Yesterday, my friend Jon Yaseen showed me around Phil’s World for a nice mellow day of riding some super fun trails. Jon recently had knee surgery, so we kept it pretty conservative but steady out there. Phil’s World is an AMAZING extended loop network of singletrack through the desert of Cortez, Colorado about an hour and a half south of Telluride. The network has grown over the years and now totals about 35 miles with many different options. The trails are really fast and smooth, really well maintained and not to technical.
The best section is called Ribcage and is a fast, rollercoaster section with big whoops, jumps, and berms. So much fun! The desert landscape the trails go through is really beautiful as well, with cool twisted pinyon-juniper trees and bushes, rock formations, dried creek beds, and snowy peaks in the distance.
Phil’s World is a premiere riding location in the Four-Corners region and now I know why. This place is really fun, offers a little of everything throughout the extensive network, and can be ridden practically year-round due to it’s location. It’s pretty cool you can ski pow in Telluride one day, and Mountain Bike through the desert the next. For more info, check out local Cortez bike shop, Kokopelli Bike & Board.