So, you find yourself in the super envious position of having three days to ride on the Sunshine Coast? Your mates are going to be suffering serious FOMO when they see the trails you’ve been hitting. Spend the morning riding through epic bushland, then upload to Strava and socials during an afternoon chill at the beach.
Tewantin Mountain Bike Trails
The great news is, you have a wealth of choices and for the intermediate rider, here’s how we’d play it:
Day One
Wake up. Smile. You’re on the Sunshine Coast and all you need to do today is ride your bike and hit the beach. How good! Head to Caloundra’s urban trails, Sugar Bag Mountain Bike Trails. If you’re coming from Noosa, allow around an hour to get down here. We’ll work our way up the Coast over the three days.
Sugar Bag Mountain Bike Trails
Sugar Bag is a pretty compact network so you’ll find yourself able to cover heaps of ground and mix it up between the sick new asphalt pump track, skills park and your choice of signposted trails. You’ll be amazed at what’s on offer in this leafy bushland park, not far from the centre of town. From the trailhead, cruise through the trees down meandering “Milky Way” and hit a warm up lap on flat and fast “Party Mix” or the off-camber narrow single track of “Honeycomb”. Dial it in on the wooden ramps and log rolls before a “Sweet Sugar” lap. See how you go on the see-saw and the skinnies!
Sugar Bag Mountain Bike Trails
Now you’re ready for some flow! Fun laps of “Syrup” are the order of the day. “Syrup” is small but mighty - 600 metres of downhill flow, complete with silky berms and tabletops. Adrenaline seekers are going to want to take on a couple of laps of the gravity flow trail, “Beez Kneez” and hit the wall-ride for bragging rights, before heading for beers, or the beach!
You might even leave the car at the trailhead for a pathway bash along the boardwalk to the cafes of Kings Beach. Coffee Cat serves up a tasty brunch overlooking the ocean. Bush to beach within a few minutes - how sweet is that?
Day Two
Wake up. Stretch. Reminisce about yesterday’s wall-ride and pack your bike ready for a morning of rugged, rooty trails and jungle vibes. Head to the Parklands Conservation Park Mountain Bike Trails at Radar Hill Road and check out the information board where you’ll find no less than thirteen (lucky for some!) trail options. There’s a mix of one and two way tracks in here so be sure to check the signage before you hit send. You may have covered it all in Sugar Bag yesterday, but today you’ll most likely want to plan a little - expect more gnarly trails to explore. Yeww!
Parklands Mountain Bike Trails
If vert is your thing, you can easily spend hours in here climbing techy stuff; challenging yourself on rocky switchback climbs weaving through tall eucalypt forest. For a fun and fast lap, Road Rage is a great starting point, before splashing through the creeks of Cancer Tree under a vibrant rainforest canopy and returning to the car via the dark soils and green and mossy descent of Hoe Chi Ho.
Fancy exploring further afield? Pedal through dense rainforest across the park to an altogether different landscape of exposed rocky outcrops and grasslands as you navigate more technical trails - check out Phoenix, Lower and Upper New Zealand and Shadowlands. Feeling like a shortcut back to the trailhead? Don’t be fooled into thinking a firetrail might be an easy link option - there are some seriously steep climbs and loose descents in here!
Worked up a thirst? The live music and craft beers of Terella Brewing are just a ten minute drive from Parklands - that’s your afternoon sorted.
Day Three.
Now you’re in the zone! Get excited for a day of switchback climbs rewarded with sick descents as you head to Tewantin National Park Mountain Bike Trails, Wooroi Day Use Area and explore the trails of Tewantin amidst lush palm forests, just a stone’s throw from Noosa’s Main Beach.
The legs might be a little weary this morning, but that’ll soon be forgotten once you feel the rush of air on your face and the adrenaline pumping as you descend a firm favourite, Trailblazer, or Wooroi’s other super fast flow trail, Milkmaid. Think wide berms and tabletops before you wind your way back down into the vine clad trees of the forest floor.
Tewantin Mountain Bike Trails
There’s a shuttle option you can book through Spoke N Trail if you want to hit laps of the descents, but choose well and the climbs are pretty forgiving in here. From the trailhead, the green trail Indy winds its way from rainforest gullies up through the surrounding forest via a series of mellow switchbacks. Keep on climbing to Top Track to give you access to the impressive flow trails, or head across to super scenic (and tree name inspired) Bloodwood - 1.5kms of flow, doubles and berms.
After covering some seriously awesome kilometres in Wooroi, you’ll be ready to hit the beach for a recovery dip - grab a locally roasted coffee at First Batch on your way. Looking for a chilled refreshment? Take your pick of craft beer from nearby Heads of Noosa or Land & Sea Brewery, just a five minute drive from the trailhead.
Land and Sea Brewery
That’s right, the bush, beach and beers are all waiting for you on the Sunshine Coast.
For any trail closures or warnings please see