Where To Ride In Queenstown
Skyline
Nestled in the heart of Queenstown Skyline boasts some of the best life access riding there is to have the in the South Island. With 30 trials and 450m of vertical drop from top to bottom you can concentrate all your energy on the descent and let the gondola take care of the climbing for you.
Grades
Green – 03
Blue – 10
Black – 09
Double Black – 11
7.5km of green trails
7.5km of blue trails
Beginner Essential Rides
Upper Hammys Track
Thundergoat
Intermediate Essential Rides
Squid Run
Vertigo – Original.
Special mention – Nearly Gnarly. An intermediate jump progression line accessible via Fernhill loop with 64 berms and 54 jumps.
Coronet Area
Located 13km out of town towards Arrowtown, Coronet Peak has a bunch of trails that reward good pedallers. The initial grunt up from the popular starting point of Dan O’Connell Carpark is sizable, especially if you’re planning to go all the way to the Rude Rock trail head (which you should be). Don’t be deterred though, the rewards from there are well worth the loss of sweat and calories. The descents are extremely well built, blending intermediate tech with traversing madness. Every time we ride Coronet area, we come away thinking how underrated it is.
Grades
Green – 00
Blue – 10
Black – 02
Double Black – 01
48km of blue trails
3.5km of black trails
Intermediate Essential Rides
Coronet area is the perfect for epic loops. We would advise parking at Dan O’Connell carpark. From there ride Dan O’Connell Climb – Coronet Water Race Connector – Coronet access road – Rude Rock – Pack, Track & Sack – Skippers Pack Track – Skipper Canyon Road – Zoot – Coronet access road – Coronet Water Race Connector – Hot Rod
7 Mile
Located 10km from Queenstown towards Glenorchy, 7 mile MTB reserve is a free to ride park on the edge of the lake. 7mile is a great place to get away from the hustle of the town and lose yourself in mainly Green and Blue trails. The carpark sits right on the edge of Wilsons Bay which is a perfect place for a post ride swim so don’t forget your togs. If you’re more into your loop trails then Ascend Pheonix Climb to access the Moke Lake/Lake Dispute track which will take you onto Moke Lake road and back down Golddigger trail. Moke Lake is an absolute hidden gem of the area.
Grades
Green – 05
Blue – 14
Black – 03
Double Black – 00
3.0km of Green Trails
4.5km of Blue Trails
Intermediate Essential Rides
Grin & holler, IB55
Special mention – Phoenix – Moke Lake / Lake Dispute track – Moke Lake Road – Gold Digger – B.o.B – 7 Mile Track. This may only be a 7km loop but it is one of Queenstowns best low alpine loops.
