The Trails

These are the trails that will become part of the Sisters Community Trails. These nonmotorized-use-only trails will require some construction and improvement, such as surfacing and signing. The level of improvements will depend upon use and need. There are 142.4 miles of proposed trails. Trail improvement and construction have been prioritized based on how well they meet the goals of the Sisters Community Trails. The trails are listed below by category.

Multi-Use Paths

1. Tollgate – High School — This trail connects Tollgate subdivision with the High School and City trail system. It would be a multi-use path, accommodating both bicyclists and pedestrians with two-way traffic, approximately 10 feet wide and surfaced, either paved or compact gravel. It would cross either private or school property, and a small portion of National Forest for a total distance of 0.76 miles.

2. Crossroads – High School — This trail would use existing Forest Service roads to connect Crossroads subdivision with the school campus. Distance would be about 1.63 miles and the trail would be multi-use with bikes and pedestrians. It would be 10 feet wide. Surface could be compact gravel. Structures such as bollards would be needed to keep motorized vehicles off the trail.

3. Five Pine Trail — The Five Pine Fitness Center is a campus-like retreat with access to the Deschutes National Forest. This trail would be a multi-use path for bikes and pedestrians and would be 10 feet wide and 0.62 miles in length. This is also a trail kiosk/trailhead location.

Bike Paths

4. Camp Polk Road to Wilt Road/Buffalo Road — This trail could be developed in two phases. Phase 1 would be 2.51 miles from the Sisters city limits to the Camp Polk Road/Wilt Road intersection. The trail would be a paved bike lane 5-6 feet wide. The second phase would be 3.89 miles on Wilt Road to Buffalo Drive and Squaw Creek Canyon Estates. The trail would be a shoulder bikeway. This trail would be 5 feet wide on both sides of the road shoulder. It would serve Indian Ford and various subdivisions north of the town of Sisters as well as provide improved access to Indian Ford Meadow and Camp Polk Meadow preserves.

Foot Paths

5. Squaw Creek Foot Trail — This trail would follow Squaw Creek from the Sisters city limits to the Metolius- Windigo Trail. The trail would be 1-2 feet wide, with a clearing width of 5 feet, right-of-way of 10 feet and limited to foot traffic only. The trail would be mostly on National Forest but would also pass through two private parcels. Easements would need to be acquired to cross the private land. The total length of this trail would be 6.58 miles, and would provide opportunities for walking, jogging and nature observation.

Shoulder Bikeways

6. Camp Polk Loop to Redmond Highway — A shoulder bikeway along the existing road would provide access from the Redmond Highway into Sisters. A 5- foot-wide paved shoulder would be needed. This trail would provide safer access into town from Panoramic View Estates. It would also provide improved access to Indian Ford Meadow and Camp Polk Meadow preserves. Distance is 3.51 miles.

7. Cloverdale Road — Cloverdale Road runs north/south connecting Highway 126 at Cloverdale with Highway 20 at Plainview. The trail would be a shoulder bikeway 5 feet wide. Total length is 3.51 miles. There may be room for a horse trail.

8. Indian Ford Road — This would form a loop with Highway 20 and Camp Polk Road, which provides a recreational ride from Sisters. The east portion of the road also connects to part of Indian Ford subdivision. A shoulder bikeway of 5 feet is recommended. Distance is 6.17 miles.

9. Three Creek Road — This is a county road going due south from Sisters and provides access to the National Forest. A shoulder bikeway of 5 feet is recommended, just beyond the top of Weir Grade. This provides a loop back on existing bike trails. Distance is 4.15 miles.

10. Highway 20, Sisters to Indian Ford — The shoulder of Highway 20 is one-half of a popular bicycle route to Indian Ford Road. The route also serves the Tollgate subdivision. It is currently a shoulder bikeway, 4 feet wide. Challenges include the large amount of traffic and safety. Length is 5.50 miles.

11. Highway 20, Sisters to Jordan Road — This shoulder bikeway would link Sisters to Jordan Road. Due to the high traffic volume, it should be 4 feet wide. The amount of traffic would make safety a challenge. Length is 1.39 miles. A safer alternate route might be through private property, if access can be obtained.

12. Gist Road – Plainview Road — Located in the Plainview area, it is a link to Cascade Estates Drive. It would be a horse path with a shoulder bikeway. Widths would be 5 feet for the bike/pedestrian portion and 3 feet for the horse trail. Length is 3.84 miles.

13. Highway 126 – Holmes Road — This shoulder bikeway would link the city paths and sidewalks and Camp Polk Road to Holmes Road. Due to the amount of traffic, it should be 5 feet wide. Length is 4.54 miles.

14. McKenzie Highway 242 — This shoulder bikeway would provide recreational access from Sisters west into the National Forest. The road also passes by Crossroads subdivision. The shoulder bikeway should be 5 feet wide. Distance to the base of the Cascade Mountains is 6.28 miles.

Shared Roadways
Paved/Gravel/Cinder/Dirt

15. Cascade Estates Drive — This gravel road accesses some subdivisions and small farms between Redmond Highway and Bend Highway, as well as providing another east–west connector. The connection would be from Plainview to Fryrear Road and the Dry Canyon trail. Uses would be bikes, pedestrians and horses. Since the road is gravel, users could share the roadway, with a horse path in the shoulder or a shoulder pathway, by widening the road. Challenges would be establishing the trail and surface since the road is currently gravel. This is a county road, but not maintained. Length is 2.16 miles.

16. Brooks-Scanlon Mainline Road to Peterson Ridge Road — The Mainline Road is a former railroad grade, now a gravel road. It would provide access to the southeast subdivisions near Plainview. This route is located on National Forest. Two challenges would be how to define the trail and safety from vehicle use. Without some form of trail construction it would be a shared roadway. The trail would serve bicyclists, pedestrians and equestrians. Alternate routes along the Mainline Road might be discovered such as irrigation pipeline right-of-ways and parallel dirt roads. The distance is 3.28 miles.

17. Harrington Loop – Plainview — This would be a shared roadway with a horse trail along the existing county road. It would tie the Mainline Road into the county roads and the southeast subdivisions near Plainview. Plainview Road also ties into Highway 20 and Cascade Estates Drive. Distance is 1.94 miles, with a bike lane of 5 feet wide and horse trail of 3 feet.

18. Jordan Road — This county road provides a little-used east/west corridor between Highway 126 and Highway 20. The trail allows safe, off highway access from a couple of miles east of Sisters to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands of Dry Canyon. Total distance is 4.8 miles from the Lazy Z Ranch east to the BLM trailhead on Dry Canyon at Fryrear Road. The trail would be a shared roadway and would serve bikes, pedestrians and horses. Trail width would be 4 feet for bikes and 3 feet for horses. Issues include a connection on the west end at Highway 20, near the Lazy Z Ranch. The road also intersects a paved road, Cloverdale Road and George Cyrus Road, and runs along the paved road for a short distance before becoming a dirt road. This would pose challenges for horse use. There are also several gates under permit to Deschutes County, but a turnstile could be installed to allow bike/horse passage.

19. Tollgate – Crossroads — This trail would use existing Forest Service roads to connect Tollgate subdivision with Crossroads subdivision. Distance would be about 0.86 miles. The trail would be a shared roadway approximately 10 feet wide. Surface would be native dirt and gravel.

20. Holmes Road — This is a paved county road that is located in the northeast corner of the school district. Most of the road is too far from Sisters to serve as a heavily used commuting route, but it does provide a recreational bike route that connects to Terrebonne, and on to the east to Prineville. The trail would be a shared roadway 3 feet wide. There are 2 phases: To the 6 mile radius would be 2.05 miles, and to the School District boundary is 4.8 miles.

21. Tollgate – Black Butte Ranch (Mainline Road) — This is a continuation of the Brooks-Scanlon Mainline Road from Tollgate subdivision to the east entrance of Black Butte Ranch. This would be a shared roadway, 10 feet wide, of native material and gravel surface for 3.81 miles. A challenge would be how to prepare the surface so it is better suited for bikes and horses.

22. Metolius-Windigo - Indian Ford Connector —This is a 0.83-mile connector from Indian Ford Road at Indian Ford Campground to the Metolius-Windigo Trail. This connection will create a loop that is north and south of Highway 20 without using the Highway. To the south, a trail user could either take the Metolius-Windigo Trail or the Mainline Road. This would be a shared road, with native surface about 10 feet wide.

23. Mainline to Metolius-Windigo Connector — This trail would be a connection route between the Metolius-Windigo Trail and the Brooks/Mainline Road near Plainview. The route would use mostly existing Forest Service roads and be a shared roadway. These roads are primarily cinder or dirt. Some trail construction might be required. The route would also cross Squaw Creek necessitating a bridge or ford.Trail length is 2.27 miles.

24. Mainline Road - Three Creek-McKenzie Highway — This is the section of the Brooks-Scanlon Mainline Road, starting at Three Creek Road, going west across Squaw Creek, along Edgington Road to the McKenzie Highway, near the High School and Crossroads subdivision. The route would be a shared gravel/dirt road, 10 feet wide and 3.16 miles long.

25. Mainline South — This section of the Brooks-Scanlon Mainline Road would continue from Peterson Ridge Road, south toward Bend for 6.34 miles to the Sisters School District boundary. Eventually the Mainline Road could connect from Sisters to Bend at Shevlin Park, a distance of 20 miles. The Mainline Road is currently surfaced with large size gravel, which isn’t very user friendly for bikes, joggers or horses. However, it does provide a corridor from Black Butte Ranch, via Sisters, to Bend. To fully utilize this road would require either a new surface, or paving a bike path alongside. Other options might include utilizing adjacent dirt roads, with the Mainline Road as a connector between these roads.

26. Five Pine – Sisters Mountain Bike Trail Connector — This is a shared roadway on a Forest Service road that ties the Five Pine path to the Sisters Mountain Bike Trail. This creates a loop and connector to other trails. The road is dirt, and the length is 0.57 miles.

27. Crossroads/Metolius-Windigo Connector — This is another short connector that ties Crossroads subdivision to the Metolius-Windigo Trail on existing Forest Service dirt roads. It is a shared roadway and would be 0.32 miles in length.

28. Sisters School Campus/Crossroads Loop — This trail serves as a recreational trail for the school campus as well as a different commuter route for Crossroads and Edgington Road. It is a shared roadway on existing Forest Service roads. Length is 4.59 miles.

29. Indian Ford Road – Sisters Tie Trail Connector — This is a short connector from Indian Ford Road, along Squawback Road and existing Forest Service roads, to the Sisters Tie Trail. It creates a loop using the Sisters Tie Trail and Indian Ford Road. Length is 0.68 miles. This would also make a good spot for a trailhead for horseback and bike use to the north of Indian Ford Road.

30. Sisemore Road — This is a county road located in the southeast corner of the school district just south of Plainview Road. By paving the road, it would provide a connector to paved roads in the Tumalo area and a recreational bike route to Bend. Bicyclists preferred this route over the Mainline Road for a connector to Bend by bike. The length from the Plainview road to the school district boundary is 3.45 miles. The trail would be a shared roadway. It could be utilized by horses by providing a path along the road right-of-way.

31. Squaw Creek – Metolius Windigo Connector — This trail would provide a southwest route from the Squaw Creek Bridge on the Mainline Road to the Metolius-Windigo Trail. The trail would utilize existing dirt roads and would be on National Forest. This would designate a recreational loop that is already being used by some mountain bikers. The trail segment is 4.16 miles long and would be a shared roadway.

32. Cold-Springs Cutoff — This is a Forest Service road that connects Highway 20 to Highway 242. At this time the road is gravel, but it may be paved in the future. This would be needed to make it a more usable route for bicycles. It also connects to the Mainline Road between Black Butte Ranch and Tollgate. It is 2 miles in length and would provide a recreational loop between other trail routes.

33. Sisters Mountain Bike Trail — This is a popular single track and dirt road mountain bike trail starting at Buck Run subdivision near the Three Creek Road and going for 9.2 miles. The trail consists of an out-and-back route to Peterson Ridge and a shorter loop around Eagle Rock. The trail crosses the Mainline Road. The trail would provide a connection loop to the Five Pine Fitness Center Trail, the Three Creek Road shoulder bikeway and the Brooks-Scanlon Mainline Road. Not open to horses.

34. Sisters Tie Trail — This trail starts just north of Sisters on Pine Street and goes for 6.6 miles to Indian Ford Campground. It uses existing dirt roads and is open to hikers, bikes and horses. It would provide a short loop to Indian Ford Road, and a longer loop by connector trails to the Metolius-Windigo Trail or Mainline Road near Indian Ford Campground.

35. Metolius-Windigo Trail — This trail is a portion of the longer trail that starts at Windigo Pass near Mt. Thielson and terminates in the Metolius Basin. It is used mostly by horses, but is open to bicyclists and hikers. It provides a 12.5 mile trail within the school district boundary. The trail also passes through several horse camps that provide stalls and water for horses.

36. Lazy Z Ranch Trails — These trails were designated by the Forest Service for Lazy Z Ranch’s commercial horse guide operation. They are open to the public and to bikes and horses. There are 7.6 miles of trails, including a shorter loop and a longer loop. The trails also receive horse use from the Plainview area.

Horse Trails

Several of the above trails are also horse trails. For multi-use paths, bike paths, and shoulder bikeways, this would be a separate single-track dirt trail alongside the surfaced trail or road shoulder. For shared roadways, if the road is not surfaced, the horse trail would utilize the road, and share with other users. Locations of the horse trails are indicated on the Trails Map. Some of the locations would require additional examination to determine if the road right-of-way is wide enough. Horse trails are designed to link the Sisters to outlying trails and National Forest trails.

Deschutes Basin Land Trust Trails

The Deschutes Basin Land Trust has expressed an interest in connecting their Sisters area preserves with the Sisters Community Trails. The Trails Committee will work with Land Trust staff to establish these trail connections while maintaining the preserves’ ecological integrity. Click for preserve descriptions.