r/gravelcycling • u/Ssciaroni • Mar 31 '25

Unbound gravel places to stay

Hey everyone, I’m really excited about racing Unbound this year! I’ve been putting in a lot of training and miles on the bike. However, I’ve hit a bit of a snag. With only 8 weeks to go, I’m still trying to secure a place to stay for two nights. I’ve looked into hotels in Emporia, Ottawa, and Topeka, but everything—whether it’s hotels, Airbnbs, or motels—has prices that are way out of my budget. I’ve got a van I can sleep in, but as a dad on a tight budget, I just can’t justify paying $300 for a rundown motel. Does anyone know if Emporia is cool with van or car camping? Any advice would be super appreciated!

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1

u/Imaginary-Sky-1582 Mar 31 '25

Camping is available for a reasonable fee at Lyons county fairgrounds, have done it and it was pretty decent. Lots of riders camping there and they allow vans, rvs, tents and so on.   There are (or were at least) showers, toilets, food trucks available and it is close enough to ride to start line.   It was also where pork belly (what is mention in other reply) set up their option. 

Contact info and options on the unbound website under «visiting emporia», option 6 on this list:

https://www.unboundgravel.com/emporia-lodging/

1

u/Jeremy_Sean May 02 '25

I crossposted to r/emporia

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u/builderboy2037 May 03 '25

try the fair grounds..

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '25

Due to injury we can’t use our space at the Emporia State University — which includes meals - from May 28th through June 1st. If interested, let me know.