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.
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
Every year we tend to get extended high pressure systems mid winter. When this happens we shift from powder skiing to mountain biking, fat biking and catching up on office work. This post has information about low & local rides in Oakridge and fat biking on the groomed trails at Wanoga Sno-Park west of Bend. Read on for a few of our favorite winter mountain bike rides.
Low & local winter mountain bike rides in Oakridge
The snow line on the west side of the Cascades is currently around 4000”, which means the low elevation trails are snow free and riding well. While Cog Wild doesn’t operate in the winter due to limitations with our USFS permit, we encourage you to come ride for a day or two.
Self shuttle if you want, but riding loops or out and back on the close to town trails is a great way to build base miles and maximize time on trail.
If you chose to ride in the winter, please be cautious. There is debris on the trail and occasionally new downed trees. The days are still short and it’s cold in the shady forests, so choose a shorter route (or bring a light) and pack a warm layer. Here’s a few of our go-to winter mountain bike rides out of Oakridge.
Alpine Winter Loop
The Alpine Winter Loop is a gem of a ride. Park at the Covered Bridge in Westfir, ride east through the neighborhood and along the north shore of the Willamette River to Forest Road 5828 and ride it up to the second trail crossing. From here ride out on Alpine Trail as far as you can go then turn around and ride the trail back to where you began.
Larison Rock Loop
Larison Rock gets a bum rap in the summer for being too short of a trail for a shuttle; we think its best ridden as a loop from town. Start at Greenwaters Park, cross the river and work your way east on La Duke Road to Hills Creek Reservoir Road (Forest Rd. 21), then take Forest Rd. 2102 to the top trailhead and take Larison Rock Trail back to Greenwaters Park.
Middle Fork of the Willamette Trail
If you don’t mind driving a bit, consider riding out and back on the Middle Fork of the Willamette Trail south of Oakridge. Park at Sand Prairie Campground to access the trail, ride as far as you want up trail and turn around when you hit snow or have had enough.
Winter fat bike rides near Bend
The high pressure systems create great fat bike riding conditions. Central Oregon Trails Alliance grooms fat bike trails at Wanoga Sno-Park west of Bend. There are two loops that are just for fat bikes plus miles of snow mobile roads that are in perfect shape right now. Bring your own bikes or join us for a guided ride.
Cog Wild’s fat bike tours run daily and include a bike rental and transportation from our location at LOGE to and from the Wanoga. We can accommodate up to 6 riders per day.
Posted on January 22, 2025 by Kirin Stryker, Co-owner of Cog Wild Bicycle Tours
This holiday season we’re participating in Small Business Saturday, a promotion that encourages people to support small business and shop local when buying gifts for their loved ones.
Read on for gift ideas ranging from Cog Wild merchandise to gift cards for experiences, discounted shuttle passes and 2023 demo bike sales. All these gifts are available online, via in person sales during office hours (T, W, Th from 10 AM to 3 PM) or by appointment.
Cog Wild Merchandise
Who wouldn’t be stoked to receive new bike socks, a baseball cap with a cute little sasquatch, a bandana or a Cog Wild logo’d water bottle? Merchandise is available via Cog Wild’s online store or in person at our Bend location. All orders received before December 20 can be shipped at an additional cost.
The sasquatch and the graphics on the bandana are by The Workhouse Bend , a fun place to shop local.
Holiday pricing for 2025 mountain bike shuttle passes
Give the gift that keeps on giving: a season’s worth of shuttles for gravity assisted mountain biking. Renew or purchase a 2025 season pass now through December 31 for the best price of the year. Current pass holders, please email the office to confirm a renewal for 2025 so you can keep last year’s booking code.
PNW shuttle passes are a great gift for your best riding buddy; commit to a mountain bike road trip in 2025 and support small businesses while you’re at it.
Need a new(ish) bike? We’re selling our remaining full suspension demo fleet bikes including some Santa Cruz Hightowers, Tallboys and 5010s.
Happy Holidays from Cog Wild
Whether you’re shopping for holiday gifts or treating yourself, remember that every purchase at a small business, like Cog Wild, makes a difference to maintaining the character and vibrancy of the places we live and love to visit.
We’re grateful to each and every one of you for riding with us during the 2024 season. Have a joyful holiday season full of outdoor adventure.
Cog Wild is fully open and will operate daily through the end of October. Despite some late season fires, there’s plenty of mountain biking and other fun to be had in Bend and Oakridge this month.
Bend Mountain Biking Update
A thunderstorm last weekend peppered the region with lightening and started a number of new fires across the Cascades. The Bachelor Complex Fires have closed the trails out of Wanoga Trailhead, but the trails from Dutchman and Swampy Trailheads are open. Cool weather and rain this week will improve the situation and make for good riding conditions in the coming weeks.
Due to poor AQI this week we pushed the start of Cascadia Junior Cycling’s after school programs to the week of 9/16. There’s still room in most of the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday sessions for all age and ability groups.
The lightening fires that started near Oakridge in early July are mostly extinguished and the AQI has been surprisingly good. There’s a solid two days of shuttling: one day on Hardesty and Lawler and a second day on Dead Mountain, Larison and Heckletooth. If you like pedaling, there’s plenty of mountain biking to be had on the high country trails near Willamette Pass. It’s raining now, trails are going to be great for the next few weeks.
Cog Wild will be there all weekend, come say hi or join a free intro to mountain biking session at 2 PM on Saturday, September 21.
If you pass through Oakridge en route to or from the festival, visit the Middle Fork Bistro for tacos, fresh salads and cold beverages. Hours are Friday – Sunday from 3:30 to 7:30
Santiam Wagon Road Exhibition
For my fellow nature and history nerds out there, check out the Santiam Wagon Road Exhibition on September 28 at the Fish Lake Remount Station. This is at the top of the McKenzie River and adjacent to the Old Cascade Crest Trails. Ride for a day or two and spend some hours at Fish Lake learning about the rich cultural history of Santiam Pass with some seriously passionate folks.
Join us for a full day trip from Bend, or meet us at the trailhead as we ride the Dog River trail near Mt. Hood.
The Dog River Super D is happening the following day so join us to preview for your race run, or just enjoy a fantastic trail for multiple laps.
Schedule:
Meet at Cog Wild Bend office at 7:00 to load up; leaving at 7:15. $149 per adult rider, includes a Nancy P’s sandwich for lunch, snacks and post-ride beverage from Deschutes / Polar. $100 per rider CJC juniors. Use the book button to reserve
Meet us at the Dog River trailhead at 10 AM. Special rate of $50 / rider email info@cogwild.com to claim these seats.
Plan is to ride three laps, with some options for other trails later in the day.
Bring a swimsuit as the river is right there for a cold plunge after the ride.
Sign up by Wednesday night — we have a 4 person minimum and will refund your deposit if we don’t have 4 riders by Thursday morning.
Has an undulating climb that starts less than a mile down
Then there’s a tricky rock section that you might want to inspect / session about 2.5 miles down
From there it’s incredibly fun to the bottom, with rocks, roots, creekbeds and reports say recent trailwork over the weekend has the trail running well.
Our Level 2 Progression Session and Jumping for Oldies groups started up this week. Here is a video and a few photos of the riders working to build their foundational skills like body position, pressure control and timing during the first day of class.
Looking great, everyone!
Jumping for Oldies day 1 with Erika and Missie at Phil’s trailhead.
At Cog Wild Bicycle Tours, we’re all about turning a bike ride into a memorable experience.
We believe that learning some mountain biking skills can significantly improve your experience and make you a better and safer rider. With nearly two decades of experience, we’ve developed a diverse range of lessons for all kinds of riders.
Our coaches love to teach and geek out on teaching strategy, outdoor classrooms and group dynamics. From PMBIA certifications to in-house trainings, our coaches continually work to improve their confidence and capacity to teach mountain biking. This spring, a bunch of our coaches are taking the PMBIA kids module while others are going for their Level 2 certifications.
Multi-week skills sessions and Cascadia Junior Cycling sessions start in April each year and are available through October.
Bend Progression Sessions
Progression Session Level 1 was our first foray into group skills lessons. After years of success with these multi-week skills sessions for adults, we’ve added Level 2 for riders who want to hone their jumps, drops, rock tech and cornering skills.
Our mountain bike camps, clubs and off-road teams provide young riders incredible opportunities to improve their skills, build fitness, and have fun riding with their peers and dedicated mentors.
We have established an effective pipeline for riders to follow as they increase their ability and set bigger goals. Whether that goal is to ride a new feature on a local trail or win a national championship event, our coaches work hard to prepare the riders and support their success.
is open for 2024 sessions for youth and juniors who love to ride bikes
Private Mountain Bike Skills Instruction in Bend & Oakridge
Cog Wild’s professional mountain bike coaches will help you become a more confident and skilled rider. Sign up for a full or half-day private skills clinic by yourself or with friends so that you are ready to tackle any challenge on the trail.
Interested in conquering Mt. Bachelor’s downhill park? Check out our Mt. Bachelor skills page here.
Take a mountain biking road trip through the Pacific Northwest to explore some of the best riding in the region. The PNW Shuttle Pass unlocks two shuttle rides with three outfitters, for up to six days of mountain biking in Oregon and Northern California.
Check out all the details at PNWShuttlePass.com or buy one below:
2 non-transferable shuttles with each of the participating businesses for a total of 6 shuttles. One pass per rider.
Shuttles must be redeemed before the end of the current season, no refunds.
PNW Shuttle Pass cannot be combined with any other promotion at any of the participating outfitters.
Shuttle service depends on environmental conditions at each location: shuttles typically begin on May 1, when the snow melts out, and run through October 31, when the snow tends to come back.
Outfitters will have shuttles live for booking around April 1.
How it works
$210 value for $129 Through 4/30/24 Increases to $150 5/1/24
STEP 1: Purchase the PNW Shuttle Pass
The PNW Shuttle Pass is purchased from and administered by Cog Wild.
In the confirmation email you will receive a code that is immediately active for Ashland — the Bend & Mt. Shasta codes must be approved manually and may take 24 hrs to become active.
Step 2: Book Shuttles
Copy your code(s) from your confirmation email to reserve your shuttle(s) for the time & date you wish with each outfitter.
As the season is winds down in the fall our clients inevitably ask, “What does Cog Wild do in the winter?” Increasingly the answer is winter recreation as we adjust our business model to account for climate change. While we have had to shut down in Oakridge for heavy rain we are most impacted by fire and smoke shut downs during the traditional summer mountain biking season when tourism used to peak.
Implications of climate change on mountain biking in Oregon:
We’ve noticed that once riders see a fire in the state, they stop coming. Understandably, no one wants to vacation near a wildfire. Folks stop coming to visit during the year when a fire is burning. Folks who are already here tend to want to change their plans on short notice when smoke rolls in.
We’re not alone in noticing a change in mountain biking due to climate change. Protect our Winters UK, recently published Downhill from Here, a report on climate change and cycling. They point out three areas where climate change is impacting cycling; results that we can corroborate locally.
#1 Threats to access due to increasingly intense and frequent extreme weather
Cog Wild has definitely seen threats to access due to increasingly intense and frequent extreme weather. Each year we have more and more days when we can’t ride due to “atmospheric rivers”, active wildfires and subsequent smoke. Who remembers when we had to shut down Oakridge shuttles for four weekends in a row in the spring of 2022 due to historic rainfall?
Wildfire and smoke shutdowns were not a big deal when we bought Cog Wild in 2006. In the first decade that we owned the business there were 7 days when the AQI was unhealthy for sensitive groups or unhealthy. From 2017 to 2023, there have been 58 total days when AQI was unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse, 30 of which were hazardous AQI. For the past 6 years we’ve seen an average of 10 bad air days in Bend annually. The Bend Bulletin recently interviewed Cog Wild about the affect of smoke on our business, check it out. Last year we had more total smoke days than in the prior 5 years, although fewer of them were “purple air”.
Since we began operating in Oakridge in 2016, there have been only 2 years (2016 and 2019) when we were not impacted by smoke. In 2022, due to the Cedar Creek Fire, there were 37 days when the AQI was unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse. We got lucky this year when wet storms over Labor Day Weekend extinguished the Bedrock fire and allowed us two months of glorious fall mountain biking to close out the season.
So many of us manage our mental health with outside recreation and still need & want to get out regardless of weather. However, riding in wildfire smoke and extreme heat is dangerous and not recommended!
The State of Oregon recently published the Wildfire Smoke Trends Report. In addition to information about methodology and the impact of AQI on health, it shows the number of days when air was unsafe for sensitive groups or greater for many cities and small towns in Oregon.
#3 Threats to experience and events:
Climate change will continue to affect the mountain bike experience Cog Wild can provide. Heavy rain can supersaturate the trails in Oakridge making the riding more stressful and dangerous. When we ride on muddy trails we leave ruts and degrade the trail quality, which has an additional negative affect on the experience for future riders. Trudging through the soft trails and over downfall after a forest fire is harder and way less fun than flowing down well compacted trail.
Last month the New York Times, put out an article called “Unpredictability in the System’, and other Travel Lessons from the Summer of ‘23 that offers some insight into how travelers can better navigate the changes. The big standouts for us were the reminder to be flexible and the increase of travel to cooler regions or in our case an increase in visitors during the spring and fall when the weather may be wet but when fire is less likely to impact the experience.
The takeaway:
So, what does this mean for Cog Wild?
With predictably unpredictable fire and smoke shutdowns each summer, we’re looking at how to stay viable and keep getting folks outside. To do so, we’ve extended the operations calendar and have added activities to the shoulder and off seasons.
In 2021 we added Cascadia Junior Cycling, a race and recreation program for ages 5 to 18. Spring and fall after school programs extend our operations calendar into April and November, giving our staff two more months of work. Anticipating weather shutdowns, we build in a week at the end of spring, summer and fall sessions for potential make up days due to smoke, fire, heavy rain or unseasonable snow. Last spring, we started after school cycling programs a week late due to snow in mid April.
In Bend we are permitted to mountain bike anytime the conditions are good, which can be any month of the year. During the winter, when conditions are less likely to be favorable for mountain biking, we shift to fat bike tours and shuttle service for the Three Sisters Backcountry Nordic Traverse.
In Oakridge we’re permitted to run shuttles earlier in April and later in November when the rain is light. This winter we’re excited to launch winter operations: guided bike rides on the low elevation roads & trails near town during the high pressure systems and even more exciting, we’re going to provide daily guided backcountry nordic ski and snowshoe tours from mid December through mid March. Come play in the snow with us!
The mountain biking in Oregon the past few weeks has been wonderful! We’ve had some good rides in the high country where the views are endless and the adventure worth the effort.
Fall has arrived in earnest and the office is abuzz with excitement; in our opinion it’s the best time to ride. The forecasted rain is very welcome and riding in the rain is highly recommend, especially in Bend where it tamps down the dust and firms up our sandy soil. Heads up: keep an eye out for new downed trees that fall with the storms.
Riding in fall is a shift from the carefree days of summer. Now’s the time to throw that extra layer or rain jacket into your pack, maybe some hand warmers too. We love riding with wool base layers. Consider packing a change of clothes to get cozy quickly after the ride.
Days are shorter; think through your routes so you don’t get caught after dark or carry a light if you intend to ride at night. After the ride stop by Deschutes Pub or their popular tasting room in Bend or at the 3 Legged Crane Pub in Oakridge.
Come ride or do some trail work with us this fall. Read on for information about two upcoming trail work and play opportunities with Oakridge Trails Alliance, a note on operations in Bend and Oakridge and an invitation to bring your young kids to the Discover Nature Festival in Bend this weekend.
Fall Trail Work and Play Opportunities
Have you heard about Oakridge Trails Alliance (OTA)? It’s the combination of the former GOATS and ATCA trail work organizations and the new name in town for trail work. The OTA is taking action on trail work around Oakridge this fall with regular work parties and a couple weekend “ride and dig’“ events with the local guide & shuttle outfits. Cog Wild is excited to partner with OTA for a weekend of brushing and shuttling on Moon Point on September 30 and October 1. The event is free, registration is required and limited, so sign up soon. Find out more and sign up here. Transcascadia is hosting one of their infamous trail work parties on Alpine Trail the following weekend, October 5-8. Find out more and sign up here. We’re fully operational in both Bend and Oakridge through the end of October (even into November as the weather allows). Join Kenny’s Flow clinic in Oakridge on September 30 or Lev’s Level 2 session in Bend on Mondays in October. Hire a guide to show you something new or jump on one of our regular shuttles.
