Pacific NorthBest the
THREE PERFECT
DIRT DAYS IN THE CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES
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magical mckenzie THE LUSH GREEN FORESTS OF THE WESTERN CASCADE RANGE SPELL GOLD FOR MOUNTAIN BIKERS
BY NICOLE FORMOSA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY SMITH
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Bend, Oregon, local Lev Styker
finds a signature strip of narrow dirt
on the remote O’Leary Loop near
the town of McKenzie Bridge. Civil Conservation Corps crews built
many sections of trail in this part of
Oregon decades ago, and their primi-
tive characteristics still exist today.
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RIGHT: Horse Creek Lodge is a wise jumping off point for adventures in McKenzie Bridge. Along with renting
cozy cabins, they’ll shuttle you up miles of steep gravel logging roads so you can get to the good stuff quicker.
The aptly named Supervisor is in charge of hauling bikes and people up the hill.
BELOW: One of four cabins tucked into the firs on the Horse Creek Lodge property.
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THIS SPREAD: The shuttle ride to the start of the O’Leary Loop is a blur of fall colors in late October. Stryker earns his descent on the O’Leary Loop, a 19-mile full-day expedition in the rugged McKenzie backcountry with 4,475 feet of climbing and 5,800 feet of fast downhills on narrow, fir-lined singletrack.
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RIGHT: Lindsey Voreis, Lawrence
Fisher and Adam Craig all live in Bend, but the pull of McKenzie’s steep terrain makes the 80-mile drive well worth the time behind the wheel.
OPPOSITE: Enjoying the last light on the 3,000-foot summit of Castle Rock.
The fast, 4-mile descent from the peak
through a classic old-growth forest is one of the sweetest rides in all of Oregon.
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RIGHT: The Depot CafĂŠ is a mainstay of the quaint town and an ideal
refueling station before or after riding the McKenzie area. If the weather is nice, grab a microbrew and post up on the big back patio.
ABOVE: The western-themed town of Sisters is worthy of a stop on
its own. Besides picking up a new pair of boots and spurs, you can ride the 27-mile course for the Sisters Stampede XC race.
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LEFT: Voreis navigates a technical section of
the 25-mile McKenzie River Trail, a signature Central Oregon ride whose constant beauty justifies its must-do reputation.
ABOVE: The gushing Sahalie Falls is one of
two waterfalls you’ll spot along the MRT, along with volcanic rock, thick forests of old-growth firs draped with moss, bright green vegatation and the clear and cold McKenzie River for which the trail is named.
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green dream
TRAILS HAVE SURPASSED TIMBER AS THE TOP ATTRACTION IN OAKRIDGE, OREGON.
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THIS SPREAD: Adam Craig rises above the clouds on the Alpine trail,
Oakridge’s crown jewel and perhaps the most fun you will ever have on a mountain bike. That beautiful image above in the trees? Also Alpine.
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Craig finds a line through on the
Maiden Peak trail outside Oakridge near Waldo Lake. This high-alpine
out-and-back rises nearly 3,000 feet to
the 7,800-foot summit of its namesake Peak.
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desert high THE VARIETY OF TRAILS IN BEND, OREGON, RANGES FROM SWOOPY AND SMOOTH TO LOOSE AND ROCKY.
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BELOW: The dry, sandy trails 20 miles east of Bend at Horse Butte attract riders by the truckload during the winter when snow covers the trails in town.
RIGHT: The Farewell trail affords some of the best views in Bend. Here, the snow-capped Three Sisters watch over Adam Craig as he rounds a loose corner on the 3-mile descent.
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THIS SPREAD: One of the keys to Bend’s success as a mountain bike town is its thriving volunteer base.
The Central Oregon Trail Alliance counts 600 dues-paying members on its roster. At this fall workday last October, 150 people came out to work on the hundreds of miles of trails around town.
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Even the kids are happy to help. Many are pitching in through their affiliation with
the Bend Endurance Academy, a local nonprofit that promotes healthy living to youth through outdoor experiences.
BELOW: ‘Kiwi Paul’ and his mini excavator are responsible for many of the newschool style flow trails in and around Bend and Mt. Bachelor Ski Area.
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ABOVE: Longtime pro Kirt Voreis moved to Bend a decade ago from Southern California for a mellower lifestyle.
RIGHT: And that’s exactly what he got. Voreis built his frontyard
pump track out of reclaimed shipping crates donated by Bend’s Deschutes Brewery.
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THIS SPREAD: A recent fire in the Skyline Forest opened up specatular views to the Three Sisters. The
Forest currently has about 15 miles of singletrack ridden in by motos and used by few mountain bikers. That could change, though, if the Deschutes Land Trust is successful in protecting the 33,000-acre former tree farm in part for recreational purposes.
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THE OREGON TRAIL FOR MOUNTAIN BIKERS If mountain bikers could devise their own version of “The Oregon Trail” without worry over oxen thieves or death by dysentery, this route would be pretty spot-on. The loop below is about 250 miles and passes through Bend, Oakridge, McKenzie Bridge and Mt. Bachelor.
STAY
Horse Creek Lodge, McKenzie River Valley. horse-creek.com; Double Diamond Lodge Bed and Breakfast, Oakridge. 2diamondlodge. com; Oakridge Lodge & Guest House and Uptown Bistro, Oakridge. oakridge-lodge.com
EAT/DRINK
Brewers Union Local 180, Oakridge. brewersunion. com; Crow’s Feet Commons, Bend. crowsfeetcommons.com; Jackson’s Corner Market, Bend. jackson-s-corner-market.hub.biz; Deschutes Brewery, Bend. deschutesbrewery.com; Lion Mountain Bakery. Down the street from the Brewers Union. Start your day with a breakfast burrito made from scratch and pack a pastry for the trail. Dink’s Market. Look for it on the left as you head out of Oakridge on Highway 58 toward Bend. Pre-made sack lunches, hot tater tots and chicken strips and they’ll send you off with your hand-dipped ice cream bar in a car-friendly contraption.
RIDE
Cog Wild Shuttles, Bend. cogwild.com; Oregon Adventures Shuttles, Oakridge. oregon-adventures.com; Bend Ale Trail. visitbend.com
MAP ILLUSTRATION: STEVE SANFORD