Charles Darwin National Park Bike Track

What’s better than finding a unique bushland national park only 5km from the CBD of a capital city? Discovering it is laden with luscious mountainbike singletrack!

Tucked away on a picturesque escarpment overlooking the burgeoning skyline of Darwin city lays a network of artfully concealed singletrack in the native bush. Almost impossible to find unless you know they are there, the tracks are the spiritual home of the DORC’s, (Darwin Off-Road Cyclists), local MTB, club and have been a playground for local riders since the nineties.

The Charles Darwin trails snake up and down and along this heavily wooded and often-rocky escarpment. The bush is quite dense and many sections are very fast and flowing, interspersed with cruel little climbs, ascending and descending hairpins, thought provoking rock ledges and log jumps.

In places there is barely a centimetre to spare between your ’bar ends and the trees as you fly through squinting to get the gap right.

Many of the trails wind close by each other so sometimes you have the strange experience of a helmeted head whizzing by in torest in the opposite direction just below you.

Getting There

The park is 5.5km east of the CBD, follow Tiger Brennan Drive out of the city and turn right at the sign indicating the park. The carpark is about another 1.5km from the turn-off. All this will take less than 10 minutes from the city!

There are numerous trailheads however the main “drop-in” point is located 420 metres from the carpark on the outbound sealed road.

Technical Nature

The tracks are designed by mountainbikers so they are quite technical in places. Riders are challenged at times by tight hairpins, short sharp climbs and a sometimes bumpy and loose surface.

Whilst okay for beginners, the trails are best suited to experienced riders and a good level of fitness is needed if you really want to give these trails the ripping they deserve.

You’ll Need

Due to the tropical heat (especially from October-March) it’s important to carry plenty of water as you will sweat a lot on the trails.

Midges (biting insects) are a nuisance for some of the year so throw a can of spray in too. The park is not isolated but it’s not regularly visited by walkers so don’t ride alone or at least carry a mobile phone.

Distances

The beauty of Charles Darwin is that you could ride it in your lunch hour. All up a full lap will take you roughly an hour or more, with the total distance being around 20 km.

Local Knowledge

Stick to the trails, obey park rules and be respectful to all park users. There are two bike shops nearby, both only moments from the park; Cyclezone in the city and K9 Cycles, in Coconut Grove.

There’s plenty of European backpackers you can impress with your battle scars. Check out the website nt.gov.au/nreta/parks/find/ charlesdarwin.html.

Best Time of Year to Ride

During the cooler months May to September but the Park can be ridden all year round.