watching. 20 miles from Hudson there’s plenty of mountain biking in Round Top, NY. 40 miles from Hudson puts you 2200ft up and directly in the heart of the northern Catskills between Windham and Prattsville. And in the summers there’s a river ferry from Hudson to Athens that you can bring your bike on. 

What does your scale for “suggested rider fitness level 1-5” mean? 

Rider Fitness Levels: scale of 1-5

  1. Level 1 - My cycling fitness level is high enough that I can ride a bike around 20 miles on mostly flat roads in half a day.

  2. Level 2 -  My cycling fitness level is high enough that I can ride a bike around 20 miles, 1500+ft in a day, and repeat the next day.

  3. Level 3 - My cycling fitness level is high enough that I can ride a loaded bike around 35 miles, 2500-3500+ft in a day, and repeat the next day.

  4. Level 4 - My cycling fitness level is high enough that I can ride a loaded bike around 50 miles with 5000+ft climbing, but need to follow it with a less challenging day.

  5. Level 5 - My cycling fitness level is high enough that I can ride a loaded bike for 50+ miles with 5000+ft of climbing, and repeat the next day.

What does your scale for “amount of climbing and average hilliness 1-3” mean? 

Trip Hilliness Ratings scale of 1-3

  1. One Mountain - Route sticks to rolling hills and only climbs over a mountain if the route requires it. Average 1500ft of climbing.

  2. Two Mountains - Route crosses a few mountains in order to reach the destination, which makes the climbing purposeful.

  3. Three Mountains - Route intentionally goes up through mountainous areas and there are repeated hill climbs.

I just paid for a bikepacking trip. What happens next? 

First you’ll get an email that confirms your reservation and includes a link to a liability release waiver that all riders are required to submit for each trip. 

Then, if you are a new rider with Lichen Bike Tours, we will follow up with you to have a 10-15 minute screening call where we make sure that your fitness level and your comfort level sleeping outdoors are a good match with the trip you reserved. 

2 months before the trip, all riders will receive detailed preparation materials with route details, daily itineraries, campsite details, food and grocery stops, etc. For navigation on the bike, we use RideWithGPS, and your LBT experience won’t be complete without you having daily routes and turn-by-turn details on RWGPS.

1 month before the trip, all riders will be invited to a video call with your guide where we verbally discuss everything in the written trip details. This is also a chance for riders to get their final questions answered and make plans for last-minute renting/borrowing of equipment from your guide. 

Why have a screening process? 

All new riders who haven’t yet ridden on an overnight bikepacking trip with Lichen Bike Tours need to have a 10-15 phone or video call. This screening process is designed to prevent situations that stop the trip for everyone. Examples include: 

  • It’s day 1 of the trip and a rider is not able to complete the first big climb on their loaded bike.

  • It’s night 1 of the trip and a rider is unable to sleep due to forest noises. 

  • It’s morning of day 2 and a rider is vocally not enjoying being on a bike again. 

This screening process is essential for LBT to fulfill their promise for riders that they will actually have the adventures they signed up for. 

What if I signed up for a trip that I'm not a good fit for?

If during that 10-15 call we find that it’s not a good fit between you and the trip you paid for, we can either: 

  1. Transfer your registration to a different Lichen Bike Tours trip and charge/refund you the difference in cost. 

  2. Do a full refund of what you paid. 

What is the refund policy for Lichen Bike Tours? 

After we do a screening call when you affirm you want to do the trip, and up until 30 days from the start of the trip, we can either: 

  1. Transfer your registration to a different 2025 Lichen Bike Tours trip, and refund you the full difference in cost. 

  2. Refund you 50% of what you paid.

If it’s 30 or fewer days from the start of your trip, LBT is unable to refund any amount, except in the case of severe extenuating circumstances. 


There are costs associated with your trip registration due to the 1-on-1 attention and personalized trip preparation that Lichen Bike Tours offers. If LBT did not have a financial penalty to changing your mind and not joining an LBT trip, then LBT would end up having to stop offering 1-on-1 attention and personalized trip preparation to everyone. Thank you for understanding.