Mount Stromlo MTB Trails

Mount Stromlo Forest Park in the Australian Capital of Canberra is home to possibly the best mountain bike trail network in the country.

Stromlo Forest Park offers mountain bikers a huge variety of riding trails. Natural occurrences of hard packed clay, sand and rocks make the trails interesting and fun with many differing levels of technical challenge.

Mount Stromlo’s MTB trail network gains it’s professional image from it’s final presentation than many other trail networks lack. Aside from the actual trails themselves, the signage and facility in itself is world class. Trails are identified by the increasingly common trail difficulty rating system that is advocated by the IMBA – green circle (easy), blue square (intermediate) and black diamond (advanced).

In addition to the trail difficulty rating signs, the Stromlo MTB trail network also offers mountain bikers the option of choosing from one of six pre-defined “loops”. Each loop is different in length and technical challenge and was assigned a number. This number is then indicated on signs at intersections and forks in the trail, allowing riders to simply follow signs rather than having to remember a dozen trail names. For “mountain bike tourists” like ourselves, it was a great way to ride in the park. We usually come prepared with a printed trail map, but sometimes it’s nice to just get out and ride without having to think too much.

It was a fairly hot day and we still hadn’t re-acclimatised to the dry heat that Canberra experiences, so our goal was around an hour or so of riding. After a quick skill testing session in “The Playground” area, we began our climb to the summit of Mount Stromlo. Going up, I think we both agreed that Emu Run and City View were our favourite trails. Cockatoo Switchbacks certainly gives the rider plenty of switchback training, so definitely climb the southern side of the park if that’s what you’re looking for.

Given our lack of fitness at the time and somewhat “gravity” based riding style, the highlights of Stromlo Forest Park were without a doubt the Skyline and Luge trails. I only brought my Transition Double on this trip, and while it wasn’t the best climber, it was an absolute blast on the downhills – I had some sketchy moments here and there, pushing my little dual suspension dirt jumper to it’s limits. Both of us finished the descent, spat out of Old Duffy Descent back to the MTB hub with big smiles and plenty of stoke.

We checked out some of the DH trails while we were riding around and watched some kids hit up the 4x track while we ate lunch. Big bike or small, the Stromlo trail network will not fail to keep you entertained.

Stromlo Forest Park really is a sensational facility. Not only does it offer a world class MTB trail network, it hosts a criterium circuit for road cyclists (and I’m told this area is also used for teaching children how to ride safely on the roads), equestrian trails for horse riders, and a grass cross-country track for runners. The people of Canberra are extremely lucky to have this facility under their belt!

If you find yourself heading to Canberra for some mountain biking, remember to check out the Majura Pines MTB Trails too.

Although it’s not really necessary, if you’re looking for a map, take a look at the official Stromlo Forest Park map.