Remark­able Epic Trail - Frequently asked questions

How long is the trail?

Approx­i­mate­ly 40km

How long should it take?

You should allow for around 5 – 6 hours includ­ing some rests along the way. This can vary great­ly depend­ing on the rid­ers’ abil­i­ty, fit­ness lev­el, weath­er, how many stops you take, etc.

How much climb­ing will I need to do?

The total ele­va­tion is around 1300 meters across the ride with the main ascent at the begin­ning of the ride.

Can I come back down the trail if I’m worn out after the climb?

No. The trail is strict­ly one way. There is how­ev­er a decent approx­i­mate­ly 3 kms from the very top which you can take. This is apt­ly called ​“Bale Out” and will lead you down to Wil­lowie and from there it’s a flat 7km ride along a rail trail back to Mel­rose. This is also a great ride for those not want­i­ng to tra­verse the entire EPIC trail.

Is the trail completed?

Yes, the trail can be tra­versed from end to end. There are how­ev­er a cou­ple of small sec­tions where we are still improv­ing the rideability. 

Why are there still con­struc­tion crews on the trail?

We are priv­i­leged to be able to tra­vers­es areas sen­si­tive to the local first Nations group, Nukunu. As such, con­struc­tion in cer­tain areas is still being fin­ished off whilst we work close­ly with Nukunu observers ensur­ing the trail does not com­pro­mise fea­tures through this cul­tur­al­ly sen­si­tive corridor.

Who paid for the trail to be built?

This was a joint­ly fund­ed project with the Fed­er­al Gov­ern­ment pro­vid­ing 50% and the State Gov­ern­ment pro­vid­ing 50%.

The Fed­er­al grant was obtained through the Foun­da­tion For Nation­al Parks and the project was man­aged by the SA Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Service.

Oth­er con­sul­ta­tive part­ners include Region­al Devel­op­ment Aus­tralia Yorke and Mid North, Port Pirie Region­al Coun­cil, North­ern Areas Coun­cil and The Dis­trict Coun­cil of Mount Remarkable.

Who Built the Trail?

Trailscapes Pty Ltd, they are an Aus­tralian com­pa­ny known for their MTB trail build­ing capa­bil­i­ties, deliv­er­ing trails such as the Indego EPIC in Victoria’s High Country.

Were the 1^st Nations groups involved in the project?

Yes. The local 1^st Nations Group Nukunu engaged and reviewed the Cul­tur­al Her­itage assess­ment report, they pro­vid­ed con­struc­tion observers and impor­tant­ly sup­port­ing us in build­ing a MTB trail through lands so sig­nif­i­cant to their culture.

What should I take?

This ride takes you out through areas that are remote and dif­fi­cult to access. You should take

• enough food and water to last the 5 – 6 hours on trail 
• Tools and spares to under­take minor repairs
• A 1^st Aid kit
• A phone, many of the more ele­vat­ed areas do have mobile recep­tion for most carriers.
• A map of the trail.