NW Cyclist: Sisters’ Peterson Ridge Trails

From cowboy town to bicycling Mecca

By Rebecca Agiewich

Photo at right: The start of the Sisters Stampede, complete with cowboy starter. Photo courtesy of Joel Palanuk

 

Enter the central Oregon town of Sisters from Highway 20, and a red-and-white sign warns you about what’s up ahead: “Bicycle Friendly Community.”

In 2011, this scenic town in the east Cascades earned a coveted, silver-level “Bicycle Friendly” designation from the League of American Bicyclists. As you get further into downtown Sisters, it’s easy to see why.

Amid the art galleries, cafés, and bakeries on Sisters’ charming, western-style streets, biking signs proliferate. In a mere few blocks, you’ll see at least four other signs tempting you toward various bike routes.

Short on biking gear? Never fear. There are two bike shops and a plethora of other places to get outfitted for the great outdoors, whether it’s cycling, hiking, skiing, or horseback riding.

From cowboy town to cycling Mecca

Oregon is considered one of the most bike-friendly states in the country, and nearby Bend already has a reputation as a cycling Shangri-La.

Now Sisters is coming into its own as a cycling destination. The ever-expanding Peterson Ridge Trail System (or “PRT”) offers a maze of approximately 26 miles of meticulously-signed mountain biking and multi-use trails that depart from downtown Sisters. The PRT, in turn, connects to trails in the Bend area, creating countless miles of single-track fun.

The fun gets multiplied by 500 every year in May when the Sisters Stampede Mountain Bike Race takes place on the PRT. Currently capped at 500 riders, the Sisters Stampede is the most popular mountain biking race in Oregon. It might be the only bike race in the world in which a cowboy on horseback fires the starting gun and leads the charge.

“It symbolizes what Sisters has been with the cowboy, and what Sisters is becoming,” says Joel Palanuk, Sisters Stampede race director. “Sisters has typically been a cowboy town but people are realizing that cycling has a lot to do with tourism here now.”

A little something for everyone

The trails themselves are diverse and scenic, with a little something for everyone. The PRT West and East form the dual backbone of the trail system, climbing from downtown Sisters up to Peterson Ridge and beyond. Numerous connecting trails and loops mean you can perform endless variations on your favorite rides.

The lower PRT trails are “family-friendly and fast-paced, with a slight incline,” says Casey Meudt, of Blazin’ Saddles Cycle-n-Style in Sisters. These lower trails are also a good warm-up for cyclists who want to head higher, where more technical terrain awaits.

“After a few miles, you get to the ridge,” says Meudt, “where there are great views and a lot of fun stuff.” One of his favorite routes is the challenging ride up to Eagle Rock. This is one of only two “expert” sections on the PRT, and rewards riders (or those who walk up) with 360-degree views, interesting geologic formations, and good wildlife-viewing opportunities.

Prodigious vistas also await on the upper section of the PRT West, which follows Peterson Ridge. This route offers front row seats for a parade of Cascade summits, including Black Butte, Mount Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, and Mount Washington.

Hardworking trail volunteers

Up until this past winter, cyclists had to earn the peak-studded ridgeline views the hard way: by pedaling.

However, thanks to the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA), as of fall 2012 the upper trails of the PRT are now accessible via a new, easy section of the PRT West that departs from a small parking area on Highway 16 a few miles south of Sisters.

Last year, the hardworking STA also completed a four-mile section of the PRT West (accessible from the same parking area or from the lower trails), which connects to the Metolious/Windigo trail. This trail—managed by the OET (Oregon Equestrian Trails)—takes riders to Three Creeks Lake, then to Mt. Bachelor or to Bend’s Shevlin Park via Road 370 and the Mrazek trail. (Caution is advised on the Mrazek trail, since it isn’t officially maintained.)

“This was a significant addition to our system,” says Gary Guttormsen, chair of the STA, in reference to the four new miles of trail. He estimates that building this new trail last year required a minimum of about 1,000 volunteer hours. “It took seven or eight workdays, with 10 to 25 people working for about six hours each.”

“Amazing network of trails”

In the dozen years since its formation, the STA, in collaboration with the forest service and the City of Sisters, has turned the PRT from a “fairly limited” area that combined old Forest Service roads with connecting single track into the “amazing network of trails” that it is today, says Joel Palanuk. Perhaps the PRT’s most outstanding feature is its proximity to downtown Sisters. “Having something right in town, and to be in the trail in a matter of minutes is really appealing.”

The PRT might be the biggest name in town, but the mountain biking and multi-use fun doesn’t stop there. Other area trails include The Suttle Tie Trail, the Sisters Tie Trail, the McKenzie River Trail, and the Crossroads to High School Trail.

If you’re heading for Sisters, you might want to bring your road bike as well, or rent one while you’re in town. Three out of Oregon’s nine designated scenic bikeways originate in Sisters—Metolious River Loops, McKenzie Pass, and Sisters to Smith Rock State Park—each offering a unique window onto Oregon’s dramatic landscapes.

For mountain bikers, however, the Peterson Ridge Trail System is a “can’t miss” destination.

If you go

Five Pine Lodge has its own connecting trail to the PRT, plus a movie theater and a fantastic Mexican restaurant (Rio de Sisters) right in the complex:  www.fivepinelodge.com

Sisters Trails Alliance: sisterstrails.com

Sisters Trails Map: www.sisterstrails.com/trailmaps

Sisters Stampede: www.sistersstampede.com

Oregon’s designated scenic bikeways: www.oregon.gov

Rebecca Agiewich is a freelance travel writer living in Seattle and the author of BreakupBabe: A Novel.

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