Winter Trails

Winter grooming will start as soon as there are at least 2 feet of snow on the ground. Our grooming schedule will be Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings as snow conditions allow.  

Grooming reports on BendTrails.org, specifically:
​• 3PSI Short Loop trail status 
• Outer Loop trail status
​Conditions discussions can be found on Central Oregon Fatbikes FaceBook group


Great summary for winter bike riding: Tips for Riding in Snow by BendTrails.org (But one caveat: The winter fat trails at Wanoga Sno-Park require minimum tire width of 3.8" wide. No exceptions.)

Sno-Park Permits Are Required
A Sno-Park Permit is required when parking in any Oregon State Sno-Park between November 1 and April 30. Pick one up at Webcyclery, Pine Mountain Sports, Sunnyside Sports, Powderhouse, the Forest Service office, or Central Oregon Adventures (snowmobile yurt in the upper Wanoga lot).

Wanoga on Trailforks.com

Please Help Keep Trails Open by Respecting Trail Etiquette on the Wanoga trails
• Weekends and Holidays – park in the upper Wanoga snowmobile parking lot and ride down to the lower Sno-Play area.
• We share the ski and snowshoe trailhead on the north side of the Sno-Play parking lot.
• Start out by following the snowshoe loop. Mind your speed!  PLEASE stay off the ski loops. Do not ride on or in the classic tracks.
• Wide tires 3.8″ or wider. No exceptions.
• Important: TIRE PRESSURE – 4 PSI is a good starting point adjust based on current conditions. Your sidewalls should wrinkle like a funny-car tire.
• If you’re leaving ruts, it's too soft to ride.
• Yield to all other users when riding.

​Nordic Ski Trails
• COTA recommends staying off any of the groomed nordic trails and any classic tracks to reduce user conflict and/or degrade groomed trails.

Snowshoe Trails
• Snowshoe trails are open to our use. Watch your speed and yield to snowshoe hikers. Be friendly!

Snowmobile Trails
• There are many rideable miles of snowmobile trails and fat bikes are allowed to ride on them in the Deschutes National Forest.
• When riding on snowmobile trails, use a front white blinker and rear red blinker at all times. Wear reflective material on both the front and rear of your body.
• Stay to the far right of the trail and yield to snowmobiles. You won’t have any problem knowing they are coming.
• Be prepared. Winter travel in the backcountry requires carrying proper gear and dressing properly. Be self-sufficient.
• Use extreme caution when riding at night. Be visible.
• Be friendly! Fat bikers are the newest trail users. In many areas of the country fatbikes are NOT allowed on snowmobile trails. Be happy we can use them.

  • Important: TIRE PRESSURE – 4 PSI is a good starting point adjust based on current conditions. Your sidewalls should wrinkle like a funny-car tire.

  • Please ride a fat bite with wide tires 3.8″ or wider. No exceptions.

  • Expect to meet snowmobiles, dog sleds, and skate skiers on the trails. Snowmobilers often use hand signals to communicate with others - see below. Also, they may hold up fingers signifying how many in their group.