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Read moreLooking for the best mountain bike rides in Bend, Oregon? Check out our trail guide below for some of the best trails to ride in the Bend area.
Directions: Phil’s trail is the closest trail system to Bend, just 3 miles up the Cascade Lakes Highway from town. A local favorite for mountain bike rides in Bend, Phil’s has hundreds of miles of trails for every rider, from beginners to experts. The trails stretch out all the way to Mt. Bachelor as a part of the larger Tumalo/Swampy Lakes/Wanoga trail system. There are various trailheads depending on which trail you ride, and some require a shuttle, although it’s usually possible to extend the ride and make it a loop. Our favorite mountain bike trails are as follows!
This 5.6-mile loop starts right from Phil’s trailheads parking lot. The entire ride is simply beautiful, easy, and smooth. This loop is a good beginner ride – it is easy to find and follow. The trail is well maintained and has a gradual uphill at the start and then one larger hill. This trail only has one small technical section that is a bit rocky! Lots of fun for an easy level ride.
This 13.4-mile loop gains just over 1,100 feet throughout the ride, and has just about every trail feature you can imagine. There are a couple route options but the most common route is up Funner and then down Tiddlywinks but you can definitely ride the loop in either direction. You’ll start your ride from a turn off on Cascade Lakes Highway marked as the unofficial ‘green gate’ parking. The Funner section of the trail has some great rocky sections and a few big drops, just make sure you take a look at some of the drops before you jump in. The Tiddlywinks section of the trail is smooth and flowing with a few short technical sections. Because you can do the loop in either direction, you may be inclined to reverse it afterwards!
This trail is a 7.8 miles point to point trail that is primarily downhill with a 1,433’ descent. Super D Enduro is a lot of fun for those looking for fast and technical downhill riding with features – there are a few log rides, drops, and dirt jumps throughout the trail. Most of the black diamond sections of this trail do have a ride-around option. This trail goes from point to point and the preferred direction is definitely downhill, so you’ll want to either set up a shuttle or organize a ride back to the start. It is possible to organize a shuttle from Wanoga Sno-Park.
This loop ride gains 1,340’ over its 12.1 miles. This unique ride has a challenging climb, but you will earn the awesome descent down Flagline Tie and Middle Flagline. Your ride starts out with amazing views of the Cascade Mountains and Broken Top followed by a forested uphill. Once you make it up this grind, you’ll be rewarded with the fast, flowy and feature-filled downhill. If you’d like to make this loop a bit longer you can extend with the Swampy Lakes trails. You can even arrange a shuttle to pick you up at Swampy trailhead.
This 26.4-mile point to point ride has a 1,636’ ascent and a ripping 3,777’ descent through beautiful forests and countless waterfalls. This full Mrazek point to point tour allows riders to experience twice the amount of downhill as uphill. You’ll start at the Swampy Lakes Trailhead with a climb before making your way down the first downhill section – the South Fork trail. From here you’ll start the second phase of this trail, a challenging and continuous climb up past several waterfalls. The scenery of this climb will keep you going. The final section of this trail is the long and flowy descent of Mrazek trail. This downhill has all the features that technical riders love including logs, ramps and jumps, and options to ride around them for less skilled riders. You’ll need to shuttle since this is a point to point ride.
To do Mrazek as a loop and skip the shuttle, combine Mrazek, Farewell, Skyliner, Whoops, Ben’s Loop. You’ll want to park your car at Phils and start at the entrance to Mrazek – this is the only gravel road section you’ll ride on. This 27- mile loop climbs (and descends) over 2800 feet, so be prepared for the elevation! At the top of Mrazek, stop at Tumalo Falls to take in the beautiful views and Tumalo Ridge from the south side of the falls. You’ll continue onward to Tumalo Creek trail to Skyliner to the top of Whoops. Whoops is known for its series of fun jumps. From there you can make your way back to the entrance of Ben’s trail for a fun and challenging loop.
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If you are looking for more outdoor adventure in Bend, rent a kayak or stand up paddleboard online to explore the many rivers and lakes of the Bend area! See our Bend outdoor adventure trip for more inspiration on what to do in Bend!