The hills of Tasmania are one of the most incredible places for mountain biking on the planet. The scenic trails are the essence of MTB-led tourism, attracting over a million avid mountain bikers worldwide to pack their bikes and visit Tasmania. We can’t blame them- riding through the untouched wilderness of Tasmania sounds out of this world. Adrenaline, beautiful landscapes, comfortable climate and excellent tracks – what more can you ask for?
Don’t get puzzled by the overwhelming choice. Whether you’re on a timed schedule or don’t know Tasmania that well, we have your back. We’ve shortlisted the best mountain bike trails ranging in complexity and duration!
- 1. Blue Derby
- 2. Kelcey Tier
- 3. Dial Range Trails
- 4. Penguin Mountain Bike Park
- 5. St Helens Trails
- 6. Bay of Fires
- 7. Maydena Bike Park
- 8. Maria Island National Park
- 9. Montezuma Falls
- 10. Oonah Hill
- 11. North-South Track, Mount Wellington
- 12. Sidewinder
- 13. Wild Mersey
- 14. Hollybank Mountain Bike Park
- 15. Kingborough MTB Park
- 16. Big Chook
1. Blue Derby
Derby is a former tin-mining town located in northeast Tasmania with wonderful wooded hills, which became an attractive mountain biking location in 2015. The Blue Derby trails are a great network of purposely built mountain biking trails that enjoy worldwide popularity and significantly impact tourism in the area.
The entire network of trails is a little over 80km long, but you can choose sections to do if you’re not up to the challenge. The Flickety Stick’s track is one suitable for all fitness levels and only 1.6km long. The Blue Tier Trail is 19km long with higher elevation, even though it’s mostly descending. Expect many ups and downs.
Length: 80.5km
Difficulty: Advanced
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2. Kelcey Tier
Kelcey Tier is a non-formal, rocky single track located in the small rural residential locality Stony Rise, about 4 kilometres south of the town of Devonport. It’s actually a network of over 20 mountain biking trails ranging in difficulty and length. The total distance is 24km, but it takes you through some very challenging parts.
You can even try night riding at these trails!
Length: 24km
Difficulty: Intermediate
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3. Dial Range Trails
Dial Range Forest Reserve is located near Penguin and features excellent mountain bike trails. You can combine the Montgomery Loop, which is 6km long and the Iron Tor trail, which is a little over 6km and enjoy a fantastic ride. Beware that Iron Tor has a challenging 3km ascend. The Ironcliffe Ridge trail is another perfect trail, a tad more complex, a dual-direction trail that takes you to the summit of Mount Dial. Along the way, you get to admire the spectacular landscape from several lookouts.
Length: 13.7km
Difficulty: Intermediate
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4. Penguin Mountain Bike Park
Penguin Mountain Bike Park is a biker-friendly area created by the Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club. It serves a range of mountain bikers, from beginners to professionals. There’s a Free Ride area in the park’s centre with dips and climbs, dirt jumps, and a 6-metre high curved wallride.
For beginners, there’s a pump track park suitable for improving your skills. Nearby there’s a 5km network of XC style tracks with wall rides, crossovers and A and B lines. A joining trail takes you towards the Dial Range Trails for an extended ride.
Length: 4.8km
Difficulty: Beginner
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5. St Helens Trails
The St Helens Stacked Loop Network is located on the east coast of Tasmania. Whether you are a beginner or highly skilled, there is a track for you at St. Helens! You can opt for more technical tracks or the easy green trails suitable for first-timers and kids. Combine Flagstaff, Rock Lobster, and Old Salty Dog trails for a full day of excellent mountain bike riding. The best part – they’re close to the coast and local stores to grab lunch and refuel.
Length: 280m to 27km
Difficulty: Beginner to Advanced
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6. Bay of Fires
The Bay of Fires trail is the most popular one on the St Helens network and a real treat for all adventure seekers. It starts at an elevation of 750m at the Blue Tier and takes you all the way to the white sands of Swimcart beach. The ride is filled with ups and downs, dirt sections and untouched terrain. Along the ride, you’ll be fascinated by the majestic landscapes, lush forest and a fabulous view of the Bay of Fires. If you’re confident in your skills, this is the trail you must take!
Length: 42km
Difficulty: Very Difficult
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7. Maydena Bike Park
Maydena Bike Park is the greatest gravity park, professionally designed with 820m of vertical elevation, and open year-round. It’s located in the Derwent Valley, less than an hour from Hobart and 10 minutes from Mount Field National Park. Here you’ll find over 60 downhill, gravity tracks with varying length and physical requirements. The choice varies between muddy, jump tracks, fast and sleek tracks. It’s most suitable for experienced riders as it features some of the biggest jumps and hits in Australia.
Length: 32.2km
Difficulty: Advanced
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8. Maria Island National Park
The mountain biking trails in Maria island are one of the most beautiful and most effortless to do. You can access the island via a 45-minute ferry ride from Triabunna. The trails are suitable for beginners and families and take you through the historic ruins of the park, the picturesque bay and staggering sea cliffs. You don’t need to be an experienced rider; however, get prepared to tackle sand, mud and rocks along the ride.
Length: 30km
Difficulty: Intermediate
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9. Montezuma Falls
Dive into the wild west of Tasmania and pick some exciting tracks going deep into the wilderness. In for a bit of waterfall chasing ride? One of the unmissable trails is the Montezuma Falls trail, following the old mining tramway. This is an old school track, not one specifically designed for mountain bike riding. Riding through the rainforest, you get to enjoy a cooler temperature.
It’s best to start and end the ride at Zeehan to experience the route fully. The highlight is, of course, the highest and longest waterfall in Tasmania, the majestic Montezuma Falls.
Length: 55km
Difficulty: Intermediate
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10. Oonah Hill
Oonah Hill is the first professionally designed mountain bike trail on the west coast. It ensures an experience like no other trail in the surrounding. The track starts with a straightforward 2km climb drifting through grass plains with views over the Heemskirk Range Regional Reserve and the Southern Ocean. From the peak, the track goes downhill, the speed increases and provides views over the Zeehan township.
Oonah Hill is suitable for all levels, but beginners must use a shuttle to get back to the top. The climb back to the Heemskirk Road is very challenging.
Length: 2.5km
Difficulty: Easy
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11. North-South Track, Mount Wellington
The North-South track gained massive popularity mainly because of its proximity to Hobart. As many visiting Tasmania stay at Hobart for a while, you don’t need to travel particularly for this track. It’s situated behind the town and near the summit of Mount Wellington. On the way out, the track is downhill, and it connects The Springs with Glenorchy Mountain Bike Park. The return trip is more challenging but still manageable even for new riders.
Length: 11.3km
Difficulty: Beginner
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12. Sidewinder
If you’re brand-new to mountain biking, don’t get annoyed, there are many tracks around Tasmania to practice your skills. The Sidewinder is one example, a popular, short blue singletrack trail placed near Launceston. It can be used downhill only and doesn’t require advanced physical preparation. And it only takes around 5 minutes!
Length: 1km
Difficulty: Easy
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13. Wild Mersey
An experienced rider looking for an adrenaline spike? This is your location. Wild Mersey is a trail network with over 100 kilometres of distance, settled near the northwest town of Latrobe.
Get ready for a rough ride, switching between a flowy trail and a challenging climb with smooth descend to the Mersey River flats and diamond jumps. It’s best to allow a few days to explore the whole network and the towns since it connects Latrobe, Railton and Sheffield.
Length: 120km
Difficulty: Advanced
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14. Hollybank Mountain Bike Park
This mountain biking park is settled in the Hollybank Nature Reserve, merely 20 minutes northeast of Launceston. It features beginner-friendly loops and wooden berms as well as more challenging tracks like the Juggernaut and Tall Timbers. Juggernaut is 11km long and praised as Australia’s best, with over 6km all-out and 4km gradual descent.
Length: 2km to 11km
Difficulty: Varying
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15. Kingborough MTB Park
Kingborough Bike Park is settled on the south coast, near Kingston and Hobart. It features three trails with easy to intermediate difficulty. All trails are singletrack, all-mountain and downhill with minimal descent. They total 1km, featuring jump, drop, berm, and green flow with some sweeping corners.
Length: 1km
Difficulty: Easy
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16. Big Chook
Big Chook is a highly rated singletrack trail positioned in northeast Tasmania near Weldborough. It’s part of the Blue Derby network and has a more leisurely, shorter version called Little Chook. You can use this mountain bike trail primarily downhill, and if you don’t like climbing, you can take a shuttle back to the top. It takes around an hour to complete, but we recommended it for experienced riders only.
Length: 10.6km
Difficulty: Difficult
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