This weekend spend some time exploring north of Bend, where the sun should peek out and warmer, spring-like temperatures are expected.  

For areas north of Bend, you have a choice of heading toward forests or the High Desert, and both will make great destinations this weekend as the weather looks to be mild and relatively clear. Then again, this is Central Oregon, and that could change at any minute.

For a full list of conditions updated regularly, please visit centraloregonexplore.com

Hiking and Day Use Sites

NOTE: There is substantial snow in area sno-parks, and all summer trails have snow on them. While the Forest Service doesn’t close these trails during the winter, summer trails are only accessible by snowshoeing, cross country skiing or snowmobiling due to accumulated snowpack. And remember, many of these trails are along seasonally closed highways that are unplowed and cannot be accessed by car or foot. Know the current conditions and you and your cars abilities before heading out on any adventure.

See forest websites for more details and restrictions.

Deschutes National Forest

• Buttes Loop Trailhead: Snow
• Cabot Lake Trailhead: Snow
• Chush Falls: Snow
• Cinder Beach Day Use: Open; snow; operated by the Suttle Lodge
• Green Ridge Lookout: Closed
• Green Ridge Trail: Snow
• Head of Jack Creek Trailhead: Snow; possible downfall
• Metolius River Trail: Snow
• Jack Lake Trailhead: Deep snow
• Jefferson Lake: Snow
• Lake Creek Trail: Open; snow
• Lava Camp Lake Trailhead: Closed
• Lower Black Butte Trailhead: Snow
• Lower Bridge Day Use: Open
• Lower Canyon Creek (West Metolius Trailhead): Snow
• Metolius-Windigo: Closed
• Millican Crater Trailhead: Snow
• Park Meadow: Snow
• Pole Creek Trailhead: Open; moderate blowdown between TH and junction with Green Lakes Trail
• Sisters Cow Camp: Open
• Suttle Lake Day Use: Open; snow
• Whychus Creek Overlook Trailhead: Open; likely patchy snow and mud
• Whychus Portal (Lower Whychus Trailhead): Open; likely patchy snow and mud

Ochoco National Forest

• Alder Springs Trailhead: Open
• Cyrus Trailhead: Open
• Giddy-Up Go Trailhead: Open
• Gray Butte Trailhead: Open
• Henderson Flat OHV Trail System: Open
• Henderson Flat Staging Area: Open
• Rimrock Springs Trailhead: Open
• Scales Corral Trailhead: Open
• Skull Hollow Trailhead: Open
• Tam-A-Lau Trailhead: Open
• Trail Crossing Corrals Trailhead: Open

Bureau of Land Management

• Cline Buttes Recreation Area: Open
• Horny Hollow Trail: Open
• Huntington Wagon Road: Open
• Redmond Caves Recreation Site: Open
• Scout Camp Trail: Open
• Steelhead Falls Trail: Open
• Tumalo Reservoir: Open
• Trout Creek Trail: Open

Oregon State Parks

• Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint: Open
• Cove Palisades State Park: Open; ABC (Deschutes) Campground, South and Middle Loops of E (Crooked River) are open, Lower Deschutes Day Use open, marina open
• Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint: Open
• Smith Rock State Park: Open look for the posted climbing closure signs in the Monument Area due to raptor nesting, park-wide ban on drones for raptor nesting season
• Tumalo State Park: Open

Ski areas and sno-parks

Updated 10 a.m. March 13

• Hoodoo: Open; 104-inch base
• Mt. Bachelor: Open; 121-inch base
• Willamette Pass: Open; 90-inch base

Updated 10 a.m. April 3

Deschutes National Forest

• Three Creek Sno-park (Lower): Open; 9-15 inches; fair conditions due to low snow
• Three Creek Sno-park (Upper): Open; 30-48 inches; good conditions
• Walt Haring Sno-park: Open; 30-60 inches; good conditions

Camping

Ochoco National Forest

• Cyrus Horse Camp: Open; no campfires; no campfire Creek Campground: Open
• Dry Creek Horse Camp: Open; no campfires

BLM — Prineville District

• Barr Road North Staging Area: Open
• Buckhorn Staging Area: Open
• Macks Canyon Recreation Site: Open

Cycling

Fatbike & Winter Trails

• Tumalo Creek: Rideable snow
• Horse Butte: Muddy
• Wanoga Outer Loop, Wanoga 3 PSI, Maston: Riding well
• Deschutes River Trail: Muddy
• Ben’s, MTB, Kent’s Trail: Variable

Prineville and Ochoco trails

• Prineville Bike Park: Needs new report
• 66 Trails: Riding well
• All other trails under deep snow

Sisters trails

• All trails rideable snow

Maston complex

• All trails riding well

Redmond trails

• The Saddle: Closed
• Cline Buttes: Muddy
• Cole Loop, Gray Butte, String East, String West: Variable
• All other trails riding well

Madras East Trails

• E-Bikes allowed on all trails
• All trails riding well

Cascade Crest

• All trails under deep snow

Fishing

Updated at 10 a.m. April 13

• Lower Deschutes (Pelton Dam to Columbia River): 6,320 cfs; redband trout, steelhead, whitefish; closed to all fishing from Northern boundary of the Warm Springs Reservation upstream to the Pelton Regulation Reservoir dam until April 22
• Middle Deschutes (Benham Falls to Lake Billy Chinook): 4,060 cfs; brown trout, rainbow trout; anglers should use caution on the river margins where shelf ice may be present; open year-round for trout, artificial flies and lures only, no limit on brown trout
• Crooked River (below Opal Springs): 1,400; rainbow trout and mountain whitefish; any trout over 20 inches are considered steelhead and must be released, bull trout must be released unharmed and reported to the USFW at crookedbulltrout@fws.gov, the water is currently low and dirty with plenty of aquatic vegetation in the channel
• Metolius River: 1,330 cfs; bull trout, rainbow trout; good fishing reported; fly fishing only upstream of Bridge 99, artificial lures and flies permitted below; catch and release only; public access to Wizard Falls Hatchery remains closed; the Metolius above Allingham Bridge is closed till May 22
• McKenzie River (at Clear Lake): 237 cfs
• McKenzie River (near Belknap Springs): 215 cfs; rainbow and coastal cutthroat trout; fire cleanup still being conducted in the area, access may be limited; all nonadipose fin-clipped trout must be released; lures and artificial flies only
• Ochoco Reservoir: 25% full; rainbow trout, black crappie, smallmouth bass; reservoir is very low, fishing has been fair near Ochoco Dam with reports of nice size rainbow trout
• Haystack Reservoir: 85% full; rainbow and brown trout, kokanee, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill and bullhead catfish; restocked last week of March
• Lake Billy Chinook: Bull, brown and rainbow trout, kokanee, smallmouth bass; anglers in the Deschutes arm are seeing bull, brown and rainbow trout, while a few bull trout are being caught in the Metolius arm; for the remainder of the reservoir, harvest is limited to one bull trout over 24 inches under the daily trout limit; anglers can now keep five kokanee in addition to daily trout limit; no bag or size limits on brown trout and bass

Fire danger is listed as moderate in the Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River Grasslands. It is listed as low in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests.

Industrial Fire Precaution Level has been lowered to 0 as of Nov. 1 in the Deschutes, Ochoco and the Crooked River Grasslands. It is still at a level 1 in the Willamette National Forests.

As of July 22, 2020, Deschutes River access is closed due to safety concerns and to prevent further erosion to the riverbank. The access point will be closed until further notice. For more information visit bendparksandrec.org

• The Monument Area will be closed to climbing beginning Jan. 18, 2022.

• The Canyon Trail near the Bald Eagle nest is restricted to travel in groups of four or fewer, and noise needs to be kept to a minimum.

• Peregrine and Prairie Falcon climbing closures will go into effect at a later date.

• A park-wide ban on drones is in effect for remainder of nesting season.