There is generally a pretty good shoulder the whole way. Once you hit the highway, it is a straight shot back into town. As you make your way back to civilization, you’ll pass an impressive monolith of rock known asSteins Pillar that juts out above the tree line like a prehistoric skyscraper.Īt about mile 31, you’re back on a paved country road that gently descends towards HWY 26. Just before we hit pavement again we passed Wildcat campground, an established Forest Service campground with a vault toilet and supposedly drinking water (as per the Forest Service website ), although we didn’t confirm it. It is on the downhill that you finally get a few views of the surrounding mountains, so be sure to stop and take it in. You’ll also notice quite a number of primitive camping areas along the road (mental note for future bike tours in the area). James told us that it is seasonal and generally dries up in the Summer, so its not a reliable source of water later in the year. The climb was pleasantly shaded and ran alongside McKay Creek that was flowing with water. If we had wetter conditions, it wouldn’t have been as pleasant, since we no doubt would have been slogging through a lot of mud. The only tricky part was near the summit where the road was wet from melting snow. Laura rode 28mm Panaracer Gravel Kings which have a fairly fine file tread pattern and didn’t have a problem. The road surface on the ascent was pretty hard-packed and surprisingly smooth. The fun starts at around mile 13 when you are on NF-33 and the pavement turns into dirt. The traffic was extremely light and the few cars that passed went out of their way to pass safely. By mile 5, you are on a gentle country road that looks as pastoral as anything you’ll ever see.
You find yourself surrounded on either side by ranches and farms. After passing some businesses and residential areas, the land opens up considerably. Main St has an ample bike lane out of town, which we appreciated. We started at around 11am from Good Bike Co and rolled North on Main St, which eventually becomes McKay Rd (pronounced “mc-KAI” by the locals). We were joined by Laura’s brother and sister-in-law, who are Bend residents and also curious about the riding possibilities out of Prineville. It is a 45-mile loop starting and ending in downtown Prineville, and traversing fantastic country roads and mixed terrain in the local Ochoco Mountains. We decided to ride one of the RideWithGPS Ambassador Routes in the area called the North Star that was mapped out by James at The Good Bike Co. We’ve spent a little time in Prineville, but haven’t really delved deep into the cycling in the area until this weekend.
In Prineville, all the ingredients are finally coming together. Several community members are aware of the potential of bicycle tourism in Prineville, as seen by a recent Ford Foundation leadership class choosing bike racks as their signature project. It has a great local brewery, Solstice Brewing Company, and most recently a local bicycle shop again, The Good Bike Co. It is directly on both the Adventure Cycling TransAM route as well as the Oregon Outback. Prineville is already on the map, so to speak, for bicycling. However, this past weekend we explored a town not too far away from Bend that we feel has the bones to be the next adventure bike capital of Central Oregon – Prineville. It has a great cycling culture, plethora of bike shops, and easy access to both mountain bike trails and great road rides. Bend, OR is generally considered Central Oregon’s bicycle capital.
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