Ride with GPS Strava GPX file Cue Sheet
This is a go to route for us Bend locals. It goes most of the year, except when we there is snow in town. We like this route outside of tourist season. If done during the summer, and early start is recommended (prior to 8 am).
And if the weather is touch and go, this is a perfect route. It is really easy to bail out and be back to town in a flash.
Drake park near the historic green “wagon wheel”.
Lat / Long: 44.059283, -121.319430
The route is fun, close to town, relatively flat, and a mix of paths, trails and road. Expect to encounter others on the trails, remember to give way. The terrain is a mix of urban and national forest, with a number of scenic river and mountain views.
Be ready to test your navigation skills. There are a number of tricky turns, ones that are easy to miss, thus zoom way in on your navigation device. Way in!
You start out in downtown Bend, in the historic Drake Park. You then pass by First Street Rapids and take the River Trail around Awbrey Butte with nice views of the mountains. When the River Trail ends, you will take paved roads up the backside of Awbrey Butte and head out to Shevlin Park.
Then you meander through Shevlin Park and then on a few paved roads to reach Skyliners Road and then over to Phil’s Trailhead Parking Area (which is the start of an extensive mountain biking area). Here you are on gravel roads that will loop you to Century Drive.
You then catch the bike path back towards town, which winds you into a gravel road, paralleling Century Drive. You will drop down into the Old Mill District and follow the Deschutes River, then slice through a historic neighborhood to take you back to Drake Park.
We recommend a red blinky light with rear looking radar detector (i.e. Garmin Varia)
Have you ridden this route? Got a question? Join the discussion!