Ben’s Trail is one of the first trails put into the Phil’s Network. Do you know who it is named for? Do you know that it originally was NOT a mountain bike or hiking trail, but that it had another purpose? Give a listen to this podcast and this podcast to get answers to these questions and learn more about the history of Ben’s Trail.

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. For more information, see the resource page in the right sidebar (desktop) or towards the bottom of page (mobile).

Public Land Stewards, an independent non-profit organization funded by donations, serves to safeguard user access on public lands. The organization hosts clean-up events during which volunteers gather and remove unwanted cars and other trash from public lands. This helps the Forest Service, which doesn’t have funds or resources for such efforts. Public lands belong to all of us, so consider donating money or time to the Public Land Stewards.  [Public Land Stewards]

The area now know as Sunriver was originally a lake bed. The lake dried and turned into a meadow, which became a popular meeting place for Native Americans. In 1943, the US Army established Camp Abbot on the meadow and used it as a training ground. Closed after D-Day in 1944, most buildings were razed except for the Officer’s Club, which is now the “Great Hall.” In the mid 1960s, the land was developed into a luxury resort and residential community. Today the resort is known for its golf courses and recreational vacation rentals. [Wikipedia]

In 1916, the Shevlin-Hixon and the Brooks-Scanlon mills opened in Bend. Soon railroads and the river were used to access the forest and bring ponderosa pine to the mills. Logs were floated down the river to this location from as far away as present-day Wickiup Reservoir, loaded onto trains, and then hauled to the mills via haul roads (see the Old Haul Road Point of Interest below). The logging process had a significant impact on the river: natural, woody material was removed from the river and riverbanks were damaged, harming riparian areas and fish habitat. [On-site Kiosk]

From here, the Upper Deschutes River flows north towards Bend. Originating at Little Lava Lake in the Cascade Range, about 16 miles due west of here, the river supports over 100 species of plants and trees, as well as fish species of Redband Trout, Brown Trout, and Whitefish. [On-site Kiosk]

This section of river is classified as Wild & Scenic, meaning that it has been protected by Congress due to its remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, and/or other similar values. Despite its protected designation, the river’s ecology is at a tipping point, with steep declines in fish, wildlife, and vegetation. We must act now before it is too late. Take a moment to learn more on the Deschutes River Conservancy website.

You will need to detour slightly off-route to access this overlook. Benham Falls is perhaps the most notable of the turbulent class V rapids on the Deschutes River as it rushes towards the southwest of Bend. The falls reside in an area where a large field of lava solidified and formed a narrow canyon that squeezes the Deschutes River. Around 1885, J. R. Benham attempted and failed to file a land claim near this area, though the falls were later named for him. [Visit Bend]

Do you see the large lava flow to your right? The Upper Deschutes River used to run where the lava flowed. Over 7000 years ago, the Lava Butte eruption buried the old channel of the Upper Deschutes River under more than 100 feet of lava. With the flow of the river still running north, this entire area filled with water. Known as Benham Lake, it covered over 15 square miles. With Benham Falls at it northern most point, the lake extended all the way south to LaPine Start Park (see the Big Red Ride Guide). When the lake filled nearly two million years ago, it found an outlet across a low divide in an ancient lava dome. Today, the river continues to cut into this dome at Benham Falls. Over the years, the river slowly downcut at Benham Falls. The lake became smaller until it finally disappeared. [On-site Kiosk]

This 65-acre slough was first homesteaded in the 1890s. A berm built in the 1920s prevented the river from flooding the slough and sustained the site as pastureland. Over time, the invasive reed canary grass outcompeted native wetland species and spread across the basin. Restoration in 2018 now allows the river to actively flood the slough, which directly benefits native rushes and sedges. Remember: “Sedges have edges, rushes are round, and grasses have knees that bend to the ground.” [On-site Kiosk]

These miles follow along the Old Haul/Shevlin-Hixon Road. This historic railroad logging route was used to transport logged trees to the Brooks-Scanlon and Shevlin-Hixon mills,  which were located along the Deschutes River near Bend’s current Old Mill shopping area. The rail lines were used in place of the river on these segments due to the prevelant cascades and falls, which complicated transport by water. [Old Mill District]

This rock is evidence of the incredible forces of Mother Nature. In the winter of 2022, this boulder (a weight of probably several thousand pounds) was ejected from the hillside to the left. We tend to think of nature as static and unchanging, but this is not so. Rocks, creeks, and tectonic plates are always shifting and moving. Sometimes these changes occur violently with massive thunderstorms or volcanic eruptions; other times just with a simple freeze-thaw cycle.

At one point, this high-end resort and golf community was a struggling endeavor that was on the brink of failure. As reported in 2009, “Only 59 of 302 plots have sold and just ‘a handful’ of homes have been built on them. The master developer, Arrowood Tetherow, had to unload most of its residential lots, plus the property where it planned to build a hotel and the golf course itself. Now it’s getting pressure from another one of the developers, Virtual Realty Enterprises of St. Louis, which has filed a notice of default for failure to pay $12 million on an $18 million line of credit.” [Bend Bulletin]