Mountain biking in Queenstown

Where to ride

The trails sit in four places. Bob's Peak rises straight behind the town centre: the Skyline gondola climbs it, and the Ben Lomond Trails come back down through the forest. Just west, above Fernhill, the club's Wynyard trails link into the same hill. Seven Mile is a forested point on the Glenorchy road, 7 kilometres west of town. Coronet Peak, the ski area north of town, runs its chairlift for bikes in summer. Three rides with no grade (the Gorge Road jumps, the Moonlight Track and the Skippers Pack Track) are marked in grey.

What it's like

Most riding here is gravity riding: you ride up by gondola or chairlift and spend the day descending. The specialist press describes days of lapping Bob's Peak on longer-travel bikes. Pinkbike has noted that visitors mostly see the extreme side of Queenstown. There is plenty of everyday trail riding too, from machine-built flow trails, all berms and rollers, to hand-built technical singletrack over roots and rock.

The ground changes from hill to hill. On Bob's Peak the trails run through pine plantation, with roots and rocks that turn slippery when wet. Native beech forest begins higher up. Coronet Peak is open alpine tussock, and its clay trails must not be ridden wet, or they are damaged. Seven Mile is lakeside forest singletrack, rideable all year.

The season shapes it all. Riders' accounts describe summer as hot and dusty, and spring and autumn as the time of tacky, grippy ground, what riders call hero dirt.

Your options

Nine trails, three to each band of difficulty, numbered as on the map. Each has its figures in a table and its character on a card: the features you will ride, the ground and how it behaves, and the bike the sources advise. Every grade is the one published by the body that runs the trail, on New Zealand's national scale, set out in the Mountain Bike Trail Design Guidelines. We grade nothing ourselves.

Some bike parks also use green, blue and black symbols, but there is no national rule for matching them to the numbers, so check each park's own key.

Grades 2 and 3: easy to intermediate

* Skyline gives 4.8 km; Destination Queenstown gives 6 km. † The club recommends Seven Mile to beginners and intermediates but grades only Cool Runnings; Destination Queenstown gives the area as Grades 3 to 5, and some of its trails are rated advanced. Grades from Skyline, Coronet Peak's trail map and the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club; lengths and descents from the same where published, otherwise from Trailforks. Read 16 October 2026.

1. Hammy's Track

Features: wide, smooth and banked, with berms and rollers most of the way down.

Surface and conditions: smooth and wide through the pine plantation. Skyline stops the gondola in heavy rain or lightning.

Bike: none specified. Flow calls it a favourite for new riders.

2. Hot Rod

Features: non-stop berms and safe jumps, with views over Queenstown. A few corners come close to Grade 4.

Surface and conditions: open tussock, easily damaged; not to be ridden wet, snowy or frozen.

Bike: none specified. Coronet Peak requires a helmet and knee and elbow pads.

3. Seven Mile

Features: easy loops such as Cool Runnings; jumps, doubles and berms on Kachoong and Grin and Holler; Gold Digger passes old gold workings, with some exposure.

Surface and conditions: pine-forest singletrack with small rock faces, rideable all year. Not every trail here is easy: Jack B Nimble is rated advanced.

Bike: none specified by the club.

Grade 4: advanced

Grades as above. Lengths and descents from Skyline and Trailforks. Read 16 October 2026.

4. Rude Rock

Features: a long descent that contours the mountain towards the Skippers road. Pinkbike called it the definition of flow.

Surface and conditions: clay that runs smooth when dry; it is damaged if ridden during or just after rain or snow.

Bike: an all-mountain bike with about 150 mm of travel, Trailforks advises.

5. Squid Run

Features: hand-built singletrack with roots, off-camber turns and a rock roll that ends in a drop.

Surface and conditions: roots and leaf litter under the pines, at its best in the tacky shoulder seasons.

Bike: anything from a hardtail to a 170 mm enduro bike, AMB says.

6. McNearly Gnarly

Features: dozens of berms and jumps in a row; Flow reports it is among the most-ridden trails in town.

Surface and conditions: built dirt jumps. The club asks riders to pre-ride the jumps and keep off after heavy rain.

Bike: none specified by the club.

Grades 5 and 6: expert and extreme

‡ Destination Queenstown gives 2.2 km; Trailforks gives 1.3 km. Lengths and descents from Trailforks. Read 16 October 2026.

7. Coronet DH

Features: a downhill race track of berms, drops, jumps, gap jumps and rock slabs. Coronet Peak hosted the 2025 Oceania downhill championships.

Surface and conditions: one way, downhill only; a rider on Trailforks calls the dirt premium.

Bike: a downhill or all-mountain bike, Trailforks says.

8. World Cup, Hobbit and Killer Bee

Features: short, steep lines with drops, gap jumps and technical sections, and a rock garden at the foot of Killer Bee.

Surface and conditions: Destination Queenstown says they are hard whether bone dry or wet.

Bike: a downhill bike, says Destination Queenstown; AMB recommends a full-face helmet.

9. Salmon Run

Features: roots, exposure, steep switchbacks and several creek crossings.

Surface and conditions: native beech forest above the plantation; the trail was rebuilt after storm damage.

Bike: none specified. Flow groups it with Squid Run as a technical, enduro-style ride.

Rides without a grade. Some of Queenstown's best-known riding has no published grade, so we give none. The Gorge Road Jump Park, which Flow calls one of the most famous jump parks in the world, is listed by the club for advanced riders and above. The Dream Track at Wynyard is a pro line for highly skilled riders only.

The Skippers Pack Track follows an 1860s miners' track down to the Shotover and is shared by walkers and riders in both directions. On the Moonlight Track, DOC allows bikes but warns of narrow, exposed sections where you may need to walk. The Coronet Loop, a 56-kilometre backcountry ride, was closed after storm damage at the last report.

Is mountain biking here for you?

With the nine trails in front of you, the choice turns on your grade, your bike and your budget:

Limits and risks

The mountains set the rest. Weather changes fast here, and the trails close after rain to protect them, so check each park's status on the morning you ride.

Downhill trails cross the Ben Lomond walking track, and DOC warns walkers about them. On shared, two-way tracks such as the Skippers Pack Track, give way to walkers and to riders climbing. Ride within your grade, pre-ride any jump before you hit it, and respect closures: these are the Rules of the Trail the sport keeps worldwide.

Fire bans apply in dry summers. Before a long ride, tell someone your plan; AdventureSmart has a form for it.

Mountain biking carries risk that no page can remove. We have not ridden these trails and have not assessed any operator's safety. You ride at your own risk under each park's terms, so read them, and check that your travel insurance covers mountain biking. If you hire a guide, check that the company is on WorkSafe's register of adventure activity operators.

Costs and getting there

The club trails cost nothing; the lifts are where the money goes.

New Zealand dollars, from Skyline, Coronet Peak and the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club, read 16 October 2026. Prices are for the 2026–27 season where stated.

Buy passes online. The gondola base is on Brecon Street, a short walk from the centre. Coronet Peak is a drive north of town, or take its bike shuttle, which must be booked. For hire, the club keeps a list of the town's bike shops; none we checked publishes its prices. Our Queenstown guide covers the town's buses.

Weather, season and the day itself

Skyline runs bike uplift from late September to mid-May. Coronet Peak opens for bikes in early December, from Wednesday to Sunday and daily over the summer holidays. Its own pages disagree on the dates, giving 5 December 2026 to 21 March 2027 in one place and 6 December to 22 March in another, so check before you plan around them. The Gorge Road jumps are closed from mid-May to November. The club trails are open all year, but rain closes them until they dry.

Expect dust and loose ground in high summer, and the best grip in spring and autumn. Carry water, a spare tube and tools, and a warm layer for the top of the lift. A gondola day fills as much time as your legs allow; for Coronet Peak, allow for the drive. For a base near the gondola, our where to stay guide compares the areas.

If it's not for you

The gondola is the shared thread. Ride it for the view and the luge at the top; our Bob's Peak guide covers both. For two wheels at an easy grade, the Queenstown Trail follows the lake and rivers on gentle cycle paths, and our cycling in Queenstown guide covers the easy rides, bike hire and the rules. Or walk the same hills: our walks and hikes guide starts from the same gondola base.

More to do in Queenstown

Walks and hikes in Queenstown

Eight walks, from the lake shore to the summit of Ben Lomond.

Bungy jumping in Queenstown

The Kawarau Bridge, the Nevis and the canyon swing, with their limits and costs.

Jet boating in Queenstown

Four rivers, four kinds of ride, and how to choose between them.

Bob's Peak and Ben Lomond

The gondola, the luge and the view over the town.

Arthurs Point and the Shotover River

The gorge, the bridge and the hot pools above the river.

Wānaka

The lake town over the Crown Range, near Cardrona's lift-served bike park and Bike Glendhu.