With more than 2400 kilometres of bikeways and pathways, the Gold Coast is a great place to cycle. Our list below takes a look at Gold Coast bike trails that span across a range of difficulty levels and run through some of our City's most beautiful natural spaces. Enjoy!
Upper Coomera Adventure Parklands
Upper Coomera Adventure Parklands is kind of a one stop shop for family adventures, with a pleasant and hilly bushland setting. A popular feature is the short mountain bike trail suitable for
beginners with basic skills and an off-road bike. It also features a vertical ramp, half pipe and soft fall for skaters, and a BMX dirt track with jump that vary in size and complexity. If you want to chill while the kids play, there's a viewing terrable, tables and benches for family picnics. And let's not forget the main entertainment stage, toilet block, shade trees and a wetlands area. Check out the map and directions on Google.
The Peter Hallinan Mountain Bike Precinct At Hinze Dam
A unique ride on the Gold Coast, the Peter Hallinan Mountain Bike Precinct trailsprovide a multitude of riding options that can be accessed by the public via the Hinze Dam Information Centre, then a short ride along the top of the dam wall. There is an easy loop called the “Family Loop” which is well sign posted and located within the centre of all the trails. Heading east takes riders on an undulating section with views of the water.
For a bit more of a challenge there is the 6km loop that descends west and provides a challenging climb back out, whether ridden in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Half way around this section riders will find toilet facilities, tank water and the Club race day facilities. This area can be accessed by cars and riders on official GCMTB Club XC race days only, with strict times on gate opening and closing. View the trail information here.
Boomerang Park
Boomerang Farm Bike Park is a feast of gravity trails run by our friends at Outlook Riders Alliance. It’s on private property so it is a pay to ride park. With everything from flow trails, downhill lines to huge free ride lines, Boomers, as it's affectionaly known, is always a fun day out, catering to all ages and skill levels. Trails start from Green into Blue, then Black into Double Black and all the way to Pro/Expert Freeride lines.
The park also features a dirt jump area comprising multiple lines - again from intermediate through to advanced, along with a pump track. The normal opening hours are Friday through to Monday 8:30am to 2:30pm (weather permitting). The club also provides a shuttle vehicle service on all days that the park is open. During holiday periods, the park is opened five days a week. For further information visit the website.
Old Tambo Downhill Mountain Bike Track
Opened in 2014, 'old tambo' is for experienced riders looking for a high-adrenaline run. It features fast flowing corners, rollers, dips, gaps and a nice chillout section through treed grasslands before the tight and technical bermed corners, drop offs and steep grades to exit. The Black Diamond Trail (the most difficult and for experienced riders only) features a descent that is approximately three kilometres and will take experienced riders 10 minutes (the trail exit is at Welches Rd, Wongawallan).
Shuttling back to the trail head is via the main road to Tamborine Mountain. The track includes many technical sections, jumps and berms as well as small rest areas. For safety reasons motorbikes and bushwalkers are prohibited on the trail. Full face helmets, gloves and body armour recommended. View the map here.
Lower Beechmont Conservation Area
Lower Beechmont Conservation Area has a range of trails for riders. In recent years, the Barcoo Court to Bellis Road trail has been repaired and brought back into public ownership. This trail has always been popular with horse riders, although mountain bikers and bushwalkers are now also known to use it. The Clagiraba Creek trail (4.4 kilometres return from the Bellis Road entrance) takes you deep into the green tranquillity of subtropical rainforests. It's possible to access the Clagiraba Creek trail from Barcoo Court, but be prepared for a more challenging route with steeper hills, popular with mountain bike riders and horse riders.
The trails in the Lower Beechmont Conservation Area (eastern section) are used by horse riders, mountain bikers, bushwalkers and nature lovers. This is a rugged, natural environment and you need to be well prepared and self reliant when in the reserve. Some of the trails link with those in Nerang Conservation Park. Some areas of the reserve are off limits to bikes. Check out all the details here.
Hidden Valley Reserve
Hidden Valley Reserve is a true nature lover's paradise, that is really hidden away from it all. It protects a remnant of the original gum forest that would have been present throughout the Tugun/Currumbin Area. The forest includes an endangered regional ecosystem which is described as blackbutt forest or "Eucalyptus pilularis open forest on coastal metamorphics and interbedded volcanics". Here you can see vulnerable glossy black-cockatoos (Calyptorohynchus lathami), short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) and numerous tree hollows that house sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) and brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula).
Approximately 720 metres of recreation trail within the reserve provides a connection to the Currumbin Border Track which traverses the land along the New South Wales (NSW) / Queensland border (managed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries). The Hidden Valley Reserve trail is suitable for nature enthusiasts, bushwalkers, trail runners and mountain bike riders.
Mountain biking is possible however the tracks have steps and steep pinches. View the terrain map here.
Glossy Black Reserve
Glossy Black Reserve (header image) is over 100 hectares in size with around 14 kilometres of recreation trails. It offers birdwatchers, walkers, mountain bikers and trail runners the chance to recreate and engage with the natural environment. The reserve is largely a mix of Eucalypt forest types with common flora species including spotted gum, blackbutt, she oak and grass trees. It is home to iconic fauna such as koalas, goannas, Glossy Black cockatoos and wallabies.
For safety reasons bushwalkers and trail runners are prohibited on mountain bike trails. The trail network can be accessed from several locations around Glossy Black Reserve, with the best entry points located at the end of Barden Ridge Road or next to Skywatch Park on Golden Grove Boulevard. Please note there is limited on street parking available at these locations and the trail network is adjacent to residential areas so please be considerate of park neighbours when using the trails.
The eight dedicated mountain bike trails are described on the council website. Please refer to the trail map for more details.
Nerang National Park
Explore dry rainforest and open eucalypt forests along one of the designated mountain bike trails in the Nerang National Park. This largely undeveloped sanctuary in the Gold Coast hinterland forms a green backdrop to the township of Nerang. Dry rainforest and open eucalypt forests of grey gum, blue gum, stringybark and tallowwood grow in the hilly reserve, while sections of remnant gallery rainforest thrive in the gullies. Mountain-bike riders have access to all shared trails in the national park. In addition, there are 20 designated mountain bike trails in Nerang National Park. Horseriders and bushwalkers are not permitted on these designated mountain bike trails.
Choose trails that suit your riding ability using the trail classification system provided. There are easy, intermediate and difficult trails.
Hint: Access the mountain bike trail map on your smart phone or device and take it with you on your ride. Look for the QR code that is featured on the entrance signs and at key points around the park. Visit the website for classifications of the various trails.
Want more? The City of Gold Coast has a cycling guide for all avid biking fans.
