# Going to Sunriver - Learn me some good rides!



## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

I'm going to Sunriver at the end of the month, and haven't had a chance to bike there since I was a young lad.

I'll assume the bike paths within Sunriver are your typical "MUP" style stuff, probably not super fun.

Can anyone recommend a good loop ride leaving from Sunriver? Anything up to 50 miles with 2-3k of elevation gain I'm game for.

Thanks!


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

Adding to this, I think I may ride up to Bachelor from Sunriver, as it's about 55 miles around trip, and 2,500 ft. of elevation gain.

Anyone ever done this route before? http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=17600+Center+Drive,+Sunriver,+OR+97707+(Sunriver+Resort)&daddr=Mt+Bachelor&hl=en&ll=43.93672,-121.58226&spn=0.183196,0.308647&sll=43.926583,-121.567497&sspn=0.183228,0.308647&geocode=FeV2nQIdlN_C-CG9YZAJ8HVJmSlTRmQeS724VDEsjkjXGyIMbQ%3BFZ8RnwId3S2_-CmJoN1NIa-4VDFmYaHoVVnSjA&gl=us&mra=pd&t=p&z=12

Basically Forest Service Rd. 45 all the way up to the highway, then a short jaunt over to Mt. Bachelor itself. Is there a place to fill water bottles up at the top?


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## Mcdougal (Jul 30, 2011)

The Benham Falls trail is fun but it's for mountain bikes riding to Bachelor would be fun..


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

Yeah I only have a road bike, but I don't have a problem with hard-packed dirt/gravel a la Saltzman rd trail in Portland.


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## Oregonmtnbiker1 (Aug 13, 2011)

Never done the route you talked about, but I know there are some pretty sweet trails out past La Pine, just wish I could think of them


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## macscac (Jun 29, 2011)

I was just in sunriver... Got back two days ago
If you have a nice bike, some of the cracks in the resort trails will KILL you
I actually brought two bikes for that reason

The hwy ride to bachelor is great. No traffic and heading out of sunriver it's a steady incline. Not huge but enough tO know it's there. 
I only rode about 20 miles out and returned each day because of time restraints. 
But it was great. I love sunriver


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## macscac (Jun 29, 2011)

Btw, I left at six each am and I wish I had full fingered gloves. It was 43 degrees and cold the first hour 


Here's the hwy


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

macscac said:


> Btw, I left at six each am and I wish I had full fingered gloves. It was 43 degrees and cold the first hour


Thanks for the photos and information! I'm looking forward to it.

I pretty much figured the trails in Sunriver itself would be useless, either poorly maintained or full of families and children, who rightfully should be left alone to enjoy the trails. I'll stick to the road. :thumbsup:

One last question, for anyone who happens to know: is there any place to get water up at the top, like a lodge, or even a rest stop type area?

I figure I can make it up there on two bottles, but I'm not sure about all the way there and back, especially once it starts to warm up. I've tried searching on Google for answers but have had little luck finding anything...


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

I wouldn't count on any available water source up by Mt. Bachelor. That place will be a ghost town this time of year. There are no 'rest stops' that I can think of between Bend and Devils Lake, although the Devil's Lake CG does have water. Its a mile or three past Bachelor on Cascade Lakes HW.
enjoy.
Devils Lake Campground - Bend, OR

endless back roads south towards La Pine, west of 97. 
mapmyride.com probably has some good routes.

if you've got a cross bike, the roads out by Fort Rock SP are pretty remote/exposed. slick tires wouldn't be welcome out there however.

anything out around Smith Rock SP are pretty good too...short drive north.


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for the info, I'll plan accordingly based on the assumption that nothing is up there.


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## mcsqueak (Apr 22, 2010)

Follow up: I did this ride last Saturday, and it was a pretty good one! Thanks for all the tips.

I wound up leaving at around 10 am, because I couldn't find my arm warmers and didn't want to freeze.  Temps were pretty good, wish I had left a littler earlier but I never felt like I was overheating.

The highway has good shoulders for most of the route between Sunriver and Bachelor, and car traffic was pretty light. I even had folks giving me extra room when I was flying back down the hill, which was nice.

Once you get through the main part of the climb and intersect Cascade Lakes Highway for the last two miles to the Bachelor lodge, the traffic picks up quite a bit and the quality of the road surface is not very good. I didn't enjoy this part of the ride nearly as much, but did it just to say I made it to the top.

The gradient wasn't too bad - the steep sections were always separated by a flat section, but I'd be interested to know what part the elevation plays in the effort needed. It certainly wasn't super hard, but I did stop twice to catch my breath and swig some water.

I'd certainly recommend it if you're in Sunriver and need to get away for a good ride, but it wasn't my favorite ride ever. Next time I go I want to take a 'cross bike, as I saw a lot of awesome trails and forest service roads that my road bike just wouldn't be up for.


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## bismo37 (Mar 22, 2002)

Nice! I've ridden Cascade Lakes Hwy when camping at Devil's LAke (or maybe it was Sparks Lake). Either way, great riding on those roads. There is a bigger campground with a general store, RVs, etc out there for refueling, water, showering, etc.

Want to get out there to ride before summer is over.


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

I was in Bend over Labor Day weekend and did some very enjoyable rides there. Two of my favorites were:

-A century starting from Bend with a warmup loop around Skyline Ranch Rd then right up Century Drive, up around Bachelor, filling water at Elk Lake, down into SunRiver via FS40, then back up toward Bachelor on FS45, turning right down Century Dr back to Bend and a cooldown around Reed Market and Bond St. 103mi total.

-a 26mi ride leaving from Bend and going all the way to the end of the pavement on Skyliners Rd and back with Skyline Ranch Rd as the return loop.


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## dudeya (Nov 3, 2011)

just start riding up the towards the mountain!


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