In Plain View

5 Star Route / Bend, Oregon / Published April 2014

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This area is winter migration habitat (December 1 to March 31) for mule deer and elk. Please limit your group size to 4 or less.

Route:

Loop | 38 mi

Gain:

1500 ft

Surface:

80% gravel, 20% paved

Technical Difficulty:

Moderate

Navigation:

Attention Required

Locale:

Urban Backcountry

Tire Suggestion:

45 mm

eBike Friendly:

Yes

Community Condition Report:

Update

Plainview is the name of an unincorporated community just outside of Sisters that has a plain view of a whole lot of big mountains. And that is where you are headed on this ride.

As of August 2021, we have updated the route to avoid the gate closures near the Verhyden property.

Map & Details

Brown = gravel / dirt road

Blue = single track

Red = paved road

Purple = paved bike path

Route Downloads:

Ride with GPS Strava GPX file Cue Sheet

When we like to ride this…

Fall and spring. And when we are limited on time and need a quick go-to ride. This route will hold snow in the winter, and we discourage use during this time due to the area being critical mule deer winter habitat. The area is closed from December 1 to March 15 to motor vehicles and may be closed during the summer months due to wildfire risk. You can learn more about winter range closures here (by Deschutes Land Trust) and here (by National Forest Service).

The Start

Shevlin Park. Toilets.

Lat / Long: 44.0830870, -121.377065

Food & Water

None.

Highlights

Terrain & Riding

This is one of our “go to” rides in the fall and spring (video). It is close to town, has no big climbs to overheat on and no big descents to get cold on …. and it has some fantastic views! The Sisters. Mt Washington. Mt Jefferson. Black Butte. We also use this for large group rides that become more of a gabfest than a ride because the roads are super wide.

Notes & Options

Route Notes

As you turn onto Bull Springs road at mile 0.5, there is a sign that states, “no bicycles Monday through Friday”. We have checked with Deschutes County, and the road is a public use road, and bicycle access is not limited. Unfortunately, this sign is on private property, and the county does not have jurisdiction to remove it. However, we strongly suggest that you ride single file on Bull Springs road due to the truck traffic.
A red blinky light is nice to have for the last paved sector, from mile 29 to 33.

Route Options

For a shorter ride, start at Tumalo reservoir. The route is then 23 miles and 850 feet of gain. (Map, GPX file, TCX file).

The start lat / long: 44.138191, -121.414744

Comments

Have you ridden this route? Got a question? Join the discussion!

Podcasts

Skyline Forest (It’s not public land?)

What! It is not public land? Ben Gordon, Executive Director of Central Oregon Land Watch, joins us to discuss a large area of private land called Skyline Forest and what the future entails for this 33,000 acres of land.

Resources

Winter Range Habitat -yes, it’s important!

Just to the west of Bend, from the Deschutes River to Sisters, is an important corridor of lands that are critical winter range for mule deer and elk (from December 1 to March 31). The wild populations of these animals have decreased significantly over the last 10 years. Learn what you can to to minimize your impact!

Captain O / Team Dirty Freehub

He should have “Never Stop Exploring” tattooed on his chest! He loves adventures on bikes and is a Co-Founder of Dirty Freehub.

Gravel Girl / Team Dirty Freehub

She loves a good day of gravel, like most people like a good book. She’s always amused by the outdoors and the wild adventures. Gravel Girl is a Co-Founder of Dirty Freehub.

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