SPORTS PULLOUT & CLASSIFIEDS INSIDE
• B SECTION • FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2021
THE REGION’S HUB FOR
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Each week in this section, you will find the area’s
most complete guide of what’s open and closed;
outdoor activities and events; top picks of places to
explore; conditions of hiking and biking trails,
fishing holes, water flows, camping spots, parks
and more — as well as features from outdoor
writers and field experts.
TOP PICKS
WHERE TO
EXPLORE
North of Bend
Alder Springs Trail — The
full 5.7-mile (round-trip) hik-
er-only trail between Sisters
and Terrebonne is perfect for
a spring hike as there is prac-
tically no shade over the dura-
tion. It’s a moderate hike with
a quick and steep descent
into the stunning Whychus
Creek Canyon with a river
crossing about 1.3 miles in
where hikers will have to ford
the Whychus to continue to
its confluence with the De-
schutes River. If you’re not
up for wading into the frigid
creek, the shortened hike is
still very much worth it.
Camp Sherman Camp-
ground — One of the few
campgrounds that remains
open throughout the year, the
sites are first come, first serve
until May 28, when they be-
come reservation only. But for
those who want to brave the
unpredictable spring weather
in Central Oregon, Camp Sher-
man Campground sits along
the banks of the crystal clear
Metolius River among the pon-
derosa pine trees. All sites are
non-electric. For reservations
further out in the summer, visit
recreation.gov
A mountain biking
trail network outside
Sisters that has it all
BY MARK MORICAL • The Bulletin
SISTERS — A good friend of mine
recently moved from ever-crowding
Bend to Sisters, craving a more relaxed,
small-town lifestyle for his young family.
I did not need another reason to
make the half-hour drive to Sisters.
I have always enjoyed outdoor
adventures in the area, especially along
the Peterson Ridge trail system just
outside of town.
Bulletin file photo
Now, I have a willing riding partner
Mark Morical/Bulletin photos
in Sisters who can bike to the PRT
PHOTOS FROM TOP: Sisters resident Jeremy Dickman rides his moun-
tain bike along the PRT West Trail at Peterson Ridge on Sunday. Dick-
man, of Sisters, rides a technical section of singletrack.
trailhead.
We met there early Sunday morning,
after rainfall from the day before put
the trails in perfect shape to quell the
dust and make the dirt firm and fast.
The network consists basically of two
main trails — Peterson Ridge Trail West
and Peterson Ridge Trail East — with
about a dozen smaller trails that connect
the two sides. The network is well-marked
with signs on nearly every trail connector.
(The trailhead kiosk is usually stuffed
with detailed maps that show every
numbered junction in the network.)
TRAILS
The plan was to climb
PRT West from the trail-
head, then loop back and
descend PRT Middle and PRT
East. This is my preferred route at
Peterson Ridge because PRT West
is a bit more technical and cuts
alongside the edge of the ridge.
Bikers can better enjoy the views
as they climb. PRT East features
more flow, with sections specif-
ically designed for downhill rid-
ing.
We started out climbing grad-
ually through open forest. PRT
West took us along smooth sin-
gletrack that was flat and easy but
became increasingly challeng-
ing as we climbed the ridge. The
higher we got, the steeper and
more technical the trail became,
with many sections of lava rock.
Most of the trails in the Peter-
son Ridge area are not technically
demanding or particularly stren-
uous, but some were built to pro-
vide a more technical option for
those who seek out that style of
riding. PRT West has many such
areas.
Some 10 to 15 years ago, Pe-
terson Ridge consisted of merely
one lone 10-mile trail with a small
loop on the south end.
But from 2008 to 2010, volun-
teers with the Sisters Trails Al-
liance and the Central Oregon
Trail Alliance built up the area
into a vast network of trails to
give mountain bikers, hikers and
equestrians more options. The
system now includes 30 miles of
expertly designed singletrack and
seemingly endless loop options.
The network includes several
miles of horseback riding trails that
are separate from the mountain
biking trails. The trails do cross
in places, however, so mountain
bikers should take care to yield to
equestrians.
See Biking / B9
The clay hard pack of the Cole
Loop trail usually makes for
good riding. But watch out
for the mud after it rains.
Cole Loop Trail — This is
the longest loop trail in the
Crooked River Grasslands,
clocking in at 25 miles total if
you’re up for a long bike ride
through High Desert terrain.
The trail circles around Gray
Butte and connects to a few
other trails and camps in the
Skull Hollow area, including
Trail Crossing Corrals, Scales
Corral, Cyrus and Warner Loop
Trail.
— Makenzie Whittle, The Bulletin
Correction
In the “Top Picks: Where
to Explore” feature, which ap-
peared Friday, April 30, on
Page B9, Rosland Day Use
Area was misspelled.
The Bulletin regrets the er-
ror.