Cycling isn’t just a sport. You meet new people through it. It’s one of the ways you go to work or to school when you missed the school bus. It helps and keeps you stay healthy. It’s a great way to explore places and go for an adventure with friends. Whatever your reason may be, one thing is for certain; Cycling gives us the feeling of youthfulness and freedom and never falters to make us smile.
You can bike along the charming streets of the towns, rivers, and wineries around Adelaide Hills. Whether you chose to ride a mountain bike, road bikes, fatbike, or e-bikes, Adelaide Hills offers you plenty of biking trails to explore and experience.
There are a lot of trails in Adelaide Hills that gives you access to states forests, farms, and towns. One of them is the Mawson Trail. Almost 900 kilometres, this trail takes riders through state forests, farmlands, even historic towns of Lobethal and Birdwood, and if you still have the energy to go on, you’ll eventually reach the Barossa and Clare Valleys. Part of the Mawson Trail is Fox Creek (Cudlee Creek) in Mt Crawford Forest. It certainly has developed a reputation as having some of the best trails in Australia because it hosts a range of national and local mountain bike, cross country, downhill, and endurance races.
Cycling in the Adelaide Hills – featuring Jimmy Phillips
For the more experienced rider looking for more extreme challenges, Eagle Park Mountain Bike Park is the one to go to. Located 12 km southeast of Adelaide, it’ll only take 25 minutes of driving to reach this park. It is home to 21 kilometres of mountain bike trails, jump parks, and trial areas. For the safety of riders, the park has graded trails and signs posted as green for beginners, blue for intermediate, and black for more advanced riders. The park is open every day except on fire ban days or during extreme weather – so make sure to check first before going there. Eagle Park is arguably the hardest of SA’s mountain bike park as the trails can be demanding which will really test your level of cycling ability and strength.
Aside from Eagle Park Mountain Bike Park, one of the must-cycle bike trails in SA is The Old Freeway at Mount Lofty. This trail starts at Glen Osmond Tollgate, about 10-minute drive from Adelaide city. The trail at Mount Lofty may seem daunting to some as it certainly is a long way to the top – 721 metres to be exact. It is a popular training ride so don’t be pressured if a multitude of athletes on high-tech bikes going as fast as they can passes you by.
Not ready to take the risk yet with Eagle Park and Mount Lofty? No worries! There’s still the Mount Barker Linear Trail. Considered as the most popular trail, Mount Barker makes its way through wetlands and fields. It also houses several bird-watching ‘hides’, a picnic and barbeque area, and a toilet facility. Mount Barker is a perfect place for the family as well as there are three walking trails through the wetlands on the family-friendly paths.
Other trails open for riders on Belair National Park and Shepherds Hill Recreation Park, should not be overlooked. Aside from the woodland trail on their ground, Belair National Park has a 13 kilometres Adventure Loop Trail as well. This challenging loop trail will send you climbing, then descending to a tight single track, back up again on steep fire road up, loop around before dropping to another section of singletrack. On the other hand, while Shepherds Hill Recreation Park also roads specific cycling trails and tracks, they offer you a rather more adventurous experience; They have a bicycle jumps-track!
With the large variety of types of cycling available in South Australia, from sealed roads, trails and mountain biking – you will need the right tool for the job. There’s a variety of online sources including who can help you understand the types of bikes available for different cycling styles.
Travelling overseas? Check out similar articles for riding options in the US.
Wherever you decide to go cycling around Adelaide, make sure to follow the rules and safety precautions set up. Take note of the signs posted and trails graded to guide you along and don’t underestimate them. More importantly, breath it in. Even the most adventurous rider need to plan where they are headed to achieve their goal but, don’t miss out the feeling of being free and a chance to discover new sights.
