The Wanoga Downhill Trails project, which has been years in the making, broke ground in mid-June and plans to add a total of 5 trails of the Wanoga Sno-Park Complex. Two out of the planned 5 trails will be open to the public starting Wednesday, July 9, which will include an advanced/black downhill flow trail and a climbing trail. Most of the trails in this zone will be intermediate or advanced with jumps, drops, and bermed turns and an elevation gain of 350 to 400 feet. The remainder of the trails are expected to open by the end of summer.
This project is supported by the Bend Sustainability Fund, A Visit Bend Project. Funding from the Bend Sustainability Fund allowed the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) to hire a seasonal trail builder to build a portion of the trails and to hire Sensus R.A.D Trails, known for their freeride and slopestyle trail building style, to build the remainder of the trails. The downhill trail that opens July 9 was built by Sensus R.A.D. Trails. COTA advocated to the U.S. Forest Service for the project for years after listening to public desire for more freeride and slopestyle trails.
COTA volunteers have also been critical to the success of the project. In particular, Tom Lomax, the former Director of Operations for Mt. Bachelor, has been critical to the project’s success. “This project has a lot of moving parts. Without Tom, Sensus R.A.D. Trails, the Bend Sustainability Fund, the Forest Service, and COTA’s staff and many volunteers, this project would not have come together as smoothly as it has,” said Emmy Andrews, COTA’s Executive Director. The Wanoga Downhill Trails project is part of the larger West Bend Trails Project which was approved by the Deschutes National Forest in January 2025 after undergoing the NEPA process. This project will include several trail additions across the Deschutes National Forest and improve wildlife core habitat availability and connectivity by decommissioning unofficial routes.
COTA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that builds and maintains trails in public land throughout Central Oregon. COTA’s mission is to develop, protect, and enhance the Central Oregon mountain bike experience through trail stewardship, advocacy, collaboration, and education. COTA currently stewards 600 miles of trails, including 14 miles of winter fat biking trails, and 5 bike parks in the tri-county area.
This article appears in Source Weekly July 3, 2025.
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