Fatbiking the Christmas Valley Dunes in Oregon

Forget the dreamy sounding name of Christmas Valley, this part of the world is what most people describe as high desert. Scrub sage, jackrabbits, hay farms and lava fields abound. It's located straight east of a little volcano named Mt Mazama (aka Crater Lake) that blew it's top 7,700 years ago. The vast sand dunes are remnants of the 12 cubic miles of ash and pumice debris that was launched from the explosion. These are the largest inland shifting sand dunes in the Pacific Northwest, and they are perfect for all-day fatbike rides.

Special thanks to Donnie for getting us there and for Moonlander, the coolest bike I've ever owned

GPS tracks here

Day 1- Full sun, full moon

Day 2- Sunrise, moonset over camp

Random vertebra

Old homesteader shack

Everybody likes kitties!

The moonrise was amazing

Day 3- Volcanoes and cracks in the ground

Fatbiking Sandy River Delta

You never know what you'll run into while fatbiking along the Sandy River delta.

Sisters-Old Santiam Wagon Road- McKenzie River

4-day solo bikepacking trip from Sisters, Oregon, across the Old Santiam Wagon Road, to the McKenzie River trail and back. Perfect weather, one cold spring, one hot spring, 6 pinch flats, a bunch of broken equipment and lots of grinning. It was the best bikepacking trip I've ever done.

Partial GPS tracks here

 Leaving Sisters

 The gravel turns red

 The route ran through a section of burned forest...

... and downed trees. Ugh, hike-a-bike

 Mt. Washington through the burn

 Clear Lake- it's actually that blue

 Lava country

 Crazy ass bug

 McKenzie River- one of many crossings like this

Sahalie Falls

One of many technical lava sections

 Look closely on the right, there is a hot springs cave

 

 Another view from Clear Lake

 This section was so cool. Just follow an old trail, nothing packed down and obvious, all old growth trees, lots of lava and nobody in sight

 Shot taken of bug chomped leg the night before the mosquitoes got bad

 High country mountain flowers

 Moonscape- volcanic debris from extinct volcano Sand Mountain

 Last night campsite near Sand Mt

 Old fire lookout tower on top of Sand Mt

 Looking south from Sand Mt looking at Mt Washington and the Three Sisters Mts

 Looking north at Three Fingered Jack and Mt Jefferson

 Looking west, you can see the McKenzie river valley

Good old Karate Monkey!