East Side Bike Fun in Mountain View
Orchard and Mountain View offer plenty in the way of laid-back family fun
By Nicole Vulcan
In a part of town that offers plenty of neighborhood parks and amazing views of the Cascades, one park in the Mountain View neighborhood of Bend's east side is becoming a big draw for active families.
In 2023, eastsiders began to enjoy the first phase of a two-phase project adding bike trails and skills features to Big Sky Park. Before, riders who wanted to practice their bike skills in Bend might have had to travel to the far-west side at Phil's Trail, or, in order to ride on a paved pump track, a trip to Homestead Pump Track in Redmond might have been required. Now, the far-east side is the place to be for kids (and parents) looking to have fun and practice turns, pumps, jumps and so much more.
Bend Park and Recreation District received a Visit Bend grant that allowed the district to up the timeline for creating the Big Sky Bike Park. While more upgrades, including a terrain park and sessions zone, are still forthcoming, Big Sky now boasts a paved pump track with a learning zone for the little ones, a skills course, trials area and a covered picnic shelter. In addition, new single-track trails circle the park.
This spot was already pretty great for those wanting an off-leash area for their dogs, for those who enjoy the sport of BMX, or for those in the neighborhood looking for room to stretch out, but with the addition of this new neighborhood feature, on a warm day it's definitely an east-side place to be.
