Quick & Dirty
5 Star Route / Ridden and Reviewed by Captain ‘O’
This is a ride that all Bend cyclocross and adventure riders should have in their quiver of rides. It is a great route, close to town, scenic, and can be done in about 2 hours. For those visiting Bend with limited time, we would suggest the Water and Lava or the West Side Tour routes as better choices.
The ride will take you into the Skyline Forest, through the Two Bulls fire area and along the back and east side of Shevlin park. There are two short sections of the ride that can be challenging: a section of deep dust / sand ( ~ 150 yards) and a section with larger rocks (golf ball sized) in the road as you descend to the crossing of Shevlin creek (about .2 miles in length). The route starts in Shevlin Park which means right off the bat, you have a climb. Most people will just ride it from town, tacking on the extra couple of miles.
Ride 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.
Adventure / Gravel Route
– Loop: 20 miles / 1300 ft gain
– Gravel (mostly, ~1.5 miles of pavement)
– Course by: Captain “O”
– Location: Bend, OR
– Date Posted: November 2016 (updated September 2018)
Difficulty
For the experienced beginner. Can have some loose and sandy sections.
The Start
At the Shevlin Commons public parking area, just off Skyliner road.
Food / Water
None.
Downloads
Legend
Red = paved road
Brown = gravel / dirt road
Purple = paved bike path
For help with Ride, GPS files, etc see the “Help with …” page. To learn how to download the routes for free, see “Using Our Routes …” page.
Tried to ride this today, but was greeted with a sign right at the early turn off Shevlin Park. Sign said, “Taylor NW; Due to heavy truck traffic bicycles are prohibited; Monday-Friday 6am-6pm”. I almost tested it and then a giant articulated semi can roaring past at 30-40mph. I noped right out of there an rode the H2O route instead. I’d mark this one as an evening/weekend only ride.
Thanks for the comment! We have added the following to the page …
“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.”
We rode a former railbed-only loop on the Brookes-Scanlon rail shunts which intersects with this route. At mile 14.3 of this route the property owner has marked the land as ‘no-trespassing’ and used yellow tape to close off the road. Trying to circumvent the intent of the yellow tape and sign, one later sees that the signs indicate no trespassing for motorized vehicles. I suspect this might be related to an increase in campers penetrating the forests nearby Bend. Would be nice to contact the lumber company to determine if we are good to ride there.
Ben … per the news article on KTVZ and the Bend Bulletin … yes, we can still ride in the area. Motor vehicles have been limited by the property owner. Brad Chalafont, from the Deschutes Land Trust would have further information. Thanks for the comment!
Great ride! Thanks for making the start and finish just outside my front door! ?
Ride Report April 8, 2020 1:00 PM
The route is 99.8% rideable. There was only one icy/snowy/muddy patch about 150 feet long at about the 8 mile mark during the descent. I walked it, but others may be able to ride through it.
Ride report: Feb 3, 2018
Wow! That was sticky mud, peanut butter. In the sun, the roads were soft, but doable. I the shade it was some snow, ice, water and lots of mud.