From central Bend to the far northeast Bend, this flat, 5 mile route from Drake Park to Rockridge Park will take you to a mountain bike skill course, a skate board park, and playgrounds that include a tree house and a “log forest” for climbing. If you are more into city business than play, it is only a few blocks farther to the new Bend City Public Works Campus.
The route starts in central Bend and ends in far northeast Bend on a mix of busy streets with bike lanes, quiet neighborhood streets, and off-road trails. On the busy streets, except for one short section, there are adjacent sidewalks if you’re riding with children and tentative cyclists. An important street improvement project, underway on Butler Market Rd, will offer an alternative to part of this route in a year or so.
Drake Park past Juniper Park to NE 6th and US 20
Ride east on the brick path along the edge of Drake Park and turn left along Brook’s Alley to NW Newport Ave. Turn right onto Newport on the new semi-protected bike lane as it merges into NW Greenwood Ave. Ride in comfort and style through the underpass to NE 2nd St, the safest mid-town crossing right now. Turn right onto NE 2nd St, then left onto NE Hawthorne Ave. Cross NE 3rd St at the pedestrian signal and continue east on Hawthorne to NE 5th St where you turn left.
Ride north on 5th St past Juniper Park to NE Irving Ave. Turn right for one block, then turn left onto NE 6th St. As you approach the intersection of NE 6th and US 20 (or Greenwood Ave) stay on the sidewalk and don’t cut the corner as there is an unmarked dropoff before the crosswalk. At the crosswalk, reach around the awkwardly placed post and press the button to turn on the pedestrian warning lights. Make sure cars stop in all lanes and cross US 20. Continue straight ahead (north) on NE 6th St.
US 20 to NE Boyd Acres Rd
After crossing US 20, ride north along NE 6th St, crossing NE Olney Ave and NE Revere Ave. Ride past Orchard Park. This is a neighborhood greenway and traffic is usually calm. About four blocks after Orchard Park, turn right onto NE Majesty Ln, left onto NE Keats Dr, left onto NE Shelley Way, and right onto NE Longfellow Ct. Follow Longfellow Ct to the traffic light at NE Butler Market Rd and NE Boyd Acres Rd. Cross Butler Market Rd with the pedestrian signal and continue north along NE Boyd Acres Rd.
NE Boyd Acres Rd to NE Brinson Ave
From the traffic light at NE Boyd Acres Rd and NE Butler Market Rd, ride north along NE Boyd Acres Rd. Cross the bridge over the North Unit Canal and turn right onto the service road between two canals. Travel north and east along the service road to the first street, NE Brinson Blvd. In places, this section is rough and steep. Feel free to walk your bike if this is more comfortable. This section is quiet and away from traffic
Alternative Route: At the traffic light at NE Boyd Acres Rd and NE Butler Market Rd, turn right onto NE Butler Market Rd and ride along NE Butler Market Rd to NE Brinson Blvd. Turn left at the traffic light onto NE Brinson Blvd and rejoin the main route after crossing the bridge over the canal. This section of NE Butler Market Rd is currently under construction. The new street will have raised bike lanes so will be a route of choice for many people when the project is completed. Wait until construction is complete before using this alternate route.
Brinson Blvd to Rockridge Park
Turn left from the canal trail onto NE Brinson Blvd. Cross the bridge over the canal and turn right onto NE 18th St. Follow 18th St through the Empire Ave roundabout, staying on 18th St. This is a busy section of road and the sidewalk is a good alternative for anyone who wants to stay away from heavy traffic.
After leaving the roundabout, follow 18th St north. This section of road is essentially a highway and people often drive substantially above the posted speed limit of 35 mph. If I’m not in a hurry, I ride on the sidewalk. The northbound sidewalk winds a bit and is mostly comfortably separated from the street. The southbound sidewalk is immediately adjacent to the street but is comfortable for biking.
Continue north along 18th St to Egypt Dr. Turn left onto Egypt Dr and left again into Rockridge Park.
Although not an easy route because of traffic, taking advantage of sidewalks makes this a very rideable and useful route. Rockridge Park has really nice features for the whole family and is worth the ride. Sky View Middle School and Lava Ridge Elementary School are across Egypt Dr from the park. Continuing north along 18th St, across Cooley Rd takes you to the rapidly expanding Juniper Ridge industrial park where the new city public works campus recently opened. There are lots of reasons to ride to northeast Bend.
– by David Green