Badlands Rock Trail, Oregon Badlands Wilderness, Oregon

The Badlands which became designated wilderness in 2009, is great for winter riding, with 29,000 acres and several different trailheads to choose from. The Badlands Rock Trailhead is the largest, as far as parking, and there are several riding options from there on mostly flat and easy trails. For another ride on the north side, check out the Tumulus Trail .

The sign just before the 17 mile marker.

From Bend OR, drive east on Hwy 20 towards Burns, just before the 17 mile marker take a left
at the Oregon Badlands Wilderness sign, cross over a cattle guard and continue on the paved road for one mile.

Turn left into the large parking lot for Badlands Rock Trailhead. There are two hitching posts on the south side of the lot, but no bathrooms or water.

Sign at the parking area.

Nice large parking lot.

There is a large mapboard at the beginning of the trail. The metal boxes used to have paper maps you could take with you, but the BLM are no longer printing them at this time. However you can go to the BLM website and print out your own version.

Mapboard at the trailhead.

This has been an especially wet winter for Central Oregon, but after snow just recently melting and a lot of rain the day before, the trails are dry and safe. You are riding through volcanic ash which is soft and does not get very slippery. In comparison, I actually got stuck in a muddy mess in my own driveway when I got home! Another bonus is that a lot of the time the Badlands will be several degrees warmer than Bend.

Nice dry volcanic ash trails.

To do the 8 mile Badlands Rock Loop take a left on the Homestead Trail at the first junction.

Signs the Fobbits have installed.

For about 4 years I have been a Fobbit...what is that you ask? The Fobbit's are a volunteer group that spend a lot of hours in the Badlands doing garbage clean up, taking out old fence lines, and we have installed all of the signs at the junctions. When I go out to ride or hike, I check on them, making sure they are still standing. In the past there has been some vandalism (apparently people like to take signs home) but it's gotten to be less of a problem recently. I also keep an eye out for any "rule breakers", there are no motorized vehicles allowed in this wilderness and that includes anything with wheels, like bicycles and strollers.

Views of Horse Ridge from the Homestead Trail.

On the Homestead Trail.

Lava formations.

When you get to a second junction take a right, you will now be on the Flatiron Rock Trail.
Soon you will reach Flatiron Rock which is a fun formation and you can ride right up into it.

The trail into Flatiron Rock.

Rina surveys her domain from Flatiron Rock.

Views of Badlands Rock and beyond, from Flatiron Rock.

Flatiron Rock.

After playing around up on top for awhile go back to the trail, and take another right on the Castle Trail.

The sign for the junction to the Castle Trail.

There will be another sign eventually, next to another lava formation called Castle Rock, just follow the arrow to the left, and the trail continues on to Badlands Rock. Badlands Rock is not accessible by horseback, but hikers can climb up onto it.

Badlands Rock.

From there you continue to the right again, on the Badlands Rock Trail and this will take you back to the junction you started from, and the parking lot.

I have not been able to ride as much as I normally do this winter, and apparently this has affected my horse's mental state. We were on the trail when we both spotted something on a bush. I quickly realized it was a hat someone had put there, but Rina was quite concerned, after plucking it off the bush and letting her smell it, she was still very skeptical, so I told her if she was going to be silly, she could wear it!

Silly pony.

Heading back on the Badlands Rock Trail.

The three way junction at the end of the loop.

My timing was impeccable on this particular day, I finished riding just as the rain started.
Happy trails!

GPS COORDINATES TO BADLANDS ROCK TH