Bend Oregon Mountain Bike Guide

BEND O R E G O N AMERICA’S #1

MOUNTAIN BIKING DESTINATION

www.visitbend.com

America has its share of mountain biking meccas, but there is one that trumps them all — Bend, Oregon. Sweeping views and hundreds of miles of continuous singletrack for every level. Wild, free and varied terrain that feels as if it’s in the middle of nowhere but isn’t. On the edge of a town shaped by its backyard, Bend is a town brimming with breweries, bike shops, restaurants, music venues, inns and hotels from rustic to boutique to luxury.

A place in the sun-drenched, high, dry side of the Cascade Range, these are the prime ingredients for year-round biking amid teeming wilderness.

When you’re in Bend, you’re at the nexus of fun and adventure, with world-class riding at every turn.

BEND, OREGON GO HERE: Mt. Bachelor Bike Park

WELCOME TO

MOUNTAIN BIKE TOWN U.S.A.

Mt. Bachelor’s Downhill Bike Park is the new way to ride the mountain in summer and fall. Grab your bike, take a chairlift and cruise to thrilling intermediate and advanced gravityassisted mountain biking trails.

866-292-0141 | visitbend.com | Official Mountain Bike Guide for Bend

On a long stretch of singletrack through the forest, you rip through banked turns, dodge through technical stretches, push up a steep grade before stopping for a drink. To the left is a winding trail where getting air is the norm. To the right are rocky chutes that lead out to spectacular views.

A few miles straight down the trail is the chance to reconnect with your family riding on scenic, easy trails.

This is a glimpse into the mountain biking mecca of Bend, where a lifetime of prime singletrack is waiting for you.

The Trails

GO HERE: Deschutes River Trail

FROM TOWN

ELEVATED EXPERIENCE

NEARBY RIDES

SWEET WINTER RIDES

PHIL’S TRAIL

MT. BACHELOR’S DOWNHILL BIKE PARK

MCKENZIE RIVER TRAIL

HORSE RIDGE

There's time for an extra shot in your latte in town, because you only have to ride a few minutes to amazing singletrack through the Deschutes National Forest. All levels love the gradual ascents and Whoops, a smile-inducing stretch of banked corners and jumps, with links to higher elevation rides challenging enough to entertain the most accomplished riders.

MRAZEK

In Bend, you don’t need to shuttle to access fantastic, full-throttle high-country singletrack. Splash across creeks, zip through grassy meadows and take in the scent of wildflowers as you experience nearly every variety of terrain.

Take your bike on the chairlift on this 9,000foot volcano for views stretching hundreds of miles and scream down thrilling intermediate and advanced downhill trails created by the world’s premier bike park planners.

NORTH FORK / FAREWELL LOOP

Climb along Tumalo Creek past seven waterfalls and through old growth forest, then descend on one of Bend’s most popular and demanding rides.

SOUTH FORK

This black diamond jewel will evoke memories of childhood roller coasters.

WANOGA

Head here for races and to access trails aptly named Funner and Tiddly Winks.

Hailed as the number-one mountain biking trail in the U.S., these 26 miles of technical and demanding singletrack take you through moss-covered temperate rain forest.

Ride through an open juniper forest on the north face of a high desert ridge with expansive views of Bend and the Cascades. Expect technical sections packed with challenges.

FAT BIKE TRAILS

OAKRIDGE

Hundreds of miles of riding, from easy river trails to long downhill shuttles, through thousands of acres of scenic forest. (www.oregon-adventures.com)

OCHOCO NATIONAL FOREST

The 35-mile Round Mountain-Lookout Mountain Loop yields hands-down fun. Hit the mother lode of scenic beauty along a technical ridgeline before the final, fast stretch. Recount the epic on the 45-minute drive back to Bend.

Ride marked trail loops of groomed snow from Wanoga Sno-Park on a fat bike designed especially for winter riding on the snow.

MASTON

More than 20 miles of prime riding on gently rolling terrain with panoramic views of the Cascades.

PETERSON RIDGE TRAIL

More than 20 miles of beginner and intermediate singletrack and old forest road trails with stellar Cascade views. Start from the quaint town of Sisters, a scenic 20-mile jaunt from Bend.

GO HERE: Horse Ridge 866-292-0141 | visitbend.com | Official Mountain Bike Guide for Bend

We all know there’s no such thing as an overnight success, and so it follows that it took hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity to shape Bend’s landscape – from snowcapped mountain peaks to winding rivers and hillsides with ancient black obsidian lava rock.

This is the center of Oregon, where the Cascade Range separates the wet side of the state from the sunny high desert.

With epic singletrack starting right in town, choose from many trails for a wide variety of riding options. Regardless of your skill level, you’ll feel at ease on most trails such as Phil’s, stretching through towering ponderosa pines. Ready to up your game? Check out Bend's newest singletrack gem, Tyler's Traverse, a smile-inducing thrill ride you'll never forget.

The Adventure

GO HERE: Smith Rock State Park

Head to the high country atop Mt. Bachelor, a 9,000-foot volcano. Hop on the chairlift, (your bike gets its own seat) and slough off lowlander life with 360-degree views of snowcapped peaks, alpine lakes, desert plains and grasslands extending hundreds of miles.

Scream down slopes formed by lava-spewing forces, and, more recently, the world’s premier downhill bike park planners, Gravity Logic, for the newest, adrenaline-laced answer to riding the mountain in summer and fall.

Add yet another natural flavor to this two-wheeled feast – a temperate rain forest. The renowned McKenzie River Trail, 26 miles of technical and difficult singletrack, takes you through moss-covered

forest, dense with ferns, waterfalls, brilliant blue natural pools and lava fields. Tap into Cog Wild’s (www.cogwild.com) shuttle for this technical, all-day ride that will work you, no matter how fit you are.

As temperatures fall, head to the Bend-area “banana belt,” where heat emanates from Smith Rock’s umber-colored sheer canyon walls. Follow the trail along the Crooked River as climbers from around the globe ascend thousands of sport and trad climbing routes. Check out one of the most photographed rock structures in the Pacific Northwest, the massive, wind-carved Monkey Face as it gazes west over the landscape.

866-292-0141 | visitbend.com | Official Mountain Bike Guide for Bend

The Art of Hoppy-ness: From Bike Trail to Ale Trail

Our clear rivers, mountain peaks and waterfalls are more than just knockout scenery along our biking trails. Together, they are the source of pure water, the prime ingredient in Bend’s world renowned craft beers.

Welcome to Beervana. Our little mountain town of 82,000 is home to the most world-class breweries per capita. Hop off the dirt trail and onto the Bend Ale Trail (Bendaletrail.com), the largest beer trail in the West. Sip your way through 14 (and counting) microbreweries, each with its own distinct IPAs, porters and pilsners – from Deschutes Brewery, Bend’s first craft brew pub, to a Catholic-school-turned-hotel with its own brewery, multiple pubs, a restaurant, a movie theater, a bathhouse and meandering patios with outdoor fire pits.

Grab a Bend Ale Trail Atlas and Passport at one of the pubs or the Bend Visitor Center, or download TM

the free Bend Ale Trail iPhone/iPad or Android app. Check in at each brewery to earn a fun, locally made Bend Ale Trail Silipint glass for breakage-free revelry.

We’ve also got lots of ways to make it even more fun. Kick back on the Bend Brew Bus for a behind-the-scenes tour of breweries. They’ll even pick you up wherever you’re staying in Bend. Or get the full local-insider experience from John “Mr. Bend” Flannery, a cyclist who runs GETIT Shuttle brewery tours.

Can’t bear to separate the two passions of biking and beer? Hard-core aficionados of both can quench those desires with Cog Wild's Bike & Brew mountain bike tour, three days of riding plus three nights of beer adventure. For non-competitive fun, do the CyclePub – you, pub-mates, and a guide pedal the bike/pub hybrid from pub to pub. Soon you’ll realize the quality and density of the Bend craft brew scene. Experience it, and your beer standard will never be the same.

BEND’S PUB ON WHEELS GO HERE: Bend Cycle Pub

866-292-0141 | visitbend.com | Official Mountain Bike Guide for Bend 8

Local Culture Picks Up When the Ride Winds Down

As thrilling as Bend is from the saddle, it’s all that and more on water. For starters, after an epic day of riding, the cool, clear Deschutes River beckons. Make like a townie and grab anything that floats — an air mattress, raft, inner tube or stand-up paddle board — and let the current carry you through the Old Mill District’s shops and restaurants.

GO HERE: The Old Mill District

GO HERE: Downtown Bend In downtown Bend, the former timber town’s historic streets are alive with culinary experiences woven throughout a cutting-edge micro-distillery and craft brewery scene. Find out how local juniper berries are reinterpreted as gin and why virgin snowmelt makes some of the finest vodka on the planet. Head for great eats at food carts and cafés or go the other direction, to white-linen restaurants, where chefs celebrate the season and the region with every dish.

Catch up-and-coming artists from the Pacific Northwest’s storied music scene at the coffee houses, bars and music halls, or national acts under the stars at the Les Schwab Amphitheater.

Stroll from one art gallery to the next or catch an indie film at an intimate, oldfashioned theater.

Wind down at an eco-chic downtown hotel, a bed and breakfast, or a rustic inn and dream of tomorrow’s outing. Golf, fishing, climbing, hiking, rafting, even skiing and snowboarding are just a few other adventurous pursuits for rounding out a weekend or a week. If yesterday was a bit of an overload, take it easy by strolling Bend’s boutiques and recharging with a body treatment at one of many spas. At the end of the day, your body and mind will agree that you’ve come to the right place for fun at any speed.

866-292-0141 | visitbend.com | Official Mountain Bike Guide for Bend 10

With the most bike shops per capita anywhere, Bend has a density of kindred souls. Whether you are gearing up for a family adventure, getting repairs from a recent caper, or seeking advice for your next outing, you never have far to go.

With more than a dozen local bike shops, it’s tough to swing a bike chain in Bend without hitting one.

The mechanics are ready to share their love of mountain biking, and offer service and rentals of virtually every brand. A seasoned lot, these techs know how to quickly get you back on your bike. Don’t be surprised when you find microbrews and espresso on tap there, too.

The same camaraderie you find in the bike shops, you’ll also encounter out on the trails, whether from aspiring weekend warriors or inspiring professional competitors.

Most Bike Shops Per Capita in the U.S.A. GO HERE: Bend Bike Shops

Don’t Take Our Word For It GO HERE: Funner Trail

Mountain Bike Action magazine says: “There are plenty of great mountain bike towns in America, but most have a downside ... That brings us to our pick for the best mountain biking town in America.

A drum roll, please. Bend, Oregon. ...

We’ve got thirty-five reasons to back up our claim that Bend is the best mountain biking town in America.”

Outside magazine says: “Every place has its season – when living there makes you feel blessed. In Bend ... the showcase season happens to be, well, all of them. You can ski through May and mountain bike all year.”

The New York Times says: “... brewers find inspiration in the town’s soft water — beer’s primary ingredient — the result of nearby mountain snowmelt.”

Sunset magazine says: “My kind of town ... Bend remains a decidedly unpretentious community.”

Trail Love: Share It!

Three tips to keep the riding great Central Oregon Trail Alliance’s tips to help preserve the trails and to keep your riding in good form.

For trail updates, maps, and more, check out cotamtb.com

Yield to Uphill Riders

We all love the downhill, but skidding out of control is not cool. Expect uphill riders, and be ready to move to one side of the trail, stopping until your line is clear.

Tread on Trail

Thanks for yielding to other riders – but don’t ride off into the bushes to do it, as this widens and damages trails. Instead, put a foot down and feel good knowing that your tread on the trail keeps the singletrack narrow and fun.

Look, Listen, Smile

As trail users, we rely on one another. Have fun, and keep your eyes and ears open. Smile and say, hello! You are in one of the best mountain bike areas in the world.

Vacation Bucket List In Bend, the fun doesn’t stop at the trailhead, it’s virtually endless.

Check out our list of what’s not to be missed.

Outdoor Adventures World-class climbing, hiking, trail running, skiing, and fly-fishing. Soar and tour from an open-air ultralight trike. Explore caves. Canoe, kayak and stand-up paddle board on our rivers and lakes.

GO HERE: Shuttle to the Trails

Fun Time Express Cog Wild: Bend’s Ultimate Mountain Biking Guides

For tours and shuttles, check out cogwild.com

Cog Wild is Bend’s only local guide company for beginner to expert level mountain biking in Central Oregon. Their guides’ intimate knowledge of the hundreds of miles of trails lets you get the most out of your adventure. Vacation priority: ride Cog Wild's Bachelorto-Bend tour on your first day to learn the trails and get a lay of the land. Then when you're feeling ready, take one of Cog Wild's many trailhead shuttles, including the famous McKenzie River Trail.

Food and Culture Farm-to-fork culinary tours, handson cooking classes, wine and beer tastings, film festivals, art galleries and tours, theaters, museums.

Shopping Bend’s relaxed, mountain aesthetic is interpreted in performance sportswear and fashion for just hanging out.

Bonus: Oregon has no sales tax.

Family Fun Horseback riding, picnics, Shevlin Park’s trout-stocked fishing pond, the Juniper Swim & Fitness Center water park, the High Desert Museum’s live wildlife programs and Lava Lands Visitor Center.

Getting Here is Easy

We have great access through a hassle-free airport with nonstop service to Bend/Redmond (RDM) from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Salt Lake City, Portland and Seattle. flyrdm.com Alaska Airlines Delta Airlines (operated by SkyWest Airlines) United and United Express (operated by SkyWest Airlines) American Airlines

BY CAR, MILEAGE AND TIME TO BEND: Redmond...........17mi 21min Eugene..............129mi 2hr 29min Portland............160mi 3hr Boise.................317mi 6hr 19min Seattle...............327mi 5hr 52min San Francisco...491mi 8hr 34min Los Angeles......822mi 13hr 34min

WE’RE HERE TO HELP We can help you find the best places to stay, eat and shop.

Go to visitbend.com

866-292-0141 | visitbend.com | Official Mountain Bike Guide for Bend 14

750 NW Lava Rd,. Ste 160 Bend, Oregon 97701 www.visitbend.com 866-292-0141

BEND, OREGON. IT’S WHERE YOU GO TO RIDE!

Check us out!

www.visitbend.com