Horse Ridge

If you aren’t a fan of winter sports and insist on cycling year round, Horse Ridge located about 20 miles east of Bend off Highway 20 is one of the best options. The flat high desert plains give way to quite a few buttes with Horse Ridge being one of the bigger ones. A nice singletrack runs through the scrub brush and lava rocks with small elevation gains and losses. You have a few options if the trails are relatively dry. I call them the lower loop, medium loop, and upper loop. Your best bet would be to grab a map from a local bike shop. The views from the highest part of the trail are outstanding and on most days the Cascade Mountain Range dances on the horizon. The Badlands loom off in the distance and Pine Mtn Observatory tops the ridge behind you.

This past Sunday my husband and I rode out there and while conditions on the middle and upper loop were muddy, the lower loop was pretty decent. That didn’t stop us from climbing up the old Highway to the start of the higher loop. Hey, climbing is fun!!

For more recreation pictures visit TheBendGuide.com