Dogs in Bend
Help make Bend a dog-friendly town
Dogs on snow
"Skis were created to make earth a little more like heaven" -- and I think that's true for both humans and the dogs that join them on the snow. Fortunately, we now have a dog-friendly groomed ski trail at Wanoga. This first year is a trial, and the trail is only a couple miles long, but there's been a ton of enthusiasm, which shows how valued this opportunity is.
Support this effort. All donations, large or small, are welcome. We suggest $5 if you use the trail once during the season, $15 if you use it multiple times. Donations will be used to purchase grooming-related fuel. Any amounts not used this year will be saved for next year. Click on the following link to donate via PayPal.
Total amount donated so far (as of Mar. 1): $560.
Thanks to everyone who has donated! We welcome additional donations to get a head start for next year.
Sno-park permits are required for Wanoga and Edison -- the fee pays for plowing of the parking areas, but does not pay for grooming or trail maintenance.
Wanoga Sno-Park
There is dog-friendly snowshoeing and ungroomed skiing at Skyliner and Edison (see info below). But now we have a dog-friendly trail at Wanoga that's groomed for skiing. The plan is to groom every Friday (for the weekend) and as time allows on other days after dumps of new snow. Email me if you'd like to receive email grooming updates.
Most recent grooming: Sunday, Mar. 16. Trail is in pretty good shape. Snow depth is decreasing due to settling and melting, which means obstacles may be above or just below the snow. Use caution.
Next planned grooming: Unsure... Grooming for the rest of the season will depend on weather, snow conditions, and groomer availability.
Trail details: The trail is one-way, follows a curvy double loop in a clockwise direction, and is 3.5 km (2 miles) long. It's groomed for skate skiing, but classic skiers and snowshoers are welcome. The elevation is approximately 5,400 feet, so we like snow levels at 4,000 ft or lower.
Getting there: Drive west on Century Drive toward Mt. Bachelor. Wanoga is on your left, past milepost 14 and Meissner Sno-Park. The groomed dog-friendly ski trail is in the sno-play area, to the left (east) of the main Wanoga Sno-Park. The trailhead is at the northeast corner of the parking lot, on the side opposite from the sled hill. You can enter the trail either at the trailhead sign or the "Nordeen entrance" about 50 feet further along the parking lot. The first 50+ feet of the trailhead entrance is narrow and windy, so it is not groomed. It is packed and walkable, except right after a big dump of new snow.
Does life get any better than this?
Edison, Jan. 08
A little blizzard never bothered anyone.
Wanoga, Jan. 08
Wanoga FAQs
This is a new trail, and many questions have arisen. Check out the following, and email me if your question isn't covered here.
What about grooming quality? The grooming is done by myself and Greg, a fellow Bend dog owner. We're both volunteers with full-time jobs, and we groom with a snowmobile. So trail quality won't be up to the levels of Bachelor or Meissner. Many people ski in those areas for distance and views, then stop at Wanoga to give their dog some exercise and play time. We make multiple passes when grooming, but the snowmobile and its weight tends to be in the middle of the trail -- so that will be firmer than the edges. Be prepared for soft conditions and be aware that dogs may posthole in places.
Why not track-set for classic? This is partly a cost issue (I ran out of money, and the track-setter cost an additional $600), but it's mostly an issue of trail width. The trail is 7 to 10 feet wide, and it would be difficult to fit both classic tracks and a skate lane in that width. It's easier to classic on top of a skate track than to skate on top of a classic track, so we went with skate.
Who pays for the grooming? All the grooming and trail maintenance is done on a volunteer basis by local dog owners -- the Forest Service provided permission (thanks, Marv and colleagues!), but it does not provide funding. I bought a snowmobile and groomer specifically to groom this trail, and I donate their use. However, we do seek donations for fuel.
How can I support this effort? For now, our biggest need is donations for fuel. To donate, click the Visa/Mastercard link at the top of this page. In the long-term, we hope to have a donation box at the trailhead, but there wasn't time to arrange that this year.
What about poop? Ah, the joys of "dog parenthood" -- no diapers to change, but poop to scoop. There is a bag of poop bags and a trash can at the "landing" where the grooming starts just in from the trailhead entrance. Please do your part to keep the trail clean -- pick up your dog's poop and place it in the can. An alternative is to flick it off the trail with your ski, but taking it to the trash can is best.
The black bags are biodegradable and easy to carry. Turn the bag inside out, pick up the poop, wrap over, and tie off. You’ll end up with the strap on the outside. You can use this strap to attach the bag to the outside of your butt pack or backpack – in order to bring the bag out and deposit in this trash can as you leave.
What about climate change and grooming fuel use? I bought and use a 4-stroke snowmobile because they're relatively clean, quiet, and fuel efficient. More gas is used by the average car driving to a sno-park than by the snowmobile in a typical day grooming.
What about "overdevelopment" of the forest? The Wanoga trail is in a small area that was recently logged and historically groomed for snowmobile use -- so I do not believe our ski grooming represents "overdevelopment" of the area. Anyone seeking an ungroomed experience can ski past the groomed area in 5 minutes to reach thousands of acres of ungroomed snow.
Wanoga trail, Jan. 08. A bluebird day with good trail conditions -- not all days are like this...
Rivers are awesome, but snow is even better
Skyliner
Pros: Close to town and very popular. Great place for social dogs. The road is wide and easy to ski. Take the trail from OMSI (Tumalo Creek Trail) if you want more privacy and a more challenging route.
Cons: Low elevation and used by walkers and snowshoers in addition to skiers -- so the snow is not always of great quality for skiing. It improves as you ski in (fewer walkers, and the uphill and westerly direction leads to better snow).
Getting there: Drive west on Galveston until the end of the road. There are a few parking spaces across the bridge, but otherwise park in the OMSI lot.
A bluebird day at Skyliner, Dec. 06
Edison Sno-Park
This sno-park is shared by skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers, though motorized and non-motorized trails are generally separated.
Pros: Close to Sunriver. Some nice stands of old-growth Ponderosa.
Cons: Low elevation and lava terrain (so good snow cover is important).
Getting there: drive west on Century Drive (continuation of 14th St.), take a left at the Sunriver Cutoff (Route 45). It's a few miles in on your right.
A snowy day at Edison, Jan. 08