Browse The Trails
Maston Trails
Trail Snapshot:
Trail Description
E-bikes NOT allowed on Maston Trails
Maston is a trail system North of Bend (technically part of the Redmond trail network) which provides a good mountain biking and trail running option in the winter months. Typically the soils here are too dry and sandy in the summer, but they hold up nicely in winter. Riding is fairly flat and there are a few moderately technical sections scattered throughout the system. The best part of the area is the Rockbar Trail which takes you through some carefully stacked lava rocks and along the edge of the canyon overlooking the Deschutes River. The rest of the trails have lots of interesting Juniper trees.
If you are looking for more elevation and some gnarly rocks – you can cross Cline Falls Highway and make your way up to Cline Butte.
This trail is maintained by Central Oregon Trail Alliance.
Rode every trail in Maston yesterday (Jan 28, 2024), and it was great. It’s totally dry in all but a few small spots (the usual super shaded spots), but even those were very mildly wet (didn’t even get the bike muddy/dirty).
Did all the trails at Maston today. Zero mud and hero dirt. About as good as it gets. Pretty busy and kinda a lot of e-bikes today. :/ Other than that, super fun XC riding right now!
Rode great April 15. Fast and flowy, zero mud. Outer loop. Prime!
Great ride today. Outer loop. Zero mud, all hero dirt.
Agree – exactly what Tom said, primo right now! Weather in the next few days may change that, but get it while you can.
Hey folks. Sunday, January 19th and Maston is muddy as hell. Give it a rest. If you’re riding here you’re destroying the trail. Easily 60% muddy. Very bad on the front trail, the rocky northern section, and along the Rock wall on the west side. Be a good trail steward and stay off of Maston for at leat 10 days. There’s also snow coming this week. It will get worse.
Should be February 19th. Sorry
Rode will today. Some soft spots, a few musty spots. Ideal of the Newcomb Rd trail head
Certifiably fresh, as in fresh tracks in 3 to 4 inches of light, fluffy snow.
Trail was riding well the afternoon of Jan 15. A few small puddles were found, but mostly dry. Mud was drying out on Lost Dream nearest the road and Headgate had surprisingly very little standing water on it.
I posted conditions as variable. Other than Headgate and a couple of small wet sections (Pumice, for example) the dirt is good.
Remember…ride straight through any water and stay on the singletrack. Please don’t widen the trail.
FYI – to clarify…Headgate to Rock Bar is a swamp and will be an ice rink when it freezes. So avoid.
We just left the parking lot, no riding today. It’s just saturated, even the parking lot will leave a water-filled footprint after you walk around your car. The runner we talked to said trails are wet, only 2 other riders out and they were struggling with the mud and wetness. Needs to either freeze hard or have a day or 3 of warm sun to dry out. Please be patient and enjoy responsibly.
Riding pretty well! Head gate is a little muddy. No snow
Riding fine. Some snow in places but not slick. Mostly damp dirt with no puddles.
Someone on horseback came band took my fathers 11month old Yellow Lab from our property today. We are the first 20acres on the south side of the property as you drive down Newcomb/Maston Trail head. Neighbors reported 1 male bareback on horse on our property, however two separate horse tracks lead in and out. No people track, or dog track. Our dog would NOT have gone past his perimeter as it IS trained (due to high traffic riders). Date of occurrence is 5/9/22. Please message, or call DCS, as they have been contacted. Thank you
Super duper ride day! Clone butte nice and fast…. Make sure to stay off the private property as you will get yelled at. ( I got lost .. ooops)
Sloppy mud in some sections yet dry in others. Overall, it is riding much better than just a week ago. Expect to be covered in grime and use a fender.
The outer loop is good when FROZEN. Lots of left over ruts and ice patches. Once the sun hits, it’s a muddy mess. Ride earlier and keep the singletrack single…
Muddy, huge puddles, then a lake and the beginning and ending. And I was there early…
99% dry and mostly excellent. Not very crowded on a gray-bird Sunday.
80% dry, 15% tacky, 5% muddy (mostly along southern stretch of outside loop) and 100% ridable. Now if only that wind would chill the eff out.
Well it’s definitely getting better with the recent warm weather. However, the outer loop that stays low has the most mud. The highground in the middle is quite a bit dryer than the right or left out of the Maston parking lot (i.e. Headgate trail).
That said, the trails across the street facing E, SE and S on Cline Butte have generally dried out nicely. A spot or two of wet ground here and there in protected shaded locations but mostly dry.
After a few warm days, Maston has turned into a mess. For the sake of your drive train, and the trail resource on the ground, I would stay off of it for a while. Yesterday, I crawled through some sections on a 5″ fatbike (pretty much unrideable with a typical 2.5″ tire) and quickly decided, based on my past experiences at Maston, that the entire network has lots of standing water and mud. The coating or snow last night and freezing temps will certainly help lock up some mud but will create some pretty slick conditions….best to give it some time to recover.
Rode really well today, moisture made super tacky. Headgate getting a little went in the trench zone otherwise everything good to go if no more significant moisture
Avoid Headgate until puddles dry unless you like to make splashes.
Loose sand just outside the tread.
Fair amount of folks out today at the Maston Trailhead and Juniper. The trail is mostly dry with some soft spots that are firming up and on the north and northwest area short muddy spots with a few rut tracks but others are riding the edge to keep from rutting (hint, hint to all who ride thru the middle). Fast riding today, 50s slight wind from the north-cheers and have fun.
Busy day at Maston. Trails in great shape for biking.
A few patches of snow melting into more mud spots but fun ridding! Uou and avoid the mud in the majority of places.
Unfortunately, we got back and saw one car with smashed windows and they met another couple that was parked in the other lot who also had a smashed window from a break in this morning. Such a bummer. Don’t keep anything valuable in your vehicle.
Still a few puddles, but otherwise tacky.
A few spots of mud, generally where the trail is rocky. Busy trailhead after noon.
I rode the outer most loop including Rock Bar yesterday. The ditch trail and section right along Cline Falls had quite a bit of ice, but other than that the trails were pretty clear. Everything was still frozen but it’ll likely get muddy if things thaw out.
Also rode up to the middle towers on Cline Buttes. The XC trail until the double track climb was in great shape as was the climb. Probably snow and ice on any of the down hill trails in the gullys.
Plenty of snow and mud in usual spots. Avoid riding unless your committed to staying on the trail. Riding around unsavory sections aka snow and mud just kinda destroys the trail.
There are stretches of loose sand.
I don’t mean to be the skunk on the trail here. But, why in the world would you be out riding at Maston already this time of year? I mean the trails in town are at their best right now, hero dirt everywhere. We have from December until what, April to ride horse Ridge and Maston. Just my two cents.
Rode Tuesday, May 21, excellent trail condition. May have rained hard after I left.
Rode Wednesday, April 3rd. Excellent trail conditions. There were a few puddles in some canal stretches but no actual mud.
Dry as a bone on Sunday 3/31 – the trail head was packed! There were some guys out on the canyon shooting guns – not sure that’s legal out there, but wasn’t about to stop and say anything. We couldn’t tell if they were shooting across the canyon or down into it. Either way, it was a little disconcerting.
Ha. I rode past the guys with guns. It was a little surreal.
Have any of the bikers or walkers out there read the signs that say no shooting except if your legally hunting. The hunters had there hunting license which costs 50 plus dollars. They were hunting rock chucks they were legal. They also had been hunting varmits out there for the past 20 years. Well before these bike trails have been put in which by the way have put more pressure on deer, elk, and birds in the little blm that is left around town which is out of the city limits. We understand your form of entertainment but it’s ridiculous to have the police called every time u responsibly shoot a firearm. Your entertainment is not more important. You do not have more rights than us. Public ground is called public for a reason. We were curtious and respectful to whoever came or stopped by and asked us what we’re doing. Apparently it’s the new bend attitude. Bikers don’t own the area. We talked to the police and they were happy to have us out there. They thought it was great for people to share the public ground. We as hunters put more into wildlife habitat then bikers or hikers ever have. We don’t leave trash. We are safety conscious and respect the environment. Go ride somewhere else where shooting is prohibited if you dont like it. If it doesn’t bother you it doesn’t bother us. If it bothers by pass the area or don’t ride there.
Thanks Casey. It’s a good explanation. This happens every year at Phil’s too — you rarely hear guns out there, so when you do, it can be pretty surprising.
Although you may have been acting responsibly, many people DO NOT responsibly shoot on public land. Between Gray Butte, Horse Butte, and Maston, I’ve had live rounds buzz past me on the trail, encountered people shooting into open space with no backstop or awareness of what’s beyond their target, heard fully-automatic gunfire… not to mention the piles of shells and brass left behind along with shot-up debris. It’s not a question of “rights” or who was using the land first — it’s about having the common sense and awareness to be safe and leave the place better than you found it. It only takes one idiot to ruin it for everyone else. When the first hiker or biker is accidentally shot on a trail, which group do you think is going to lose access?
I have no issue with people using guns responsibly. I will say that hanging out at THE canyon overlook where the bike trail comes closest to the canyon probably isn’t a great idea if you don’t want to be bothered. There are plenty of areas in maston that are closed to bikes where you can be as close to the canyon as you’d like. Sounds like a strategic act to stir up some controversy to me. Curious also – how does rock chuck taste?
Trail is 99% free of snow and mud. Just a few very short patches on the Oregon Sunshine segment.
Tried to Run on Sunday March 17th. A ton of snow still. Not worth riding/running.
Rode Maston this afternoon. It’s all good. A few dark spots on the canal trail. The rest is fast and dry.
Go get it
#getyouroutsideon
Granted there is weather coming in, but i rode the SW loop with my kids yesterday and it’s 90% hero dirt. I would say it’s “riding well” – but I will choose winter mix for now. Yes there are short stretches of mud where people are going around and trails are being widened. Ride through the center and all is well. You can see the same pattern whenever there’s a rock in the tread. So many tracks around it. The muddiest section was fairly rocky – so people were actually encouraged to ride on rocks.
Wet and muddy.
Busy day at Maston. There are muddy stretches, but easily ridden through. It’s a runny mud that doesn’t stick. The wettest parts are where the trail gets rocky, counter-intuitively.
Muddy and mucky overall with trails widening due to puddle and mud circumnavigation. Might be nice in 2-3 days if the temps stay around 50. Not worth the trouble at the moment.
Trails are moderate today. Plenty of sticky icky but only a few patches of snow. If it doesn’t get more precip in the next couple days it’ll be sweet!
Just out there today. Dirt is perfect. A couple small wet spots but that’s it.
Riding great. Zero need for a fatty.
A few sections of standing water, mostly along the canal part of the trail heading over to Rockbar, otherwise moist hero sand. Even better, an intact windshield upon our return to the trailhead. :)
fast and firm hero sand!
Fast, as long as you stay in the middle of the tread.
I just did the entire outer loop and I am glad I had downloaded the map onto my phone. There were a few spots where you easily get off the trail (not well marked) and there were a few spots that were super sandy and I had to walk out and get back to the main trail. Quite fun after all and no trouble w my car though it was an open top Jeep. Thumbs up!
You were probably the only bike out there as well. As It’s more a Fall and Winter ride area unless your on a fat bike. I am sure it will be in better shape come riding season out there
Loose out of tread, but center still firm. A four wheeler was ridden on some of the middle trail.
Are there any more reports of vandalism in the parking lot?
Warning: At least 6 vehicles broken into around 4:30 this afternoon. Windows were smashed even if nothing was left in the vehicle. DCSO has been contacted with the promise to increase patrols. Please watch out for suspicious vehicles.
Word is its likely the same people who broke into my friends car a few weeks ago. Same sighting of an older silver Honda sedan with 2 men. One older one younger. I posted pics of the suspects on facebook taken from video surveillence when they used my friends credit card at a convenience store in Sisters. Lets get these losers.
Hey Natalie can you make the photos public on Facebook so that we can see them?
No mud. Rip City
I appreciate all the updates on here. But….what is up with all the Sunday evening updates? I mean just in time to go back to work, eh. ?
start of spring break yo! if you have kids anyway :)
Very small patches of mud in the usual spots. Otherwise Great
Trails are in great condition in the main area. A few damp places in the usual spots.
Warning: while we were out riding Maston today, someone broke into my friend’s truck and stole his wallet and other items. Rumor has it an old silver car was sighted with 2 people walking around the parking lot just prior around 2 pm. Best be leaving your valuables at home and take your wallet with you :(
Maston was absolutely perfect today.
Rode here for the first time today. Our TrailForks map had “named” trails versus the numbered trails, so required a bit of checking at some of the intersection. For experienced riders, this was a fun, fast outing. Not very technical but some fun rocky spots. Especially enjoyed the Rockbar section of the trail. The trail itself was riding fast. A few wet spots, but not bad. Even had a few sandy spots. Super fun day.
MASTON outer loop was Awesome today if you get a chance this weekend go ride it 97% dirt today just a little soft by the Westside next to Cline Falls HWY 3/4 mile or so . 29+ tires
Thanks Keith, I was just wondering how it looked when I woke up today. Hope to be hitting it by 2
March 6th rode Maston outerloop clockwise. A little mud (sandy mud) in the shade and mostly on the west side trails. Other than that it was riding great. Not much snow left at all. Parking lot and trails were busy at 2:30 pm maybe 12-16 cars and more at the Juniper trailhead.
Side note – signs need to be added at junctions so you can see them from more than one direction.
Started at Juniper TH around 3pm and turned back at the first intersection due to mud. 1″ deep snow patches so it may be a while before it’s clear. Maybe starting at the other trail head would be better but I opted for Cline XC which was much better.
Rode the outer loop counter clockwise (2/28) at 7am. Trail was 50% frozen dirt and 50% choppy snow/ice mix.
Anyone find any keys in the parking lot by chance?
Rode outer loop clockwise, nice, no dust, no mud.
Rode the outer loop on 1/6 and there were no puddles and many corners were surprisingly soft and dry despite the overnight rain. Love Maston in the Winter.
Conditions PERFECT on Maston. Very busy on the weekend.
As of 12/28, trail is in great shape. Snow is gone and dust is down. If you’re planning to combine Maston with Cline Butte for a longer ride, be advised that the gate to Cline Butte was padlocked and a No Trespassing sign has been added to it.
Hi Bonnie, The road is going to be closed except to the property owners in the area.
Patchy snow but riding great. Mostly dirt on the south side and mostly packed snow (<1") on the north side. Good traction throughout.
Pretty much perfect today. Warm with just a light sprinkle. Canal was totally dry and the rest of the loop was tacky and good.
Ride early. Mud was out by about 9:30 this morning. Freeze/Thaw
Are we trying to keep people away? Because I did 25 miles there Sat as well. Found 2 tiny puddles on the pipeline trail.??
PERFECT conditions fast and smooth
My guess is the freeze thaw is minimal. Things may get a little greasy for a couple hours and dry out in the afternoon. Maston doesn’t get a lot of mud due to the heavy sand – I call it “wet sand”. My 2 cents is ride there any time and just ride through puddles and mud and don’t worry about it. The canal will always be a problem and most people ride up on the sides which is where the trail should be we just haven’t been given approval to make that official.
Same as Bruce – dust on top but firm underneath still.
Dusty, but tread is firm. Soft sand on the sides.
Rode Outer Loop to Pumice Foot to Fat Rabbit Loop to Lost Dream to Big Bark. No dust. A little sand in places. Riding well. Very fun.
Rode Big Bark, Pumice Foot, Fat Rabbit, Talon and Head Gate evening of 4/20. A few puddles, very small on head gate. No dust and riding well. Of course hit “The Bite” on way home.
Rode the south interior loop on Easter Sunday, riding well, little dust.
Big Bark, Lost Dream, Talon and Headgate. Riding well, dry.
Did the Ride today with a friend Riding very good. Dry for the most part. Great 12.5 miles loop
Completely clear of snow and ice now and riding beautifully.
Hero dirt conditions at Maston today – even one or two sandy corners.
There was a tiny stretch of ice/mud (maybe 50 yards) near the Cline Butte side of the trail but, overall riding was exceptional. Going back tomorrow because it was so wonderfully tacky at lunchtime.
Rode cline and followed that with a loop of maston today in the early afternoon. The trails have lots of snow and light “mud” on the West end of maston for sure. By mud I mean wet sand. The snow is pretty annoying. Once in the center or East edges it’s riding great. There is significant mud in the canal (as usual) but besides that the mud is light and not bad. Good early season riding to be had.
As of yesterday, outer loop from Maston trailhead to Juniper (clockwise) has a lot of snow and a lot of walking to be done.
Road maston on March 1st. I was surprised at how many patches of snow are still on the trail. I departed from juniper trailhead and headed south on the west boundary Trail. I only made it a mile before turning around because of muddy and super-soft conditions. A number of others had riden before me when it was even softer and have rutted out the trails. That trail system probably needs another week of warmer weather to melt remaining snow and time to drain otherwise it will get damaged.
Checked in with COTA who checked in with the BLM and all trails are open (year round). There are some mis-placed signs which people currently working on removing or moving to the proper place.
Started from Juniper trailhead. Still many large areas of snow and unbroken trail after the first mile, but you can patch together a ride following the phonelines and roads.
Trail from Maston TH to and including Rockbar is pretty muddy still but the Trail has a BLM CLOSED sign posted at Intersection 5. You can ride a small 6 mile loop including rockbar but the trail where Rockbar joins the main loop is closed to the north.
FYI regarding the sign, there is a wildlife conservation area which borders this trail but I believe the intent is to allow use of the actual trail. See the BLM map here but the area east of the outer trail is closed from what I see. The sign at junction 5 is very confusing though. It appeared to imply the trail was closed also.
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/recreation/cline/files/CBRA_17.pdf
Maston at noon yesterday had a bit of mushy snow left (up to 5 inches in shady areas) but there is some bare dirt in spots.
Really chopped up and terrible. I rode from Juniper trailhead for about a mile then bailed out to the road.
packed but bumpy when ridden early
maston too soft currently for riding. Warm weather no go.
Smooth packed snow where the fat bikes have been, choppy and rough where the hikers have been (mostly on NW sections)
Fat or plus bike recommended. Parking lot has been plowed.
Surprisingly dry this morning. Fast and smooth. No puddles, no mud.
Nice and smooth. Come get some.
Loose surface, but firm underneath.
Very Very Very nice right now, Its like a packed race track.
Outer loop is riding well. No mud, no puddles, just damp packed dirt.
Just starting to have patches of soft pumice areas. I don’t think its 19 miles on the outer loop. More like 13…thoughts…?
Yea, that sounds right for the outer loop. 19 is pretty much the total for all of the Maston trails.
Freeze thaw doesn’t seem to be a factor any more. No puddles at all today. Trails on the easterly edge are starting to get a bit sandy now.
Puddles at Maston are gone. There’s a fair amount of sand already.
Despite all of the rain in the area today…Maston is still good. Little puddles here and there, but hey it is March!
best trail conditions I’ve seen. Damp packed dirt but zero mud, even after last nights rain.
Damp in a few spots, sandy in a few spots, overall perfect!
No mud very smooth and hard packed riding. Cool, cloudy and a light sprinkle when I finished.
No mud and fast dirt. Great riding!
Firm and fast, some soft sandy sections starting to show up. Another beautiful day in Central O.
Super Friday riding — minus a few firm muddy spots. Some of the more open corners are turning to flowy sand — as to be expected at Maston as things dry out a bit.
Firm damp surface along the trails in shady and north facing areas, packed “regular” surface most everywhere else. Some wet muddy spots. Please ride straight through those areas and do not ride around the wetter areas, as that enlarges the width of the trail and ultimately ruins the trails!
Rode well yesterday afternoon.
Rode in the afternoon. Trails are in good shape, mostly dry with a few muddy spots.
Riding great this morning, a few small areas of mud. Ride on!
Even the canal section was dry! Whole area is riding great. Lot’s of people mountain biking and running Maston today.
****Sssshhhhhh!!! Don’t tell anyone but Maston is riding VERY well today.****
Lotsa hero dirt to be had this morning. Only real mud (very, very small spots) was on Headgate between the Maston TH and Rock Bar. If you stay on the smooth/packed dirt it is easily avoidable. I also rode Talon/Rabbit Loop out to Juniper TH/Pumice Foot/Lost Dream back to the Maston TH. All were riding well and zero mud.
Get out there and get you some MTB goodness before winter comes back.
thanks for the report man.
Still muddy spots, but lots of bike traffic. Oregon Sunshine had the most puddles.
A bit muddy today around 1100 to 1300. Try to get on it prior to the thaw, which is occurring around 1000. Freeze/Thaw conditions in effect, as Thomas stated.
Riding very good this afternoon (only the usual wet spots) and should ride well until the overnight temps dip below zero. Once the freeze arrives, it will be back to muddy conditions (freeze/thaw).
Riding great today. Didn’t freeze last night so was tacky and firm. Typical wet spots around the Headgate area, though.
Riding nicely when frozen. Hit it yesterday on my fatty. Rode every trail. Could be done on a regular MTB.
Maston was 70% awesome dirt and 30% thin packed snow today (12/26). Good riding!
Thanks for the report! I was wondering if there was much snow at Maston — I plan on hitting it tomorrow.
Great today too – a few stretches of ice, but the snow’s pretty thin and not much of it.