Coming into Sisters today, we both independently realized that the route had somehow ended up almost entirely singletrack for the last day or so. We hadn’t really planned on any from the end of McKenzie all the way to Sisters. Yet, that’s the way it played out, as we coasted at 10mph on smooth trail right into the backyard of town.
I know people aren’t good at predicting the future, especially me, but I’m going to say that this route is coming together so well that I really think a lot of others are going to give it a go, and love it, too. There’s so much to like, that I think we’d feel guilty not publishing the details in some form.
Today started with easy rolling down the Lake Creek Trail, newly designated and created for bikes (and horses). It took us to the Lake Creek Lodge for breakfast and coffee. The coffee and creeks trail!
Thoroughly amped up and well fed, we rolled onto the Metolius Windigo trail for a few miles we were quite apprehensive about. It’s a horse trail by design, and our map has little horsey symbols all over it. Everyone seems to think it’s a rutted out sandy disaster. After yesterday’s sand extravaganza, we were quick to believe such claims.
But, it turned out to be just like the MTBer we met at the lodge said, “it’s soft, but it’s fine, really.” We climbed 1000 feet on it in rideable form before reaching the road up to Black Butte. On the way we passed the source springs for the Metolious River. Like Great Springs as the source of the McKenzie, these incredible springs come out of nowhere and feed an entire rushing river. I have never seen that before. The area around it is so dry and desolate, you wouldn’t believe a river springs forth. Very cool.
This area is full of ponderosa pines and reminds me of AZ or NM, except there’s more sand and looseness than both states combined. Kind of interesting that it’s that way.
Next on the mountain climbing and lookout circuit was Black Butte. Ditch gear in woods. Climb 1500 feet on dirt to the trailhead. Ditch bikes (trail is hiker only) and climb 1500 feet more to the summit where two lookouts exist — one very old one and one new one, in currently in service.
Strangely enough, the trail had a good bit of traffic on it. Quite a constrast to the rarely visited Sand Mountain, where we were yesterday. The view was our best yet — Smith Rocks, Mt Adams, Mt Hood, the Sisters, Mt Washington, Sand Mountain. Our entire next few days of riding, too!
We ran down, kicking up piles of dust and busting our way back to food at water at the bikes. Coast down further still, pick up bags, and continue on more singletrack…. more soft Metolious Windigo. Still almost entirely rideable, but soft. It’s not going to be any one’s top 10 trail, but it works just fine for bikepacking.
It trended down, we wove through a little maze of roads, then ended up at Indian Bend campground, where fresh “Sisters Trails” signage greeted us and pointed us to town. This was surprise, as we were expecting more horse trail. But any new trails organization is likely backed by mountain bikers….. and such was the case here. Almost entirely bike tracks took us into town on endlessly effortless trail. I couldn’t believe it — almost too easy of a run into town for a bikepack loop.
Well, we did have to ford a little creek to get started on it, which was a bit of a junk show we could have avoided by just jumping in, instead of handing bikes across an awkward log, but, hey, anything to keep the feet dry sometimes.
Sisters greeted us with ice cream. Make your own shake from the self-service soft serve + toppings. That was a new one for me, and it hit the spot, big time. We looked briefly at rooms for the night…. at $200 or so, we weren’t interested. I had no idea Sisters was such a fancy or desirable place… contrast with the only other real town on the route (Oakridge) where rooms go for under $50.
So, we rolled to pizza. We hosed bikes and legs off at the bike shop (dust, dust, dust!) And resupplied. By then the sun had lost its influence on the world, so we pedaled onto swoopy and fast MTB trails not a quarter mile out of town, with bags full of food and beverage. 3.5 miles out, camp. Ahh.
Forecast is for near 100 degrees tomorrow, so we’re going to hit it early and try to get high. Plus there’s a lake for cooling off. Then we make our way over to the grand finale of the hot sisters loop — climbing South Sister!
Leave a Reply