2025 Dog Daze Rally - Lakes Area
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Brainerd, Minnesota
Come join us for what promises to be a fantastic day of riding in the beautiful Brainerd Lakes Area in Minnesota. This year's Dog Daze Rally will be a 10-hour event that will start at Sunshine's Summerhouse (a local restaurant) and end at the Gabrick's home in Fairview Township.
Rally riders will leave at 8:00 AM and return by 6:00 PM in Saturday, August 23. Plan on staying Friday and Saturday night for the rally and add additional nights if you'd like to more fully explore everything this area has to offer.
Start
Sunshine's Summerhouse
2008 Hill Drive SW
Lakeshore, MN
(218) 961-4300
Finish
Connie and Randy's house in Fairview Township, MN
Friday
Friday will kick-off at Sunshine's Summerhouse with check-in starting at 4:00 p.m. At check-in, you'll sign a waiver and receive your rally swag. Sunshine's will be open for food and there is a large outdoor patio, large indoor space and a decent-sized parking lot for kicking tires and story-telling.
Friday night is rib night at Sunshine's! You can order ribs, burgers, or anything off their menu for this no-host dinner. A mandatory rider's meeting will be held at 6:30 PM, at which time rally packets will be handed out. You will have all evening to plan your route and rally staff will be available for questions.
Saturday Start
Rally time! Head back to Sunshine's for the start. Sunshine's will have a breakfast for $10 for those wanting some protein before heading out for the day. Coffee and some grab-and-go items will be available for riders as well. Another mandatory rider's meeting will be at 7:00 AM, at which time any questions will be answered and last-minute details will be discussed. You are free to launch at 8:00 AM.
Saturday Finish
Finish is 6:00 PM at your Rallymaster's house, just 5 miles from Sunshine's. Don't be late! Anyone returning after 6:00 PM will be considered a DNF, but welcome to join in on the post-rally dinner and festivities. After returning, you will be scored and we will be serving burgers and brats on the grill. The awards ceremony will start at about 8:00 PM with trophies awarded to the top five riders and top rookie. Plan to stick around for sharing stories with your fellow riders around the fire afterward.
Sunday
Sunday is for whatever you want to do. Bask in the memories of a fun rally and maybe take off in non- rally-mode for a ride around all the beautiful lakes in the area.
Entry Fee
The entry fee for the 2025 Dog Daze Rally is $80 for solo riders and $135 for two-ups. Your entry fee will include coffee and grab-and-go snacks on Saturday morning, dinner Saturday night and awesome rally swag. Dinner Friday night or a heartier breakfast Saturday morning will be available at your expense.
A well-equipped rally rider will need a map of Minnesota, a couple of pens, maybe a highlighter or two, a camera (there will be photo bonuses) and a working odometer. A GPS will be helpful, but is not necessary to have fun on this rally.
We prefer entry fees be paid by check, as payments made through PayPal are considered income and are taxable. (We do not make money on the Dog Daze Rally. In reality, we don't even break even. We just love putting riders on pretty roads and making sure they have a fun and memorable time on our rallies.)
Our mailing address is listed in the payment section of RideMaster as you sign up. Please email us at dogdazerally@gmail.com with any questions regarding payment.
Brainerd Lakes Area Lodging
There are many hotels and resorts in Baxter and the surrounding area, but please note this is a tourist area and summer is high season. Make your reservations early! For anyone who likes to camp, there is a nice campground close-by plus we will have a limited number of spots available on our property. There are also many VRBO and AirBnB options.
LOCAL HOTELS
| Holiday Inn Express 15739 Audubon Way (218) 824-3232 | Baymont Inn 7208 Fairview Road North (218) 822-1133 | AmericInn 7836 Fairview Road North (218) 260-2042 |
All hotels listed are in Baxter and within 15 miles of rally start / 10 miles of rally finish.
NEARBY RESORTS
| Madden's Resort on Gull Lake 11266 Pine Beach Peninsula (218) 829-2811 | Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake 11000 Cragun's Drive (800) 272-4867 |
Both Madden's and Cragun's are within a couple miles from both rally start and finish, but require a 3-night minimum during summer months.
CAMPING
Gull Lake Recreation Area Campground 10867 E. Gull Lake Drive (651) 290-5772
Campsites are $32/night and released 6 months in advance. We will attempt to reserve as many campsites as we can on Feb. 22 for Aug. 22-24. However, if you are registering for the rally before that time, feel free to reserve a campsite of your own.
We will also have room for a few riders and volunteers to camp on our property. Please let us know if interested.
Dog Daze Rally Rules
Finally, we ask that you become familiar with our rally rules prior to registering:
Dog Daze Rally Rules
Your Rallymasters,
Connie and Randy Gabrick
Questions? Please email us at dogdazerally@gmail.com
Registration closes August 3, 2025.
Sign up at Ride Master