Mountain Biking the Deschutes River Trail
Mountain Biking the Deschutes River Trail, Bend, Oregon // tahoefabulous.com
Greyson and I brought A LOT of gear on this road trip to Bend, because we weren’t sure how the weather was going to be. We brought skis/snowboards, camping gear, hiking gear, snowshoes, mountain bikes, climbing gear and swimsuits! We ended up not using all of it, but we made the most of what we could do.
One thing I was really looking forward to was mountain biking in Bend. It’s one of the (many) outdoor activities Bend is known for, and I was excited to give it a try. As I’m feeling fairly out-of-shape bike wise, I wanted to try a trail that wasn’t going to be too difficult technically or exertion wise.
We stopped in an awesome bike store/beer & wine bar/coffee shop, Crow’s Feet Commons, and picked up a Bend bike trail map to add to Greyson’s “map library” (aka the overflowing side pockets in the Toaster). We decided on the Deschutes River Trail, as it was easily accessible and close to town and rated as beginning/intermediate in both terrain and exertion.
Map via Google Maps
We jumped on the trail a few miles out of town (directions here) from a dirt parking lot right next to the river. After a few minutes of fire road riding we found ourselves on a gorgeous dirt trail that paralleled the Deschutes. Unfortunately, despite the supposed “beginner/intermediate” nature of this trail, we fairly quickly arrived on some technical rocky sections. I consider myself a strong intermediate rider, but I had to get off and walk a couple of these sections, especially as I was not expecting them! However, the rocky sections were over in less than a quarter mile, and the rest of the trail (that we rode) was smooth sailing – definitely beginner.
Trail Map and Elevation Profile via Strava
For me, the best feature of the Deschutes River Trail was the awesome packed dirt. I’m used to the decomposed granite that turns to sand that the Tahoe area trails are “famous” for, so this forest soil was a welcome change! I felt like I couldn’t slide out if I tried (note: I am sure that is not true). The trail meanders along with the Deschutes, giving gorgeous views of the river and the strange lava beds the area is famous for. The Deschutes is also a popular whitewater kayaking destination, so I’m sure that in certain times of year, you can watch people shooting the rapids.
The trail heads south from Bend and travels about thirteen miles south to Sun River, so you could definitely make a day of it for a longer, 26 mile ride. We ended up just riding about a 9 mile out-and-back section of the trail, but I imagine most of the trail is similar. It was muddy in spots, so be sure to check conditions and practice good trail etiquette if you’re riding in the winter or spring. Additionally, the trail is mixed use, and used considerably by hikers and bikers, so be sure to keep your speed under control to avoid user conflicts.
Overall, I enjoyed this trail. Though I didn’t experience the whole thing, I’d rank the section we rode as “beginner” with a short “intermediate to advanced” but easily walkable section on the technical side of things, and definitely “easy” for exertion. I can’t wait to get back to Bend and ride the whole Deschutes River Trail, as well as trying out some of the harder trails.