Swampy Lakes trailhead is extremely popular for cross-country skiing in the winter, but a little less traveled for mountain biking in the summer… perfect for a busy weekend. From here you can connect right to Upper and Lower Whoops, some of the most exciting trails in Bend! Check out our route to see how.
Distance: 23 mi
Time: 2-3 hr
Elevation Gain: 895 ft
Trailhead: Swampy Lakes Sno Park
Route Finding Skills: Moderate
Physical Exertion Skills: Moderate
Map
Getting there: From Bend, head up Cascade Lakes Highway towards Mt. Bachelor. You will pass Virginia Meisner Sno-Park on your right, Wanoga Sno-Park on your left, and then finally Swampy Lakes Sno-Park. This will be the trailhead for your ride!
Note that you make a pretty quick left turn on Swampy Lakes (East) right after leaving the parking lot. Don’t do what we did and continue down the dirt road thinking you’ll find the trail, only to have to backtrack!
Take Swampy Lakes (East) almost a mile, and then turn right onto Swede Loop. Ride Swede Loop Trail for 3.3 miles until you come to the Swede Ridge Snow Shelter. Most likely you will be the only one out there, so if you want to do a chill ride, this could be a fun spot to stop for a snack.
From here there is a sign marking the trail called ‘Sector 16’. It is the only trail that continues down from here, so you can’t miss it. Stay on Sector 16 for 3.2 miles until you come to another shelter called Shooting Star Snow Shelter. This is the beginning of the famous ‘Upper Whoops’ trail, and you will see the downhill portion marked by the post in the picture below. Upper whoops descends 658 feet in 2 miles and is a really enjoyable ride!
You’ll land on a dirt road where a lot of trails converge, simply cross the dirt road and you’ll see the next sign for “Lower Whoops”. This goes for another 1.8 miles and descends another 442 feet.
Once you hit the dirt road, you can turn right and either ride up the dirt road, or ride EXT which parallels the dirt road with a single track for 0.5 miles until turning left onto Phil’s Trial. From here, it is about 5.5-6 miles down to the main parking area of Phil’s Trail System. Take Phil’s all the way, or do as we did and at the next intersection hop onto Kent’s Trail for the remaining 4 miles. Either way is super fun. Note that Phil’s is a one-way down the entire way, while Kent’s allows uphill and downhill traffic.
From the parking lot, ride out to Skyliner Road, make a right and cruise right into downtown.
PROS:
- You hit upper and lower whoops in one ride!
CONS:
- Up near Swampy can get a bit overgrown and filled with roots.
THE SPLIT DECISION:
Jay’s Take: “This is a great trail for a busy weekend. Whoops trail might be busy but first half of your ride will be gloriously less crowded. I agree with Tyese, the roots were a definitly more prominent than any of the trails in Phil’s.”
Tyese’s Take: “I had a great time on this trail! Swampy area had a little more roots sticking out on the trail, just not ridden as much, but it was really fun because nobody else was around! Then to get to do upper AND lower whoops in a row is fantastic. I’d do this ride again and recommend it to anyone!“
Please note, this route is not a loop, make sure to have a car dropped!
