Mountain biking
Riding a mountain bike is a great way to experience the beauty of SA’s parks, as well as providing significant health benefits to riders. Whether it’s a casual ride along the shared use trails through Belair National Park, exploring the popular Craigburn farm trails in Sturt Gorge Recreation Park or testing your endurance on the Mawson trail, there is sure to be an experience to suit you.
Adelaide mountain bike trails
Which parks can I ride in?
To find out which national parks have specific mountain biking trails use our find a park tool and refine your search to ‘Mountain biking’.
For more inspiration check out these articles from the Good Living blog:
6 parks for mountain biking in and around Adelaide
- Handy tips for mountain-biking in national parks
- Know before you go: mountain-biking
- Put your wheels in motion at Anstey Hill
- 3 great biking spots along the River Murray
Where can I download trail maps?
Downloadable pdf maps are available for many of our parks. Go to the park page of the park you are visiting and click on the maps tab to download the pdf’s.
If you have a smartphone or tablet you can download the free Avenza PDF Map app and have interactive national park maps on hand when you need them.
How do I choose a trail to suit me?
Trails in parks which are suitable for cycling are shown on trailhead information maps and park information pages along with their difficulty. Most trails will also have signs to show this. The table below describes the trail difficulty rating system.
Mountain bike trail difficulty rating system | |
---|---|
Easy Trails Wide trail with gentle gradient and smooth surface. Some obstacles such as roots, logs, and rocks. Suitable for beginner cyclists with basic mountain bike skills, and off road bikes. | |
Easy with Intermediate Sections Likely to be single track with a moderate gradient, variable surface and some obstacles. Some obstacles such as roots, logs, and rocks. Suitable for mountain bikers with mountain bikes. | |
Intermediate trails Single trail with moderate gradients, variable surface, and obstacles. May include steep sections. Suitable for skilled mountain bikers with mountain bikes. | |
Intermediate with Difficult Sections Suitable for competent mountain bikers used to physically demanding routes. Expect large unavoidable obstacles and features. Challenging and variable with some steep climbs or descents and loose surfaces. | |
Difficult Suitable for experienced mountain bikers used to physically demanding routes. Navigation and personal survival skills are highly desireable. Expect large, dangerous and unavoidable obstacles and features. Challenging and variable with some steep climbs or descents and loose surfaces. Some sections will be easier to walk. |
Trail users code of practice
To protect the surrounding environment and to ensure the safety of all riders and shared trail users, please be aware of the Trail Users Code of Practice when using shared trails. Important points to remember include:
- plan your ride
- comply with all signs
- ride only on formed tracks/trails
- share the trail — obey give way rules
- avoid riding in wet, muddy conditions
- ride lightly and leave no trace or rubbish
- control your bike within your limits
- clean your bike to avoid the spread of weeds or plant diseases
- carry sufficient food and drinking water
- respect the rights of others
- tell others about the code