The best of Central Oregon's high desert scenery, including Bend and Crater Lake - whose rim ride crowns many cyclist's Top 10 lists.

Ride the beautiful Aufderheide National Scenic Byway beside the McKenzie, a Wild and Scenic River that weaves through dense old-growth forest. The Adventure Cycling Association hails the byway as one of the top 10 roads in the West, “...a mecca for road riders looking for ultra-smooth pavement, low traffic and scenic beauty.” We spend tonight at the idyllic McKenzie Riverside Cottages, a favorite haunt of President Herbert Hoover.

Today you'll ascend the Cascade Range via McKenzie Pass, a 3,700-foot climb spanning 22 miles. “The grades are pretty steady but not real hard,” says Chris Horner, a professional cyclist from Bend, Oregon, describing his favorite local ride for Bicycling magazine. “It’s beautiful up at the top of McKenzie Pass — a snowcapped mountain view on one side and a lava field on the other.”

We’ll lunch at the summit among jumbled lava flows that occurred 2,000 years ago. A long gradual descent sweeps through lodgepole pine forest into the Old West town of Sisters and our two-night stay in Bend, Oregon - athletes' mecca and home to handcrafted microbrews.

Your bicycle route today is along the Cascade Lakes Highway, a gorgeous National Scenic Byway wrapping the foothills of Mt. Bachelor. Ride from Dutchman Flat to lunch at Crane Prairie Reservoir, a breeding ground for osprey that’s also hailed for record-breaking rainbow trout. The afternoon is free to explore: the nearby area has some stellar hikes, world-class fly-fishing on rivers like the Deschutes and Metolius – or, of course - more cycling. Bend offers a plethora of shops, fishing guide services, and art galleries. We’ll lay out the options. Choose what you wish and we’ll make it happen.

You’ll head into Crater Lake National Park today for an unforgettable bicycle ride across a high meadow strewn with volcanic pumice from the blast of Mt. Mazama 8,000 years ago. A bit farther on, you’ll crest the rim and catch your first sight of the deep blue of stunning Crater Lake 1,500 feet below. Breathtaking! Pedal along the west rim to Crater Lake Lodge, where you'll spend the next two nights. This beautifully restored National Park lodge perches right on the rim. The views are fantastic. This afternoon you have options for more cycling, a hike up Mt. Scott or Garfield Butte, or a guided boat ride to tiny Wizard Island.

Crater Lake’s 33-mile bicycle ride is considered by Bicycling magazine to be one of the most spectacular one-day rides in the country. On one side, a rocky cliff leads down to the deepest lake in the United States; on the other, thrill to a 100-mile panoramic view from 7,000 feet of elevation: the Cascade Mountains, Eastern Oregon's high desert, Cinnamon Butte, The Sisters. We guarantee this will be one of the top 5 bicycle rides of your life.

Cycle north beside Crater Lake one last time, then down through the Pumice Desert as we leave through the park’s south road. You’ll ride around Diamond Lake on a paved bicycle path looping through meadows laced with glittering streams, then gradually downhill through magnificent forests along the North Umpqua and Rogue Rivers. Stay tonight at the wonderful Rogue River Lodge.

Your last day is a grand finale ride beside the Rogue River in the Siskiyou National Forest, through stands of massive old-growth cedar and Douglas fir trees. Following a celebratory lunch, we'll take you back to Portland for your trip home.