A rider makes his way down a section of the Royal Flush trail.

Volunteers with the South Deschutes County chapter of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance were determined to create something special in between the Sunriver and Wanoga trail systems.

So they played their best hand — a Royal Flush.

The new Royal Flush Trail is just 1-mile long, but it’s proven to be an extremely popular addition to the renowned mountain biking trail network southwest of Bend.

The freeride “flow” trail, featuring large tabletop jumps and heavily bermed corners, was designed and built by Bend’s Kyle Jameson, a professional trail builder with Black Sage Dirt Works. Jameson found a way to build the trail chock-full of freeride features, but still make it rideable for all skill levels of mountain bikers.

“It’s really achieved the goals that we were looking for,” said Dan Youmans, a representative for the South Deschutes County Chapter of COTA. “We looked at the terrain that was there and the change in elevation in that particular area, and we thought it would be ideal to do something kind of special. So that was why we brought in Kyle Jameson to have him take a look at it and see what he would envision as well to create a really special, fun flow trail.”

Royal Flush, located off Conklin Road south of the Tyler’s Traverse Trailhead, has been snow-free and rideable for more than a month. Signage was added a few weeks ago and directs riders to the uphill climbing route and the downhill flow trail. A map is available at bendtrails.org/trail/royal-flush.

I have ridden the trail three times now, each time as part of a longer cross-country ride. The climb to reach the top of Royal Flush is really not that challenging. Many folks park at the bottom off Conklin Road and session the trail. Because the trail is a one-way downhill, riders do not have to worry about encountering uphill bikers.

While some of the takeoffs on the tabletop jumps are intimidatingly steep, they are all rollable, so catching air is not mandatory, but it is certainly encouraged.

“You can really take it as fast as you would like depending on your riding ability,” Youmans said. “All the features are rollable, so you can choose to keep your tires firmly on the ground or get as much air as you have the ability to do. That’s why we’re seeing so many folks really enjoying themseleves, they can make it what they want.”

I found that my second and third times down the trail I gained confidence to lean back and get some air off the bigger jumps and really charge the high-banked turns. On my first run, I found myself braking up the takeoffs, frightened of the steepness.

“Once you have an idea of what features are on the trail, the second or third time around you really have an idea of how to ride those and your confidence level goes up and you can realize all the fun that’s there,” Youmans said.

The freeride features along the trail are nearly continuous, so it has riders heading right back up for more. But incorporating the trail into a longer ride is also a good option, whether starting from near Bend or from Sunriver.

Riders can start at Tyler’s Traverse Trailhead, climb the uphill route, then ride Duodenom and come down Royal Flush and the Afternoon Delight Trail. From Sunriver, they can take the Roundabout Trail to Afternoon Delight then to Royal Flush. From the Cascade Lakes Welcome Station off Century Drive, they can ride Catch and Release to Afternoon Delight, then to Royal Flush for a 15-mile ride with two Royal Flush sessions in the middle.

The 4.2-mile-long Afternoon Delight connects the Roundabout Trail from Sunriver to Royal Flush and Tyler’s Traverse.

“Afternoon Delight has really connected things between the Sunriver and Wanoga trail systems,” Youmans said. “It kind of provided that missing link that we haven’t had in the past. It in and of itself is a really fun singletrack trail. It’s much more than just a connector trail.”

Youmans noted that mountain bikers on the donwhill section of Royal Flush should be sure to give plenty of space to the rider ahead of them, waiting at least a couple of minutes after they start.

“If you’re a fast rider, give the people in front of you plenty of room so you can ride it at the speed you want,” Youmans said.

Conditions on Royal Flush, and most all singletrack trails in Central Oregon, have been nearly perfect this week after recent significant rainfall.

“It’s nice and packed in,” Youmans said.

“All of the trails are really riding nice right now.”