It’s snowing. It’s tropical. Spring in Central Oregon can make you dizzy. The mountain bike trails experience the roller coaster of conditions too. Riding muddy trails is not only a miserable slog followed by an hourlong bike cleaning session, but it can also do damage to trails that will take COTA volunteers countless hours to repair in late spring.

With a little local knowledge and keeping track of what the weather has been doing the past few days, you can pick ride locations that are in good shape and maybe check out some new areas too.

Madras

If spring is looking more like winter, head to East Hills in Madras. These High Desert trails receive little moisture and dry quickly when they do. Sessioning Trestles trail is a great place to dust off your pump and jump skills. Zipping around West Side XC trail will get your heart pumping, and an out-and-back on Wide Open and Valley of the Bones is a great family trek. Beware of Olympus: It’s the one place in this system that has clay and can become a sticky bog with the slightest drizzle.

Prineville

On those days when weather can be patchy, head to 66 Trails in Prineville. The maze of trails on the hillside gets full sun in the day and dry earlier than most areas in the region. Starting from the parking area off SW Park Drive, explore trails built by COTA with a grant from Facebook. You’ll find wood ramps and rolls tucked into the network and experience why trails have names like Trashalanche! and Antiques Roadshow. Rim Trail is flat with a different soil type, holding moisture longer than the other trails, so it may not be rideable when the rest of the network is.

Cline Butte

Golden Eagles are nesting at Cline Butte, closing the Saddle and XC Buttes trail and making this area unsuitable for all but expert riders. However, you can find great riding at the newly completed Cascade View Trail System just a few miles away. The parking area is just off the McKenzie Highway and accesses 10 miles of well-drained, intermediate trails. Do a few laps on Stinger East trail to the site and ride the more advanced alt lines on the track.

Horse Butte and beyond

With spring freeze-thaw cycles, many trails ride great in the morning if they froze overnight. But as soon as the sun hits the dirt or temps climb into the 40s the tread defrosts and becomes sticky mud. Horse Butte trails are an example of a location where this is common, so ride early. To explore trail conditions, start on Coyote Loop, cross over to Arnold Ice Cave via Boyd Cave. Trails above Boyd Cave and Swamp Wells hold moisture into late spring. If you ride them, expect to do an out and back when you hit the mud.

Horse Ridge

Horse Ridge gets a lot of play this time of year. It receives relatively low amounts of precipitation, and the rocky terrain makes secure places for tires. The northeast-facing terrain has good pitch to it, so if it does snow at Horse Ridge, the snow can linger in the shadows of brush and melt onto the trail for several days after the storm. The traversing trail at the top, Has No Horse, is especially susceptible to this. It’s best to start a day at Horse Ridge going up Parkway. If you encounter mud, expect the other trails to be more so, and turn around.

Black Rock

If you just can’t wait to ride in the forest, one of the trails that melts out earlier is Black Rock near Sunriver. This trail connects the pedestrian paths of Sunriver to Lava Lands Visitor Center and skirts the lava flow. If you do head there and the trail is holding snow, you can still ride the Sunriver-Lava Butte paved path. At this time, the area is closed weekdays for vegetation management but can be ridden on the weekends.

Be prepared when riding in early spring. If the sun dips behind the clouds, temps can drop quickly and getting wet can cause hypothermia, so bring layers. Even a beanie can make a big difference. Stash sunscreen in your pack to protect your arms if you take off your jacket in glorious mid-day sunshine. And while you may not get sweaty in the cool temps, you are in the High Desert, so carry water too. Finally, check bendtrails.org before you head out for rider-submitted trail condition reports.