MTB on Phil's Trail Single Track

The Phil's Area Trail System is the go-to trail system for mountain biking in Bend. Even the other trails in the region that aren't actually part of the Phil's Trail System feed into or connect to trails that feed into Phil's.

According to the locals, the boundaries of the Phil's Area Trail System are a square comprised of Skyliners Road to the north, Highway 46 (Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway) to the south, Bend to the east, and the Storm King trail to the west.

This complex trail system offers a variety of different trails, but on average the trails are very buff, very flowy, with some great corners to rail. The trail tread is quite loose and sandy, and gets very dry, especially late in the season, leading to "moon dust" conditions. Here and there you'll find some rock gardens, skinnies, and sections of flow trail with big jumps and massive berms! All of the difficult sections do feature ride arounds, making this an extremely beginner-friendly area.

This route goes along a popular trail close to town and is ideal for mountain biking. A lot of the roads and trail names are unmarked so watch for the Bike Route signposts. Head over to Brew Werks to quench your thirst, you deserve it.

Photos: Gabriel Amadeus Colin Hughes