We have the best mountain biking in the world right here in Central Oregon.

I know that’s an arguable assertion, but the fact that I can make it without a chorus of catcalls means Crested Butte and Moab don’t necessarily have the final word.

When someone mentions mountain biking in Central Oregon, the first place that comes to mind is the Phil’s Trail system. It offers a little bit of everything: slithering singletrack, grinding uphills and sizzling downs.

And it’s new and improved this season.

Gone is the doubletrack access near the trailhead. There are now three trails leaving the trailhead, Phil’s Trail, Kent’s Trail and Ben’s Trail. Now, you start on a skinny trail and you can stay there for miles and miles (up to 300 at last count). You can get deliciously lost in this fat tire nirvana.

While Central Oregon has its share of advanced biking trails, the area is also a great place to get started. Chances are your next door neighbor or the woman up the street rides a mountain bike and would be happy to share his or her expertise. If she doesn’t, COTA will. COTA stands for the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, an organization dedicated to mountain biking and the preservation of trails.

And Phil’s Trail is right out the back door. Bounded by Century Drive to the south, Skyliners Road to the north, Bend to the east and the dirt helipad to the west, the system is large and diverse.

When hundreds of athletes were Pole Pedal Paddling recently, my son and I took to Phil’s Trail. Even on a day of big fat rain drops and a marquee diversion, there were several others out enjoying the dirt.

We rode for an hour-and-a-half or so, thrilling to the tight corners and spring-fresh conditions. It all felt quite natural.

But these serpentine paths didn’t get here by random chance. They were the result of more than a little sweat and toil by a group of 1980s mountain biking pioneers, many of whom have been immortalized with trails named in their honor.

Then came COTA. Formed in 1993, the volunteer group has become a leading advocate for mountain bikers and the trails they ride on.

They built and maintained trails, negotiated with the Forest Service, fought off a state bid to establish a gravel pit at Phil’s Canyon and provided a vehicle for like-minded individuals to coalesce.

Thanks in large part to that group and those people, mountain biking is alive and thriving in Central Oregon.

And my son and I can park at the trailhead free of charge (a Northwest Forest Pass is no longer required), hop on our bikes and ride at will.

On the best mountain bike trails in the world.

Contact COTA at www.cotamtb.org.

If you go:

GETTING THERE: To reach the Phil’s Trail trailhead, drive or ride about 2.5 miles west on Galveston Avenue (which turns into Skyliners Road) from the traffic circle at Galveston and 14th Street in Bend, until you reach a paved road on the left that’s marked with a biker icon sign. A half-mile down, the road intersects with the old Brooks-Scanlon Logging Road. Park in the parking lot at the junction where the elaborate system of singletrack begins.

ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE: Anywhere from a 1-mile cruise to a 20-mile-plus epic.

DIFFICULTY: Easy to arduous.

ACCESS: Bikes.

PERMITS: A Northwest Forest Pass is no longer required to park at the trailhead.

Jim Witty can be reached at 541-617-7828 or jwitty@bendbulletin.com.