FIELDS TO NARROWS – 137 Miles

Section 1 starts in Fields OR and heads north towards the historic town of Frenchglen. You can choose to stop in the town of Frenchglen to gas up and see the sights or bypass it if you wish to get straight to the dirt and have adequate range. Frenchglen has a hotel and a small grocery with fuel (not 24 hour pumps).

The Steens Mountain Loop Road is a beautiful ride on mellow gravel roads up to several scenic overlooks at deep glacier-carved gorges and from the summit ridge. The highest point is at over 9600 feet of elevation and looks down on the Alvord Desert and much of eastern Oregon. For this BDR-X the Steens Loop is ridden in a counter-clockwise direction so that the canyon and summit views are seen before departing the loop on the north side (note that the overall BDR-X loop is clockwise).

Moon Hill Road adds some spice to this section with more primitive dirt roads and riding challenges. This rough road descends to an area called Diamond where the Hotel Diamond is an option for lodging.

Soon the route enters the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and you’ll ride the historic Center Patrol Road which follows flat dykes through massive wetlands on the way to The Narrows RV Park. There you can gas up, get some food at the restaurant or store, and stay overnight in cabins or your tent.