Along this section of trail you are riding through the West Bend Project, a 15-year forest management effort that includes tree thinning, brush mowing, and controlled burns. The project received Congressional funding through the federal Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Act. There are only 20 such demonstration sites nationwide. The goals of the Project are: to restore forest ecosystems, reduce the potential of high-severity wildfires, and provide economic and social benefits to local communities. See the resource page in the right sidebar (desktop) or towards the bottom of page (mobile).

The lodge was completed by WPA workers in 1936 for the Skyliners Club, a group founded in 1927 to promote winter recreation in the central Oregon Cascades as well as provide search and rescue services. The lodge offered all the amenities needed for large competitions. The area featured two large ski jumps, an expansive cross-country trail system, and downhill skiing. [Bend Magazine]

In 1964, Congress enacted the Wilderness Act, which provides that we preserve and protect designated wilderness in its natural condition. Wilderness areas are places untrammeled by humans that have been set aside for the enjoyment of future generations.

For these miles, you will be cycling along or near the edge of the Three Sisters Wilderness. This Wilderness area is especially valuable because it provides the best example of the effect of glaciation in the Pacific Northwest. [US Forest Service]

Broken Top is a complex stratovolcano whose crater measures 0.50 miles in diameter. It is located within one of the most active volcanic areas in the Cascades as well as one of the most densely populated volcanic centers in the world. Over 200,000 years of eruptions, Broken Top produced between 1.7 to 2.4 cubic miles of lava before becoming inactive roughly 100,000 years ago. [Wikipedia]

Sparks Lake was formed nearly 10,000 years ago. It was originally approximately 700 acres. Today half of that area is now meadow as streams continue to deposit sediment at the north end of the lake. The deepest parts of Sparks Lake reach a depth of 10 feet. [US Forest Service]

The original Elk Lake Lodge and Resort was built in the early 1920s. The lodge, which has been hugely popular with recreationists over the years, has persevered through many challenges. In the mid 1930s, the lake level began to significantly drop, which raised concerns about the lake’s long-term recreational benefit. Fortunately, the lake level was restored by a heavy snowfall in 1940. A year later, the lodge was hard hit by the breakout of WWII. Though the area regained popularity after the war, the resort suffered a year later, in 1955, when nearly 20 feet of snow destroyed many of the buildings. In 1968, 1998, and 2004, the area experienced damage from fires. Through all its setbacks, the resort has endured. To this day, the resort continues to make improvements that are enjoyed by all. [Elk Lake Resort]

You’ll need to pedal off-route (less than 1 mile each way) to see the headwaters of the Deschutes River, but the detour is well worth it. The source of the Deschutes is Little Lava Lake, which covers 138 acres at an average depth of 8 feet. It’s hard to believe that this lake is the source of the same almighty and magnificent Deschutes River that flows through downtown Bend all the way to the Columbia River. [Wikipedia]

A fen is a wetland characterized by the accumulation of peat, a dense, organic soil formed from the decomposition of dead plant material. Fens differ from bogs in that they receive a steady flow of water and have a higher PH, which supports the growth of more diverse plant species. Fens are important because they support a wide array of biodiversity, store significant amounts of carbon, and regulate water flows and quality.

According to an on-site kiosk: “At this fen, peat is mostly 4 to 6 feet deep and is accumulating at a rate of less than one inch per 100 years. These are very fragile ecosystems that take a very long time to recover when disturbed.”

“Ryan Ranch is a historic slough floodplain of the Deschutes River that has been drained and isolated from the river for over 90 years. The area was used historically by Native Americans and more recently as pasture after being homesteaded in the late 1900’s. The Forest Service acquired Ryan Ranch in 1946 and continued grazing on site as part of a federal grazing allotment until 1989. The full ecological potential of the slough, including historic habitat for the Oregon spotted frog, has been limited by a berm that prevents the river from inundating the floodplain on a regular basis. Reconnecting the river with Ryan Ranch will benefit a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic species, including migratory and nesting waterfowl, amphibians and ungulates.” [COTA]

These miles follow along the old haul road, a historic railroad logging route that was used to transport logged trees to the Brooks-Scanlon and Shevlin-Hixon mills, located along the Deschutes River near the Old Mill shopping area today. The rail lines were used in place of the river on this segment due to the number of cascades and falls. Picture – Shevlin-Hixon Mill on the west bank of the river. [Old Mill District]