Browse The Trails
Phil’s Trail
Trail Snapshot:
Trail Description
E-bikes NOT allowed on Phil’s
Phil’s Trail is a classic XC mountain biking trail created by Phil Meglasson and others in the 80’s. The trail started out as a single game trail, which Phil stumbled upon one Saturday in 1985 while riding his bike on the 4610 road. Eventually other’s were shown the trail and it became instantly popular. This section of Phil’s was originally called Double-Cut Tree Trail, for a tree halfway up the canyon.
The trail in recent years is downhill only from the three way intersection at Kent’s (#18) to Phil’s trail head.
From Rd 300 to the intersection with Kents, Phil’s trail is a 2-way trail which used to be named Jimmy’s after Jimmy Teharr. Above FS Road 300 – Upper Phil’s (Helipad) gets much more challenging – and this section used to be called Paul’s after Paul Thomasberg. The whole trail from the beginning to the top was sometimes referred to as PJP (Phil’s, Jimmy’s, Paul’s).
Below the intersection with Kent’s, Phil’s is 1-way down to the trailhead. The trail is mellow and fairly flat till Heater Rock (named after Dennis Heater). Below this the trail includes a few rocky sections to punch through (rated blue). It’s one of the more enjoyable downhill sections of trail in Phil’s complex – but things are still fairly moderate.
Below the famous “Chicken” the trail is very mellow with just 1 rocky notch about half way down (rated green). There is a boulder gap you can ride up and over at this point which will save you some time (not for the novice!). The actual Chicken rock pile is also rideable.
This trail is maintained by Central Oregon Trail Alliance.
Upper Phil’s between EXT and Voodoo dry, heard from another rider canyon still had snow/ice/mud, rode Kent’s instead
Upper Phil’s between EXT and Voodoo is closed Monday-Friday. The rest of the trail is open.
Rode Phil’s on the afternoon of Saturday, 4/22, and the canyon could use another warm week or two to melt off and dry out. There were still some snow/ice sections, and there were a few muddy sections. I love mud, but I love our trails more!
…or maybe just a few days if it keeps getting warmer!
Phil’s and kents have really good packed snow above kgb. Seems like the trails consist of great packed snow above the 4610 and in the trees, and become variable below the 4610 with more mud as you are closer to the trailhead. This week, noon seems to be the hour the lower stuff slushes up after the night’s freeze.
Heads Up! Saturday, 10/15, from 9am to 1pm, COTA Volunteers will be doing trail work throughout the entire Lower Phils network. Twenty crews/ 100+ volunteers will be out prepping trails for the coming fall and winter.
Aren’t one wheels illegal on the trails because they are motorized vehicles like ebikes. Their torque from their electric motors tears up the trails. There were a large group of one wheel riders on Phil’s. Very concerned these one wheels are tearing up our trails.
What is the deal with the trail cam pointing at Phils just before the end? It was there in December and it’s still there.
8″ tree down about .25 mi below rd 300
Cleared that tree
Good snowpack at the top from the Alligator to Voodoo. THANK YOU whoever cleared the deadfall!
Canyon has plenty of standing water/ice under snow and very slick in places.
Chicken to the trailhead is fast and sweet but tends to thaw earlier so definitely hit it before noon!
Good riding snow up top. Plenty of ice in the canyon. Will probably be muddy next week.
Lots of ice hidden under snow from our latest flurry. Good below the chicken. Studs out if you got ‘em!
Rode from the Voodoo junction down the canyon to the TH today. Plenty of snow in the canyon and already some ice ridges from frozen slush tracks. A bit rough, but still fun! Bare dirt below the flaming chicken, and my guess is deep snow above Voodoo.
Upper Phils from EXT to Voodoo is clear of down trees (did not ride further).
March 27, 2020 — All USFS developed trailheads (including Phil’s, Good Dog, Horse Butte, etc.) and sno-parks (Wanoga, Swampy, Dutchman, etc.) are closed to vehicles. Trails remain open if you can access them from your home. Read more here.
Someone removed the tree root just east of the chicken in the short rocky area! When are people going to stop making the trails easier? If people want an easy trail go ride the paved trail from Entrada Lodge to the visitor center. Two rocks were dug up and removed from Kent’s, I replanted them. Just stop messing with the trails. Over the last 30 years I can’t believe the number of obstacles that have been removed.
Kent, I am absolutely in your camp on this. If there are others speak out!!!!!!!!
That root was the iconic part of that rock section. Cutting a tree root is the same as cutting off your hand… you can’t feed yourself…. now the tree can’t either. That was a truly selfish act!!! Come on all you locals who enjoyed that challenge shout out on it!!!!!!!
This obviously leads into go-arounds (dumbing down trails), I don’t get it and this is something that needs to be addressed by COTA. Seriously!!
I appreciate all the new trails that have been built and the maintenance that goes into them, but given the amount of use (overuse) some of our trials are getting the dumbed-downness needs to be addressed (Kents/Voodoo Child/Storm King). This can be totally informational in what the impact these ‘extra’ trails have overall. Perhaps there are others with the similar thoughts.
Would like to get in touch with like minded riders. How do we get in touch? Kent, how do we touch base?
Hey guys, there was a long discussion about this on the COTA Facebook page. Hundreds of people commented how upset they were, so you are not alone. There was even a story on KTVZ claiming it was a “restoration” project (?). Sadly no one has confessed to the deed and as time goes by and the snow falls, it’s out of people’s minds. Sure hope the tree survives :(
Lost a grey size M Patagonia Houdini jacked somewhere in the Phils network last week. If you found it please let me know. Thanks! -Brandon 818-606-7542
Watch out for the sand trap above Voodoo.
All clear, no trees, as of 5/10.
report of a tree down below 4610 in canyon
Phil’s above the chicken has lots of snow and muddy spots, needs a few more weeks of warm weather to be ridable.
Muddy, puddles on trails. You will leave a trench, that will still be there in August
The canyon is a bit under 25% snow. No mud. One 16″ tree just as you start down the canyon. Where there isn’t snow, the trail is awesome.
The Ben’s-Phil’s loop is riding great on fat bikes right now. The compacted snow singletrack is smooth and fast.
Freeze thaw cycle has started. Was very muddy in places with deep puddles beginning to form. Ride early while still frozen to avoid doing damage to the trail.
Riding down Phil’s this morning just west of the voodoo junction and rode up on three young badgers. They were very agitated and pretty aggressive. Just an FYI. Be careful out there with your dogs.
Bens – Voodoo – Phils was awesome all the way. Nice and sticky. I couldn’t believe so few people were out during PPP.
Dry top to bottom.
Ben’s was great almost all the way up to Voodoo, where there were a couple muddy spots. Voodoo was a mess – muddy, and already rutted out from others who also should not have been riding there… Phil’s is almost awesome down to the chicken, but there were a few spots that should be given time to dry out – once again, my mud-splattered apparel is evidence that I should not have been riding there. Below the chicken is all good to go.
Rode Marvin’s to Chicken and down Phil’s. Totally dry, all of it. March 29th.
Did Bens/Voodoo/phils loop this afternoon. Nice and packed….great ride!!!
Phil’s is looking beat up but no longer muddy. I saw 3 flat spots in the Canyon that were wet and soft but none of them are in corners or more than 12 feet long.
Did the Kent’s to Phil’s loop yesterday. A bit of standing water on the final flat section before connecting with Phil’s. Very ridable with no sections that required riding through a huge puddle and no sections where folks would be tempted to ride off the trail.
Good sized tree down about 1/4 mile from TH. ~15 inches diameter but it’s super rotted out
All clear
You’re killing it Ryan! Thanks for the hard work
Getting really sandy with blown out corners. Reminds me of the east trails in summer with the deep sand pits throughout. Desperately in need of some rain.
Still riding well, but a few blown out corners and braking bumps getting more noticeable.
Rode up Kent’s and down Phil’s. Just a few rideable snow spots in the canyon, otherwise that loop is solid!
100% snow free from the chicken to the trail head. Go early morning or late afternoon to avoid the potential of free/thaw muck.
rode at night from Whoops down, firm light snow, ground was firm and GRIPPY!…
Rode Phil’s from the Voodoo junction to the trailhead this afternoon and it’s about as good as it gets. Just a little frozen crust at the intersection and then perfect dirt after that.
Muddy from Road 300 to Voodoo.
Rode up Upper Phils (Paul’s?) from 300 toward helipad. One patch of snow before the saddle below the steep technical part. Worth it for some early season up!
Riding great from 300 down… amazing (and sad) how much clearing they did. seems like they went a little overboard. summer is gonna be HOT down there.
Agreed. All the empty space is appalling. Hot and dry trails, coming up soon!
Someone cleaned up the deadfall, and the trail is clear.
Agreed at how shocking the clearing is towards the bottom. Really makes for a different landscape.
Snow nearly gone. One tree still down at near the top of the canyon where you carrying some speed… careful. One more further down the canyon with an easy over. I was shocked to see the number and size of trees that have been harvested at the bottom of the canyon. I knew it would be ugly for the next few years, but wow.
Couple trees down coming through the canyon this morning. Recent rain made it a little wetter than to be desired as well. Majority of the trail is riding great though.
I rode up Kent’s to Phil’s and then did a quick recon to see if there was snow and above the Canyon there were multiple unrideable sections and two downed trees across the trail. At that point I turned around and headed back to Kent’s which is almost bone dry currently.