”Tis the season to ride Skull Hollow

April in Central Oregon is predictably unpredictable.

We took the mountain bikes out for a spin at Skull Hollow on Friday and ran smack dab into a typical spring slumgullion of rain, wind, peekaboo sun and those little Styrofoam-like pellets that are neither snow nor hail but a combination of both (snail?).

After a long winter of relative sloth, I felt a bit snail-like creeping up the Cole Loop Trail out of the Skull Hollow campground. It’s a singletrack path that snakes out over the grassland and up-canyon into Gray Butte country. We saw plenty of signs that horses had passed this way; mountain bikers need to be vigilant for horseback riders on the trails in the Crooked River National Grassland.

We didn’t see any horses, and the problematic Gray Butte gumbo wasn’t an issue. But it can be, especially this time of year.

According to the Central Oregon Trail Alliance Web site, “The infamous Gray Butte gumbo is not to be messed with. At the first sign of gumbo, turn around and retreat. It will pack your tires to the point that they no longer roll through your frame and your bike is suddenly going to weigh 40 lbs as you carry it back to your car.”

Depending on the weather and conditions, it can get nasty. After a heavy rain, forget about it for a few days.

That said, this time of year and fall are the best times to explore the dirt roads and singletrack trails that ply the canyons and gullies on the back side of Smith Rock. I’ve ridden there in August. Trust me, if you’re not partial to oppressive heat and dust, April is a better bet.

There are intersecting trails and gravel roads in the area that can make your loop long or short.

You can catch the Gray Butte trail or head toward the back side of Smith Rock State Park along a narrow, side-hill singletrack section known as “the traverse.” Don’t overthink it, but you wouldn’t want to plunge over the downhill side.

Road 5710 from Skull Hollow takes riders (and vehicles) up and around to the west side of Gray Butte. You’ll pass the historic McCoin apple orchard and a hiking trail to the top of the butte. The apple orchard was planted by homesteaders Julius and Sarah McCoin in 1886. Now owned by the federal government, the orchard still bears fruit.

There are lots of options, one of which is to take a rest and consider the countryside. The canyons and arroyos with their scrubby juniper and rocky outcrops make the place look like a stage set for an old Western. “The Legend of Skull Hollow.”

“It’s a legendary thing,” replied historian Steve Lent when asked how the place got its name.

According to Lent, who’s assistant director of Prineville’s Bowman Museum, a group of soldiers found a pile of skeletons and skulls up in the canyon sometime in the 1860s. They looked to be a couple of decades old at the time. Word was, the boneyard was what was left of the travelers in an ill-fated wagon train. The problem with that story, said Lent, is that there’s nothing to back up that assertion and, given the lay of the land, it’s unlikely wagons would have gone that way.

But Chief Paulina’s raiders were active in the area during that time period (1840s) and the story persisted. More likely, the bones were the result of a skirmish between Indian bands.

Here’s my advice. When riding out of Skull Hollow, pay the physical price and get yourself to a high place with a view. Reflect on the beauty below and the history all around.

Then hop on your bike, point it downhill and make your peace with Isaac Newton.

If you go

Getting there: From Redmond, drive north on U.S. Highway 97 and turn right on O’Neil Highway. At the quarry turn left on to Lone Pine Road. Because the sign for Skull Hollow campground has toppled, look for the campground on the left (with Gray Butte looming to the west).

Camping: The campground is a wonderfully casual place used by climbers out of Smith Rock State Park, equestrians and mountain bikers. Camping is free in the 30 designated pull-in campsites, and fires in the grills are allowed. There are two pit toilets, but there is no water. Pack it in, pack it out.

Contact: Crooked River National Grassland, 475-9272.