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Much of Redmond's Dry Canyon Trail runs through a gentle valley, which becomes a deep coulee as the trail traverses north. The flat, paved pathway is lined with groves of juniper trees and tall grasses as it winds through picturesque rock cliffs. An interesting feature of the trail is its passage under the Maple Avenue Bridge with its wide, graceful arches. Along the way, a string of city parks provide ample rest stops, parking and access points.
While drive-in access and full-service trailheads can be found on the north and south ends, the most accessible trailhead is at Bowlby Park, about 1 mile from the trail's southern tip. From US Highway 97 in town, take SR 126 west for 0.85 miles to the park, which is on the right and adjacent to Redmond High School.
I rode this trail a couple weeks ago. It isn’t long, but it is in good shape and is a bit of a geological marvel - the canyon runs right through Redmond and the canyon is packed with many sports fields. There are many very well designed access points all along the trail - big stairs with bike channels on each side. It even has a short dirt section off the main trail. If you’re staying in or near Redmond I’d definitely recommend it.
We entered on the trail at south most end. Eight miles round trip, fairly flat. Nice way to see a geologic feature. Easy street crossings, all cars stopped even though we had the stop signs. We are beginner types and really enjoyed it.
The Dry Canyon is Redmond's premier outdoor recreational feature. Reclaiming a jumble of agricultural enterprises (including potato fields, hence the "Spud Bowl" moniker of the soccer field that you'll pass by) and a rehabilitated old city dump (where Redmond residents once tossed their garbage and old cars over the eastern canyon wall), Redmond has greated a wonderful resource for those that want a quiet, pollution free stroll/hike/bike for its citizens. The smooth, curving paved bike path is paralleled by some added features. A good part of the paved pathway has, contiguous to it, a graveled 2 foot wide path for those that prefer to run on dirt. While the paved part of the path general sticks to the center of the canyon, along the canyon rims is a separate developed dirt path for mountain biking and even horse back riding.
The terrain is what the locals refer to as "high desert": juniper, sage, grasses. The wild life, while not abundant, is there for the observant: yellow bellied marmots (aka "rock chucks"), magpies, scrub jays, a variety of hawks, mourning doves, stellar jays, mountain blue birds (rare), rare coyotes, deer, rabbits, mountain chickadees, juncoes, can all be spotted by the observant.
This is a safe path, I've been using it since it was a simple dirt trail fifteen years ago, and have never felt threatened in any way. Looking for a bit of refreshment? Exit the path just south of the Highland Underpass, head north a quarter of a block: Cibelli's Pizza, McDonalds, Starbucks, a frozen yogurt place, and a Ray's Grocery Store are all readily available.
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