The trails and roads are emerging as the snow melts and we’re excited to be on our bikes! Mountain biking in Central Oregon during the spring means going north or east to dry trails. These areas are in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains and get way less precipitation than the trails west of Bend. The trail systems listed below ride best now while the sandy soil holds moisture and packs to a firm riding surface. In the summer these areas bake in the high desert sun and the trails get blown out.
Go explore on your own or contact Cog Wild for a guided mountain bike ride or gravel tour.
Cross Country Rides:
Horse Ridge
Try Horse Ridge for solid climbs, tech descents and big views of the Cascades. There are multiple ways to pedal up to the top. The easiest and most social is to climb Old Highway 20 or climb single track via Parkway or Giddyup. From the top of the Ridge, choose from a number of fast downhills.
Farther afield, the trails out of Smith Rock State Park and Madras East Hills are worth a day trip.
Smith Rock
To ride Smith Rock, park at the Skull Hollow Trailhead and skip the busy main entrance to the park. Try riding around Gray Butte or doing the whole Cole Loop. Please yield to horses on these trails.
Madras East Hills
The Madras East Hills Trails are a fun way to get some warm weather riding even when temperatures around Bend feel wintery. The Hills are on the western edge of the Blue Mountains and the higher clay content makes for a really nice trail surface. These trails are the skeleton for the Bone Crusher XC race in mid April.
Downhill:
Downhillers can find good dh mountain biking at Cline Butte during the winter or early spring. This is an earn your turns situation, ride or push to the top and take your pick of rocky dh lines. There’s also XC options at Cascade View and Maston Trailheads.
Gravel:
The gravel roads near Bend are melting out, there’s plenty of miles to link up a ride from town. Check out Dirty Freehub for ride recommendations.
Guided Rides:
While you can do these rides on your own, Cog Wild can outfit you and take you for a gravel tour or a guided mountain bike ride to these fun outlying trails through the spring before our classic Bend trails open around mid May.
Trails to avoid:
Please resist the urge to ride west of Bend for another month. The trails out of Phil’s Trailhead and Cog Wild’s Bend location are still muddy and have spots of snow or standing water.
By: Kirin Stryker, Cog Wild Owner & Operator on March 5, 2025