Nerang State Forest lies on the edge of the Gold Coast bordering the hinterland and within a stones throw of the beaches. It is home to one of the best mountain bike trail networks in South East Queensland and will be set to house the 2018 Commonwealth Games cross-country mountain biking events. Local trail care alliance Nerang Trail Care Alliance and Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club maintain the trails and the results are epic…..
The easiest access point to the Nerang trails is via the velodrome on Hope Street, with ample parking available and a short spin to the trail head at the lower end of the Commonwealth Games loops. A short ride up the hill puts you at an intersection of three fire roads and the start of three single track trails that can get you busting some dirt and sending some drops. The three Hills trail is an epic spot to start your ride and it feeds into a great little jump line on comm games loop 3, feeding you out back down the bottom where you rolled in.
There’s something for everyone out there at Nerang with loads of trails from beginner to advanced, green through to black diamond using the IMBA trail rating system. Some epic favourites are Phils trail, three hills, Norco Flow and the Comm games loops. For those looking for some hand-built fast rugged trails that test your all-mountain skills, Phils trail, three hills and Mongrels provide high-speed technical rocky descents that will keep you on your toes. For anyone looking to hit a decent jump line then Norco Flow out the back of the trail area is an epic flowy downhill track full of gap jumps and drops that will get the adrenaline pumping.
Home of the GCMTB Enduro Races
For the racers out there, Gold Coast Mountain Bike Club holds gravity enduro races out at Nerang State Forest and they are generally held two to three times a year, providing a friendly club race environment for riders of all levels. The events are extremely friendly have categories for men and women of all skill levels including ‘sport’ category, a category where there is no podium, but everyone who completes the race in the required time gets a medal. All proceeds from racing go to the club and are put back into the trails so we can all keep shredding the gnar.
Nerang State Forest is a great destination for riders of all creeds, offering good all-mountain trails, great cross-country loops and some good jump lines to test your skills. One of my personal favourite riding destinations in South East QLD and definitely a spot you will find this gravity rider in the future…..
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