One of the main reasons for the formation of the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club was to engage with the wider community in the building of MTB trails in the region. The club works closely with the Department of Conservation, Queenstown Lakes District Council and landowners in building new trails and maintaining the existing trail network.
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Queenstown Mountain Bike Club develop and maintain a wide variety of local mountain bike trails. All QMTBC trails are free for the public to ride but please respect any trail closures you may come across. If you're keen to get involved with building new mountain bike trails or maintaining your favourites, QMTBC hold voluntary Wednesday Night Digs. Keep an eye on our Facebook page each week for more details.
The best spots to ride for your level
Queenstown is a world-class biking destination, but with so many incredible tracks it can be hard to know where to start! Below you’ll find our top recommendations for all the different trail areas in Queenstown, but to make sure you are able to take advantage of the incredible terrain please make sure you check out our ability guide for each area first! This will ensure you finish your day stoked for more!
Beginner Riders
Intermediate Riders
Advanced+ Riders
BEN LOMOND TRAILS
The Ben Lomond Trails were originally established in the late 90's by a passionate
group of local volunteers. Fast-forward to today, and the Ben Lomond Trails aka BLT,
are a world-class network of trails.They can be accessed by either purchasing a lift
ticket for the Skyline Gondola, or by pedal power.
The first thing to be aware of when it comes to BLT is that most of the trails are steep,
and best suited for advanced riders. You will see a few blue trails listed, but these are
still advanced trails due to the natural terrain of the bike park.​To get a taste of the park
the recommended warm up run would be Lazy Vertigo to Single Track Sandwich to
Thundergoat. From there you can crank it up a level and pedal a little higher to I’m A Shreddin’ or Armageddon to Thingymajig to finish off on a fan favourite, Original! Giving you a good mix of tech and flow. If you’re looking for the ultimate spice sandwich then you can head down World Cup - Hobbit - Killer Bee, just be aware these are all Grade 6 trails and have little to no easy options.
Pedalling up and wanting a bit more bang for your buck? Then if you head a bit higher you
will find Squid Run. This is a super fun Grade 4 trail with a combination of fast flowy parts
and more technical rooty sections. The trail isn’t as steep as some of the BLT trails, meaning
you get more trail for your money, which is all the more sweet after that big pedal!
Eaten extra Weetbix or blessed with an e-bike? Then head on round Beeched-As, an
undulating transverse around the mountain taking you to the top of the Fernhill trails. Here
you will find the famous McGazza bench, and a panoramic view of Lake Wakatipu. Once
you’ve filled your camera roll with photos you can either drop into BluGazi, another fun and
flowy Grade 4 trail, or head down Salmon Run, a steep and technical Grade 6.
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Down from BluGazi, you will find one of the most famous Grade 4 jump tracks in the southern hemisphere, McNearly Gnarly Jump Track. This track is loved by all, from those just starting their jumping journey, to seasoned rippers! If you are relatively new to biking, then it may still be a little intimidating, so head over to the beginner line at Mini Dream or Seven Mile first to dial in your jump skills!All the jumps on this track are table tops, but it is always a good idea to pre ride the trail first before hitting the full send button. Don't worry, you don't have to do the full Beeched-As loop to reach this trail. A friendly 15 minute pedal up from Wynyard Crescent will get you to the top of this super fun track!
WYNYARD JUMP PARK
You can access the Wynyard Jump Park by either pedalling along the Town Link track from the town centre (watch out for walkers), or you can park at Wynyard Crescent. Here you'll find the home of Queenstown's freestyle athletes, Mini Dream & Dream Track.
Dream track can be spotted from half way down McNearly Gnarly, or by walking further along the fireroad from the McNearly Climb. This is a Pro Line jump track and should only be ridden by highly skilled riders, however it is well worth a visit just to see the beauty of its design, and you never know what pro you might bump into.
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Mini Dream is Dream Track's little brother, and has a full range of progression lines. As your skills progress you can move onto the bigger features, or maybe test out your tricks on the mulch jump!
SEVEN MILE TRAIL NETWORK
Drive a little beyond Fernhill along the Glenorchy highway and you will discover Seven Mile
Riding Area. The first thing to note, that the best place to park is at Wilson’s Bay rather than
the Seven Mile reserve.
The pedal in is easier and quicker, plus you’ll be right on the beach for a lake dip after!! On a
sunny afternoon this is a very popular spot due to its family friendly trails, and the best
backdrop for a BBQ you can ask for.
For those just starting out check out Cool Runnings, a wide, flowy Grade 2 trail that will boost
your confidence and get you ready to explore more. Looking to improve your jump skills?
Then pedal up to Kachoong and follow it into Jack BNimble. Tucked away on the climb up you will come across Bucklands, a beautifully designed North Shore skill area, which is a great place to practise your balance and drop skills. Then on the pedal out you can find some more flowy tech fun down Grin and Holler II or test your drop skills on IB55.
CORONET PEAK
A MTB trip to Queenstown wouldn’t be complete without a trip over to Coronet Peak.
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Coronet Peak can be accessed through a few different ways, you can drive up the road to the Coronet Peak Base Building and purchase a lift ticket for the Bike Park to reach the top mountain trail you could hire a shuttle for the day or you could use pedal power starting from Dan O’Connell track.
If you are keen for the ultimate top to bottom mountain run you want to start your descent with Dirt Serpent and then link onto Rude Rock, once you reach the road you will find a track on the other side called Morning Glory. Follow this smooth, flowy blue down to the top of Hot Rod for your final descent to the bottom. All these trails are Grade 3 and 4 and are primarily flow trails, with a few technical sections along the way. If you want a slightly harder descent then you can start down the Coronet DH track, a fast, steep Grade 5 track that takes you back to the Coronet Base Building and then requires a short pedal to the top of Rude Rock.
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CORONET PEAK LOOP TRACK
If you are an intermediate+ rider and looking for a full day of pedaling around some amazing
views, then you’ll want to check out the Coronet Loop Track.
The full circuit is 50km which can take 4-8 hrs depending on fitness levels and if you have an
e-bike. The trail is classified as a Grade 3 trail but there is a section called Pack Sack and
Track which is Grade 4 with some steep drop offs that can feel intimidating. Fortunately you
can bypass this by taking Pack Track Coronet Lopp Link, or follow the Skippers Road before
joining the climb to the Greengate Saddle. You can also cut the length of the trail if you have
two cars by dropping one off in Arrowtown if you want to cut out some of the pedal or a bit
short on time.
Make sure you are fully prepared for this trail and consider it a backcountry mission, as there are large sections of the trail that do not have mobile phone coverage. You can find out more info on the Queenstown Trails website.
KERRY DRIVE PUMP TRACK
The Kerry Drive Pump Track opened at the end of 2021. It is located up the top of Kerry Drive on Queenstown Hill and has a big parking space and toilets for public use all year round. With a beautiful view out over the lake, it is a great place to spend a chilled our or two working on some skills or a fun afternoon with the kids.
Riding when the track is wet damages it really quickly so please give this track a day or two to dry out after heavy rain.
For more info about Kerry Drive and other pump tracks in Queenstown, follow this link.
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