Ridden by Bend Bikes • October 2022
Bend Key Route 4
Score
97/100
TYPE
69% paved path
25% quiet street
5% basic bike lane
1% unbuilt
Recommended For
Most riders
Intersections
3 difficult crossings
Key Route 4 is an north-south route that is mostly great.
It leverages the Haul Trail and quiet 15th St to provide an overall welcoming environment.
Legend
The route is color coded to indicate what level of rider is recommended for each section. Green represents multi-use paths, protected infrastructure, or quiet residential streets. Blue is used for bike lanes, shared low-traffic commercial streets, or busier residential. Black represents areas that only the most advanced riders would feel comfortable on: busy streets without bike lanes, very difficult intersections, or Bend’s highest traffic volume areas – namely 3rd, Hwy 20 and Hwy 97. Black can also represent unbuilt sections.
Nearby destinations
- Cascade Middle School
- OSU Cascades
- Deschutes National Forest
- Century Dr Shopping
- Galveston Shopping
- Newport Shopping
As of May 2023, the intended route through OSU Cascades does not exist. Our map shows a slight detour to the west (still within OSU) in order to make it bikeable. The 1-block extension of 14th between Ogden and Portland is also unbuilt. This is currently a steep hillside, we recommend riding east on Ogden to connect to Portland.
City of Bend planned projects
OSU Innovation District path • TBD
OSU Cascades has a large expansion planned, part of which is the Innovation District. There are multiple path connections planned within this new area. This is a slow project, with completion taking many years.
Our suggestions
Route changes
While this route is pleasant, it is also quite far from several important shopping districts in the area (Safeway, Century restaurants, Galveston restaurants) with no low stress connections to reach those places. These connections are critical to making the route useful for trips rather than just recreation.
As of May 2023, the planned connection from 15th to Portland has changed routes several time and its alignment is unclear. For the last portion of the route, we recommend using Ogden to connect to Portland rather than building a very steep hillside path. We also recommend protecting the bike lane for a portion of 14th to enable the shortest connection possible from 15th to Ogden. Connecting Ogden to Juniper with a multi-use path could also open up a nice connection to Portland.
Most critical improvements
- Improved crossings at Simpson & 15th and Galveston & 15th
- Protected bike lane on 14th from Kingston to Newport
- OSU Cascades signage or widened path/improved connection through the campus