Hop on your bike and follow the bicycle routes along the High Desert Food Trail to visit local farmers, and the businesses and restaurants that source from them.
Last year, HDFFA teamed up with Bend Electric Bikes, a bike shop that sells and rents E-Bikes, to curate three bicycle routes that feature stops on the High Desert Food Trail. You can find these routes on the project webpage, or read about them in more detail in our previous blog post. Rent an eBike from Bend Electric Bikes or take your own favorite mode of transportation and experience Central Oregon’s local food scene while spending time outside. Bend Electric Bikes offers additional accessibility options, such as trailers for children, so reach out to them if you have any questions. The pre-planned routes range from 1.7–3.2 miles exploring downtown Bend, Sisters, and Redmond.
As we see local farmstands, farmers markets, and on-farm events begin to open up, it is a great time to dust off your bike, pump up those tires, and take a tour along the trail. A great way to spend time outside and explore the local food scene, trail visitors can follow along the routes with the app Ride with GPS to discover restaurants, breweries, food carts, and farmers markets in Bend, Redmond, and Sisters. You can also make your own route and explore the culinary and agricultural roots of Central Oregon your way!
If you’re looking for a bigger adventure, you can head out to Schilling’s Garden Market, located just off the Old Bend Redmond Highway, for one of their many events featuring local vendors; visit one of Well Rooted Farms’ Veggie Sheds or try their U-Pick; take a trip out to Tumalo Farmstand, open seasonally between Bend and Sisters; visit Madras to stop by Paradise Produce and pick up garden starts and veggies. In Prineville, you can take a loop to visit the many on-farm experiences, like cheese tasting at Windy Acres Dairy. Or, take a break and rest those legs in a hammock and breathe in the lavender at SunLife Farm and Ranch.
If you venture out on a trip along the trail, on bike or otherwise, use the hashtag, #HighDesertFoodTrail, or tag us, @ HDFFA, to share your experience.
Use the High Desert Food Trail to create an adventure that fits your needs! By visiting businesses along the trail, you are supporting locally grown, raised, and crafted food and investing in Central Oregon’s vibrant food economy. Stay healthy and enjoy the fresh air and local food scene this summer.
