The BulleTin • Friday, april 23, 2021 B9
Horse Butte
Continued from B1
Bulletin file photos
ABOVE: Bare juniper trees line singletrack in
the Horse Butte area. BELOW: Boyd Cave near
Horse Butte is one of three lava caves in the De-
schutes National Forest that are open and ac-
cessible to the public, according to the U.S. For-
est Service. The others are the Arnold Ice Cave
and the South Lava Ice Cave.
Horse Butte trails
Directions: From Southeast 27th Street in Bend, turn
east on Rickard Road. Go 2 miles east on Rickard Road,
then turn right on Billadeau Road, which turns into
Horse Butte Road. This road becomes gravel and is
marked by a Deschutes National Forest sign. Continue
until you see the Horse Butte Trailhead sign. Turn right
and park. The Arnold Ice Cave Trail is just across the
road from the parking lot. The Coyote Loop Trail is far-
ther south down the road.
Length: Loop options of 10 to 30 miles. The Coyote
Loop Trail-Arnold Ice Cave Trail loop is about 10 miles;
bikers can combine other singletrack and dirt roads for
much longer rides.
Trail features: High Desert singletrack riding among
sagebrush and some juniper trees; expansive views of
the Cascade Range and other mountains; a few lava
caves are located in the area; trails should be avoided in
mid-to-late summer when they become quite dusty.
TOP PICK OF THE WEEK
Aspen Day Use Area
BY DAVID JASPER
The Bulletin
Aspen Day Use is a versatile
spot along the Deschutes River
west of Bend. A popular put-in
for paddlers and rafting com-
panies heading to downstream
rapids, Aspen is also an excellent
place to start a hike on the De-
schutes River Trail. Upstream
lie Dillon and Benham falls, lo-
cated 1-mile and 4.5 miles away,
respectively. Big Eddy and Lava
Island Day Use areas are 1 and 2
miles downstream.
Any of these destinations
make for a good hike in a
placid, scenic setting. On a
recent Saturday, my daugh-
ter Lilly and I opted to go up-
stream toward Dillon Falls,
passing below towering stands
still in want of leaves and en-
joying views of the meandering
river below. We chose the low-
level trail closer to the riverside
when the trail split, leading to
the base of a steep, rugged set
of steps, which eventually leads
to Dillon Falls.
Remember to practice good
trail etiquette. If you like let-
ting your dog off-leash, now
is the time to go, as dogs must
be leashed May 15 through
Sept. 15.
Getting there: From Bend go
west on Cascades Lakes High-
way, then south on Forest Road
41 for about 2 miles. Follow
signs to Big Eddy/Aspen Day
Use areas. Stay right at split. A
recreation pass is required.
e e
David Jasper: 541-383-0349,
djasper@bendbulletin.com
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Sharon Preston
The trails traverse the burn
where the 1996 Skeleton Fire
scorched 17,000 acres, open-
ing up sprawling views in every
direction and leaving behind
sagebrush and bare juniper
trees.
To the west, I could see
nearly all the prominent Cas-
cade peaks of Oregon: Mount
Bachelor, the Three Sisters,
Broken Top, Mount Washing-
ton, Mount Jefferson — even
Mount Hood to the far north
on the extremely clear day.
The trails near Horse Butte
are rideable for all skill levels
and offer a good warmup be-
fore heading out to more gru-
eling rides this season.
It is extremely important
that all user groups cooper-
ate in areas like Horse Butte,
where frequent users include
hikers, trail runners, mountain
bikers and equestrians. Moun-
tain bikers are required to yield
to pedestrians and horseback
riders.
While the trails at Horse
Butte are nice for biking this
time of year, they also allow
for access to lava caves. Sure,
you can drive down China Hat
Road to find some of these
caves, but getting there via
mountain bike seems to add a
sense of adventure.
I followed the signs on the
trail to Boyd Cave, located
about a quarter of a mile north
from the Coyote Loop Trail
along Forest Road 560.
Boyd Cave is one of several
lava caves in the Deschutes Na-
tional Forest that is open and
accessible to the public, accord-
ing to the U.S. Forest Service.
I walked down the access
stairs and stepped into the
dark cave. After strapping on
a headlamp, I ventured a few
hundred feet into the lava tube.
The lava caves were formed
thousands of years ago from
crusts of solidified lava that
grew over the top of flowing
lava, according to the U.S. For-
est Service. When the eruption
that produced the lava stopped,
the lava drained out of most of
the lava tube, forming the cave.
Boyd Cave is a well-pre-
served lava tube with little
collapse and a total length of
about 1,880 feet, according to
the Forest Service. (Boyd Cave
was reportedly vandalized and
defaced with graffiti earlier this
year. Trail users should respect
the area and never leave any-
thing behind.)
I headed back up the steps,
into the bright sunlight and
back on my way.
On the return trip to the
trailhead, I stopped a couple
times just to take in the quiet
of the High Desert and the
warmth of the spring sun.
The ride back to my car
was fast and flowing. I cruised
through the sagebrush and
past old juniper trees as the
snow-covered mountains
dominated the horizon.
Sure, Central Oregon is
filled with mountain biking
options this time of year, but
Horse Butte still offers a special
oasis away from the west-side
crowds.
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0318,
mmorical@bendbulletin.com
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