For mountain bikers, the Ochocos east of Prineville have it all

Published 9:00 am Friday, July 25, 2025

Lookout Mountain is one of those trails in which a little pain and suffering is rewarded with loads of fun.

The sun beat down as I climbed the paved Forest Service Road 42 in the Ochoco Mountains east of Prineville last weekend.

The 18-mile Lookout Mountain loop ride includes a 6-mile climb up Road 42. By about mile 2, I needed some inspiration to keep me going on the grueling ascent in warm conditions.

I noticed that mile markers were located along the road, and that an excruciatingly long time had passed since milepost 2. Praying that I had somehow missed mile-marker 3, I hoped that the next sign I saw would be for mile 4.

Imagine my joy when I came across milepost 5 just a few minutes later! Knowing I had just 1 mile remaining on the interminable road climb gave me a sudden surge of energy and confidence.

The only problem was that the climbing did not end when I transitioned from paved road to singletrack trail.

The Ochocos have it all: gut-busting climbs, cliffside exposure, electrifying descents, spectacular vistas, wildflowers and solitude.

Located east of Prineville, the Ochocos feature trails that are different from those closer to Bend, offering mountain bikers a more challenging, backcountry experience in steep terrain dotted with grassy meadows and towering ponderosa pines.

Lookout Mountain, the highest point in the Ochocos at 6,926 feet, is probably the location in the mountain range most frequently visited by bikers. The summit can be reached via several routes, but the highlight is the descent along the Lookout Mountain Trail, which features 8 miles of fast, rumbling downhill.

Reaching the Summit of Lookout requires a 10-mile climb. The first 6 miles are along Road 42, starting from the Ochoco Ranger Station near the bottom of the Lookout Mountain Trail. The next 4 miles include steep singletrack along certain sections of which hiking a bike is necessary, at least for this mountain biker.

When I finally reached the Round Mountain/Independent Mine Trailhead, I was fairly exhausted but ready for singletrack. I took a right on the Lookout Mountain Trail (No. 804) and immediately began climbing … and climbing.

Though only 4 miles, the uphill seemed endless, marked by several steep, punishing sections through a mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forest. Certain areas of the trail were so lush and green that they brought to mind trails on the west side of the Cascade Range.

After 3,000 feet of elevation gain, the top of Lookout Mountain was a welcome sight. The summit is not much but a broad swath of sagebrush above the tree line. To the west is a sheer drop-off, with rolling emerald mountains in the distance.

The panorama atop Lookout provides a glimpse of Oregon’s diverse terrain, the brown and barren desert to the east and the dark green of the Ochocos to the west. The peaks of the Cascades were visible to the southwest.

The summit of Lookout Mountain is a unique place. Much of the trail along the top is rocky and technical, and it takes riders along the edge of a steep slope. At one spot it appears the trail dead-ends just before the void, but instead it takes a hard right turn along the edge.

Carefully negotiating the tricky trail, I rode slowly down several switchbacks from the top. While the Lookout Mountain Trail is extremely technical in the top sections, it becomes gradually more smooth and flowy as riders descend.

The trail makes for an incredibly fast drop, though there are two short climbs along the way. I sped along the trail, braking frequently and turning hard along the ribbon of pristine singletrack. (Trails in the Ochocos tend to stay less sandy than those closer to Bend in mid-to-late summer.)

The downhill route ends at Road 42, just across the road from the Ochoco Ranger Station. The entire ride was about 18 miles long, and I covered it in just less than four hours.

But I had experienced only a small sample of the trails in the Ochocos — Lookout Mountain can be combined with Round Mountain Trail for an epic loop of some 35 miles. Considering how spent I was after the 18-mile ride, I seriously doubt the 35-mile loop is a realistic option for me.

The terrain in the Ochocos is rugged and remote, and it offers a sense of adventure and isolation that is sometimes missing on crowded Central Oregon trails.