THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
GO! MAGAZINE • PAGE 11
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OUTDOORS
COVERAGE
bendbulletin.com/gooutdoors
Find places to explore, conditions,
expert columns and outstanding
features in The Bulletin’s new
Explore Central Oregon section
in Friday’s paper
Backcountry skiing
at Vista Butte
BY MARK MORICAL • The Bulletin
T
umalo Mountain, just across Century Drive from Mount Bachelor, is the best-known
Central Oregon destination for backcountry snowriders.
Vista Butte is another decent option when
Bachelor and Tumalo Mountain are getting
pounded with wind and snow. Backcountry en-
thusiasts can skin or snowshoe to the top of 6,619-
foot Vista Butte and ski or snowboard back down
toward the sno-park. From the sno-park, reaching
the summit of the butte to the northeast is a 2.5-
mile trek with a 700-foot elevation gain. Most of
the snowriding on Vista Butte is among the trees,
so skiers and snowboarders should watch out for
tree wells, areas around the bases of trees where
unconsolidated snow collects and creates poten-
tial hazards for an unsuspecting snowrider.
Directions: From Bend, travel southwest along
Century Drive toward Mount Bachelor. A few
miles before Bachelor, Vista Butte Sno-park is on
the right side of the road.
Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com
Mark Morical/Bulletin file photo
Two skiers skin their way toward the top of Vista Butte west of Bend.
Outdoor pick of the week:
Swamp Wells Trail
“Swamp Wells” isn’t the most alluring name,
is it? If you were making a list of potential names
for wells whose waters you would not want to
drink, Swamp Wells would be on there right af-
ter Sewer Wells, alphabetically or otherwise.
Fortunately, Swamp Wells Trail is a fetching,
23-mile stretch of single-track running north-
south between Horse Butte and the Newberry
Crater Rim. Maintained by the Central Oregon
Trail Alliance, it makes for great hiking, trail run-
ning or mountain biking. Swamp Wells is also
popular with horseback riders, though you
may be more likely to encounter them closer to
Horse Butte or Swamp Wells Horse Camp. My el-
dest daughter, Caroline, and I headed to Swamp
Wells a couple of weeks ago during a dry spell
between stormy squalls. The trail is accessible
from a few points, including Horse Butte and a
quarter-mile-long spur from Bessie Butte. We
opted for the latter.
Once reaching Swamp Wells Trail from the
spur, we proceeded south toward Kelsey Butte,
from which one can also access Coyote Loop
and Arnold Ice Cave trails, probably best accom-
plished by mountain bike or horseback. Caroline
and I just went for an out-and-back, estimated
3-mile hike, a pleasant walk in the forest.
Getting there: From Knott Road in Bend,
head east on China Hat Road about 4.5 miles,
With her pet dog Kaloo leading the way, Car-
oline Jasper hikes on Swamp Wells Trail, in
the China Hat Road area southeast of Bend.
then turn right on Forest Road 1810 and park
at the Bessie Butte Trailhead. The 1/4-mile spur
leading to Swamp Wells Trail is across the road
from the Bessie Butte Trailhead.
— Story and photos by David Jasper, The Bulletin
LES NEWMAN’S
QUALITY OUTDOOR WEAR
On NE Franklin Avenue across from Les Schwab
541-318-4868