Mountain Bike Trails in the Snowy Mountains

The Snowy Mountains is full of mountain bike trails that are totally worth the trip on their own, or the perfect addition to weekend in the mountains.

We acknowledge that these adventures are located on the traditional Country of the Ngarigo people who have occupied and cared for these lands and waters for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Almost every car heading south on the Snowy Mountains Highway in summer has a rack or tray on the back, loaded with bikes. Most head straight for the well-known downhill bike park at Thredbo Resort, but there are plenty of other bike tracks in the area that don’t require a lift pass. All you need is a bit of pedal power, an E-bike, or a shuttle bunny, to have an epic day on these trails in the Snowies. 

Protect the Trails

Most of these tracks are looked after by volunteers, so it’s important to give them the utmost respect. During and after heavy rainfall, avoid riding in muddy conditions and causing long lasting damage. The ‘Jindabyne Trail Stewardship’ Instagram page is a great resource for further information, including volunteer rebuild dates to help out the local MTB community and gain some serious karma.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

Lake Jindabyne Foreshore Trails

Top Trails: Copper Tom (Green), The Hatchery Trail (Green)

New to mountain bike riding? There’s an entire network of trails around the lake to get started on. From Hatchery Bay all the way to the dam wall, there’s a number of tracks to ride in sections or link them up for a longer trip. 

My favourite section is the Copper Tom track, featuring some little jumps and rock rolls, it’s a pleasant ride at sunrise to start the morning off. A word of warning; with so much rain this summer (thank you, La Nina), some segments are currently underwater as the dam capacity has reached its peak. 

Whilst small detours around the flooded track are in place, both the entry and exit to the Hatchery Trail is currently blocked off, making it completely inaccessible.

Tyrolean and Mill Creek Mountain Bike Trails – Jindabyne

Top Trail: Pink Trail (Blue), Three Lions (Black)

The go-to place for MTB lovers in Jindabyne is Tyrolean/Mill Creek, the car park is almost always chockas. Thankfully, the tracks never feel crowded. You’ll usually find me on the Pink Trail (Blue), and the Mill Creek (Green), but there are also huge rock rolls and jumps for those feeling sendy. 

Access is from a number of different places; at the bottom of the hill, look for multiple dirt pull-outs just over the dam wall on Kosciuszko Road, or the top of the hill at the Rainbow Drive intersection. This area is predominantly maintained and developed by the Jindabyne Trail Stewardship, so consider joining or donating online to help keep these trails in tip-top condition. 

Bungarra Mountain Bike Park – Jindabyne

Top Trail: Copperhead Flow (Blue)

Bungarra Mountain Bike Park is a locally owned and built bike park that has something for everyone! With a well-developed skills park, a drop skills area, and a couple of cheeky features scattered around, this is an awesome place to improve your riding. 

Otherwise, if you’re here to ride gravity, check out Copperhead Flow, Roller Coaster, or Ned Kelly trail for some ultra-smooth berms. To get the heart racing, hit up one of the three pump tracks. Bungarra MTB Park is located in the Bungarra Alpine Centre, so it does require a pass to access. These come pretty cheap with a day pass costing $10 for adults. 

Make sure to check out the opening hours of the park before you visit, as school times are often a no-go due to educational activities.

Alpine Adventist Village – Jindabyne

Top Trail: Flow

This MTB trail is possibly Jindabyne’s best kept secret – not even all the Jindabyne residents know about this one. Currently undergoing an extension, the Alpine Adventist Village consists of an epic flow trail down Round Hill, and a newly built pump track. With 174m vertical descent over 1.3km, most people will recommend an E-bike to get to the top.

The track does tend to be overlooked in terms of maintenance, but it makes up for it with big views over Lake Jindabyne. Primarily used when staying at the alpine village, visitors are welcome too; just check-in with staff at the front desk upon arrival.

Thredbo Valley Trail

Top Trails: Ngarigo to The Diggings (Blue) Section

The recent completion of the Thredbo Valley Trail (TVT), now extends the track from Thredbo to the Gaden Trout Hatchery, following along the Thredbo River. Similar to the Foreshore Trails, this can be done as one long trail, or broken up into shorter sections. Whilst the upper TVT from Thredbo to Crackenback resort has a lot of downhill, be prepared for a little (read: a lot) of pedalling from Crackenback onwards. 

Although it’s advertised as two-way, in busy times of the year (like school holidays) I don’t recommend riding towards Thredbo, to avoid collisions. A car shuffle can be organised ahead of time, either self-managed or arranged with one of the locally run shuttle companies. 

@boenferguson

Mount Gladstone Mountain Bike Park – Cooma

Top Trails: Shred Flanders (Black), Gladiator (Blue)

With stunning views of the surrounding area and the infamous ‘Miss Heidi’s Tea House’, Mount Gladstone is often overlooked by those heading to Jindabyne. The downhill trails all start from the top of the mountain, at the Gladstone lookout and finish at the car park on Greendale Road. 

Be prepared for some fun berms, a couple of rock rolls, and a whole lot of shale. When you reach the bottom car park, the smile will quickly disappear as you remember the uphill push on either the up track, the fire trail, or the paved road of Mount Gladstone Road. 

Alternatively, hit up ‘Snowy MTB Shuttles’ for a jaunt on the ‘Gladdy Caddy’ or sort a shuttle system among friends. 

Special Mention: Tumbarumba & Tumut Mountain Bike Park

If you want to escape the crowds, head to Tumbarumba or Tumut Mountain Bike Park. Whilst these don’t offer as much vertical as the trails in Jindabyne, they’re worth a visit for the change in scenery, and gorgeous townships.