Mountain biking and cycling in Tasmania

Tasmania’s mountain bike trails range from family-friendly forest rides to barrelling downhill runs.

Mountain bike parks and trails are found across the state, while cycle tourers have long been drawn to the state’s quiet roads. Tootle along a rail trail, find a lakeside sauna at the heart of a mountain bike trail network, or take a marathon-length mountain bike ride from the mountains to a dazzling beach. The cycling possibilities are near endless.

Best MTB and cycling trips

Mountain bike trail networks

Tasmania is almost a byword for mountain biking, with trail networks found at the likes of Derby, St Helens, Maydena, Penguin, George Town, Hollybank and Queenstown. Ride a gentle lap around Lake Derby, take the 42km journey down the Bay of Fires Trail and finish beside the sea, or park up the bike for a therapeutic session in a floating sauna at Derby. Learn more about the top 10 trail networks here.

City mountain biking

You don’t even need to leave the cities to find great mountain biking. In Hobart, the North-South Track cuts across the slopes of kunanyi / Mount Wellington to finish in the city’s northern suburbs. There’s more great mountain biking across the river in the Clarence Mountain Bike Park. Launceston’s trails are even closer to the heart, with rides through Trevallyn Nature Recreation Area beside Cataract Gorge, and at Kate Reed Nature Recreation Area.

Rail trails

Following the course of former railway lines, Tasmania’s rail trails all but guarantee flat and easy riding. Curl through farmland and deep cuttings on the North East Rail Trail, pedal into Tasmania’s Town of Murals on the Railton to Sheffield Rail Trail, or discover the state’s highest waterfall – and a heady suspension bridge – on the Montezuma Falls Rail Trail.

Tasmanian Trail

Traverse the state on this challenging 480km off-road ride, beginning in Devonport in the north and finishing in Dover in the far south.

Cycling tours

Stretch out on an extended tour of the state’s roads, coasting along a coast, cruising around Bruny Island, or wriggling down the dizzying hairpin bends of Jacobs Ladder on Ben Lomond. Guided cycling operators include Eudaimonia Tasmanian Cycling Tours, Tasmanian Expeditions and Green Island Tours.