B10 The BulleTin • Friday, FeBruary 26, 2021
TOP PICKS
WHERE TO EXPLORE
Get out in the snow near Sisters
Mark Morical/Bulletin file photo
Mountain bikers ride in the Radlands trail network with Smith Rock State Park in the background.
Radlands
Continued from B1
I left early in the morning,
in order to ride the trails while
the dirt was still frozen and be-
fore muddy conditions might
develop with a thaw. (Riding in
mud is not just unenjoyable, it
also can damage trails by leav-
ing behind ruts.)
Starting from the trailhead
at the High Desert Sports
Complex, the trail was smooth
and fast, cutting through sage-
brush and old, twisted juniper
trees. It took a while to reach
the rocky sections of the trail,
but once I did, they never
seemed to end.
Much of the rock built into
the singletrack at the Radlands
is flat slab rock that is relatively
easy to ride over. But some
rock sections are particularly
tricky, with the rocks jutting up
sharply for long stretches.
Full-suspension bikes that
can help to smooth out a ride
are recommended at the Rad-
lands.
Riding over rocky, techni-
cal terrain on a mountain bike
usually is all about mind over
matter. Those who have the
confidence and make a quick
decision to just go for it often
will ride a challenging section
without incident.
Hesitation can cause prob-
lems.
At the Radlands trails, I fo-
cused on riding fast and con-
tinuously through the myriad
rock gardens, using my mo-
mentum to carry me through
the rugged terrain. Braking
hard or stopping can be disas-
trous, as that can lead to a loss
of balance or tipping over to
crash onto the rocks.
Posted signs at the Rad-
land rate the singletrack trails
as “easy,” “more difficult” or
“most difficult.” The area also
holds many miles of double-
If you go
Directions: From Bend, take U.S. Highway 97 north to Redmond.
Turn right on Oregon Highway 126/Evergreen Avenue. Turn left on
Ninth Street. Turn right on Negus Way. Stay straight to go onto Maple
Avenue. The High Desert Sports Complex and the Radlands trailhead
are on the left.
Length: About 10 miles of singletrack bike trails, with several loop
options. Plans call for 30 miles of trails eventually.
Rating: Technically intermediate to advanced; aerobically easy to in-
termediate.
Trail features: Trails range from easy to advanced. Many of the trails
include technical riding over lava rock. Views include the Cascade
Range and Smith Rock State Park.
most anywhere in the network.
The variety of the trail fea-
tures in the Radlands is pretty
unique, from continuously
rock-strewn trails to smooth,
flowing High Desert single-
track. The area has little ele-
vation change, so mountain
bikers need not worry about
hellacious climbs or teeth-chat-
tering downhill sections.
The technical rock chal-
lenges are enough, and they
make the Radlands a good
destination for any mountain
biker in the winter and spring.
e e
track dirt roads to explore.
On the north end of the trail
system, bikers have three loop
options of varying skill lev-
els. Duck ’n’ Cover is the most
technical and rocky segment of
the trail system, according to
bendtrails.org.
On the south end of the
Radlands, the Outer Loop pro-
vides more miles and fewer
rocky sections.
I rode the Outer Loop once
around, then tried the inter-
mediate Bobber Loop (inter-
mediate) and Duck ’n’ Cover.
All told, I rode about 10 miles
in one hour, 40 minutes, as the
lava rock sections made for
slow going.
Aside from the technical rid-
ing challenges, the Radlands
offer some underrated views.
Redmond is home to dra-
matic vistas of the Three Sisters
to the west and Smith Rock
State Park to the north. The flat,
open expanse of the Radlands
makes the most of these views,
as the mountains are visible
2 LOCATIONS
BEND•REDMOND
We’re Smiling Big!
Open For Practice!
Sign up at www.Namaspa.com
Camp Polk Meadow Preserve — The preserve located east of
Sisters is great for winter bird-watching including eagles and owls,
teals and waxwings. The 151-acre preserve was acquired by the De-
schutes Land Trust in 2000 and includes wetlands, meadows, aspen
groves and more. The area is also historically significant both to the
Native American people who inhabited the lands for centuries as
well as for the European explorers and settlers of the 19th century.
Remnants of the Hindman Barn remain and can be viewed respect-
fully from designated areas.
Maxwell Butte Sno-
park — Located 3.5
miles west of the San-
tiam Junction along
state Highway 22, the
sno-park has 25 miles of
trails of all difficulty lev-
els some of which wind
through old-growth
forests with great views
of Three Fingered Jack
and Duffy and Maxwell
buttes. The park can get
busy on the weekends,
so plan accordingly. This
year the Mountain View
and South Maxwell
shelters are closed due
to COVID-19.
Suttle Lake — The lake
north of Sisters and just
off state Highway 20
is open year-round to
Bulletin file photo
fishing for brown trout
Dale Blackburn, of Corvallis,
and kokanee, if the lake
snowshoes with his dogs
isn’t frozen over. But if
at Maxwell Butte Sno-park
it is, the lake still offers
in 2011.
peaceful surroundings
to explore along the
shore with ponderosa
pines towering above and views of Mount Washington beyond. If
you feel peckish, the Suttle Lodge’s Skip Bar is open for takeout.
— Makenzie Whittle, The Bulletin
Reporter: 541-383-0318,
mmorical@bendbulletin.com
LES NEWMAN’S
LES
NEWMAN’S WEAR
QUALITY
OUTDOOR
QUALITY OUTDOOR WEAR
On NE
Franklin Avenue
across from
Les Schwab
| 541-318-4868
On NE
Franklin
Avenue
across
from
Les Schwab
541-318-4868
Trampled By
Turtles
Live From First Avenue
Join the jam band direct
from their favorite venue in
Minneapolis tonight
at 6PM PST!
Plus, ticket buyers get
20% off at
Streaming tickets and info at