BEND, Ore. — Madras East Hills is unlike almost any other mountain biking trail system in Central Oregon.
Wood features, jumps and berms make it a haven for freeride mountain bikers, and its allowance of electric bikes makes it ideal for those who need a little extra help on the climbs.
But one reason that most all mountain bikers like Madras East Hills this time of year is because it is generally free of the snow and mud found on trails in and around Bend.
Located just east of Madras near Juniper Hill Park and about an hour drive from Bend, the trail system includes 14 miles of mountain biking trails and 6 miles of horseback-riding trails.
Led by the Madras chapter of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, trail work on Madras East Hills began in 2019 and has transformed the area into a true destination for cyclists coming from Bend, Redmond and even Portland.
Because the trails are on land owned by the city of Madras and other private entities, wood and concrete features are allowed to be built in the system. That is not the case on most other trails in Central Oregon, which are mostly located on federal land, including the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests and the Bureau of Land Management.
While many trails near Bend have freeride features, most of them must be built within the natural surroundings, such as rocks, logs and trees. The plethora of man-made features at Madras East Hills makes it unique to Central Oregon.
A mountain biker could spend most of a day there, climbing and then riding down a different trail packed with free-ride flavor.
The West Side Trail, one of the longer trails in the system, leads to the west side of the network through a treeless area. After climbing to a ridgetop, riders can descend a series of concrete berms and jumps.
The trail then leads back east across the flats to the east side of the system, where multiple trail options are available.
Trails such as White Buffalo and Quarantine include a series of free-ride features and lead back to the main trailhead via the Bridge to Nowhere trail. This trail includes a wood bridge, paver rollers and a large table-top jump.
Even though Madras East Hills is built with a downhill, free-ride experience in mind, climbing is still required to reach the downhill trails.
For some riders, the climbing is less of a chore, as the area is open to electric bikes. While E-bikes are still prohibited on most national forest land, they are allowed on the network near Madras.
Madras East Hills is a perfect winter and spring option, but the trails remain rideable year-round, though bikers should expect some sand and dust in the summer.
Cascade peak views abound at the trail system on a clear day. To the west, Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters rise into the sky.
Madras East Hills also plays host to an annual mountain bike race. The Bone Crusher XCO, featuring a 4-mile lap course as well as a short-track 1-mile course, was scheduled for April 7-8. Categories were available for all age groups as well as E-bikes.
According to the race website bonecrusherxco.com, the XCO (Cross Country Olympic) format “substitutes one massive lap for quick, spectator and ability friendly laps that total an hour-and-a-half of racing. This means the faster you go the more laps you do.”
For more information, visit madrastrails.com.
