Yes, the snow is finally expected to come today and through the weekend, changing conditions on both the ski slopes and the singletrack trails in Central Oregon.

While skiers and snowboarders have been awaiting the start of the winter season, mountain bikers enjoyed a November to remember on the High Desert.

Clear skies and cold temperatures have made for prime dirt on our world-class singletrack and a chance to ride trails later into the fall than normal.

Mountain biking is a year-round sport in Central Oregon, but riders should avoid muddy conditions as they can damage the trails by creating ruts. When trails west of Bend are muddy or snow-covered, often areas east or north of Bend can offer decent biking conditions through the late fall and winter.

Because, up until this weekend, conditions have remained good on trails west of Bend, I made the time to rediscover some of my favorite loop rides.

This past Sunday, I rode a 17-mile loop along the Ticket To Ride, Grand Slam, Storm King and COD trails and was treated to premium conditions and small crowds, enjoying some quiet solitude in the Deschutes National Forest. While conditions in that area will likely change this weekend, an expected mild winter could make for more mountain biking opportunities there throughout the colder months.

I made the short drive west of Bend to a small parking area just off Century Drive, near Tetherow Resort. I found the COD singletrack trail and cruised along hard, tacky dirt to the junction with Ticket To Ride. (A relatively new connector trail in this area makes it possible to bypass an extremely rocky, technical section of COD.)

A gradual climb up Ticket to Ride led me to the junction with Grand Slam. Here, I could hear nothing but the wind and the birds. I even heard, and spotted, two woodpeckers working away in nearby ponderosa pine trees.

The Grand Slam-COD loop features a few challenging rock-strewn sections where mountain bikers can practice their technical-riding skills and bike handling — but the majority of the loop is smooth, rolling singletrack with intermediate technical sections.

I continued climbing up Grand Slam and eventually reached an intersection with the Storm King Trail. Here, the forest was more open as a result of the U.S. Forest Service’s West Bend Project. The project includes restoration work (logging, thinning, mowing, and prescribed burning) in and around the Phil’s Trail area to help improve tree health and wildlife habitat, and to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire, according to the Forest Service.

The work has opened up the forest with better views and longer sight distances. In some places, the trails have a much different feel from just a few years earlier, now that they roll through a more open woods. Portions of Kent’s Trail, Phil’s Trail and MTB Trail remain closed on weekdays due to the project. Lower Tyler’s Traverse in the Wanoga area remains closed seven days a week.

Storm King offered a fast and flowing downhill before I connected back to the COD Trail. The rolling descent continued as I found a nice rhythm cruising through that section of ponderosa pines, dry grass and fallen pine needles. I picked up speed as I tore through the fast corners along the grippy singletrack.

From COD, I connected back to Ticket To Ride, pedaling through a small canyon before reaching the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station. From there, I continued along the trail before linking back up to COD and riding back to the parking area near Tetherow.

The 17-mile ride took about 2½ hours and included 1,300 feet of ascent, another memorable outing during a November to remember on Central Oregon singletrack.