Trail Daze | Jungle Fever in the Garden Route

Mar 28, 2017, 4:00 AM · By BikeHubCoreAdmin · 31 comments

About an hour’s drive further up the coast from last month’s Trail Daze destination, we re-visited the now world-famous Garden Route Trail Park, to round off our trip up the N2.

Nestled at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains and the Karatara River Gorge, lies one of South Africa’s top mountain biking destinations. Proper trails cutting through lush indigenous forest with an incredible ambiance of bird sounds and other wild life, and a majestic mountainous backdrop is what defines this place. Add to that accommodation in the form of the Trail Park House, or a 20 person dorm room setup hand crafted by the land owner and trail builder Rob Dormehl, and you have the perfect place to rally together some friends and shred the 40km trail network from dawn till dusk. And with 4 trail options varying in difficulty and distance, and a pump track/dirt jump line, it really caters for all riders of all abilities.

The ever-expanding network of trails and accommodation at Garden Route Trail Park is something to admire. Well built jumps in every size you could ever want, means it’s the perfect place to get airtime and it’s one of the few places in SA that you can ride proper singletrack under an indigenous tree canopy. Phone your friends now and plan a weekend getaway now!
Daniel Dobinson | iRideAfrica

The Garden Route Trail Park is definitely a must if you’re going anywhere up the coast. I’m lucky enough to visit the park frequently and it’s definitely on the favourites list. The trails vary from deep, dark, and dense forests with big bomb holes and tight branches, to open grasslands with amazingly flowy trails. I love riding here because of the natural forest that just makes you forget about the world for a few hours. And it’s always nice to finish with a few pump track laps and a good coffee.
Matt Lombardi

This project is made possible by:

Garden Route Trail Park GPS: 33°55’01.3″S 22°51’47.7″E

Riders : Daniel Dobinson | Matt Lombardi

Permit: R100

Website:

https://www.gardenroutetrailpark.com/

All images by Ewald Sadie

www.esphotography.co.za

instagram:

@ewaldsadie

Tags: daniel dobinson, esphotography, ewald sadie, garden route, Garden Route Trail Park, Matt Lombardi, trail daze

Say hello to the new TIME pedal range

Bike Check: Matt Beer’s Cape Epic Winning S-Works Epic

No reason for an Offseason with these savings from Trek

Trail Daze 2.0 | Summerplace Game Reserve

Trail Daze 2.0 | Greyton

Trail Daze 2.0 | Constantia Greenbelts

Comments

31 comments · Page 1 of 2

bullet77

Mar 28, 2017, 4:21 AM

Awesome pics, can't wait to go back to GRTP, best trails I've ridden.

Super_mil

Mar 28, 2017, 6:10 AM

It does not look like a terrible place to go pedal a bicycle. Need to get there at some point.

Great pics yet again Oom Ewald.

Albatross

Mar 28, 2017, 6:37 AM

Love those trails, got lost last time and had a ball.

goatman

Mar 28, 2017, 7:05 AM

Thanks for the great pics and write-up Ewald!

Rode there last week for the first time and was just blown away by what Rob and his team have created.

Go ride these trails!!!

remfactor

Mar 28, 2017, 10:01 AM

Looks very good!!!

Duane_Bosch

Mar 28, 2017, 10:22 AM

My Fave trails in SA.

The trail house (R2000 a night) is 150m from the trail head. Such a good place to ride a bike.

It's a very different setup but it gives me an Alps feel being there.

T-Bob

Mar 28, 2017, 10:42 AM

Heading back to Plett for this weekend for a week and am booking some time out from fam' activities to head to to the park!

Raydek

Mar 28, 2017, 10:59 AM

For those that have explored the trails...

If you could only ride one route in the park, which would it be. #timelimit

Thermophage

Mar 28, 2017, 11:10 AM

For those that have explored the trails...

If you could only ride one route in the park, which would it be. #timelimit

You can ride the whole park in a day. Or most of it easily in a morning.

Matt

Mar 28, 2017, 11:12 AM

For those that have explored the trails...

If you could only ride one route in the park, which would it be. #timelimit

My vote would have to be Jungle Fever! All the trails are great, but the dense forest, tight, technical and fast sections are just too fun.

Raydek

Mar 28, 2017, 11:12 AM

You can ride the whole park in a day. Or most of it easily in a morning.

Rad. Up there next week with my bike, so gonna try hit some local trails.

Raydek

Mar 28, 2017, 11:13 AM

My vote would have to be Jungle Fever! All the trails are great, but the dense forest, tight, technical and fast sections are just too fun.

Kinda what I was thinking after the pics and the route info.

Duane_Bosch

Mar 28, 2017, 11:25 AM

For those that have explored the trails...

If you could only ride one route in the park, which would it be. #timelimit

Leave the trail house. Ride top of blue. Then at the bridge kick out. Ride to the top of yellow. Do the top of yellow. Kick out at the bridge on yellow ride the last bit of yellow across to G flow. Ride G Flow to coffee.

Raydek

Mar 28, 2017, 11:34 AM

Leave the trail house. Ride top of blue. Then at the bridge kick out. Ride to the top of yellow. Do the top of yellow. Kick out at the bridge on yellow ride the last bit of yellow across to G flow. Ride G Flow to coffee.

HUH :mellow:

Sure that will make sense when I'm there though.

Duane_Bosch

Mar 28, 2017, 11:48 AM

HUH

Sure that will make sense when I'm there though.

You can thank me later.

The yellow & blue trails loop over themselves. so you'll ride the first bit of the blue an come to a small bridge where you cross the end of the blue trail. hang a left there and ride to the exit of the blue at the road. There you hang a right. ride up the hill for about 70m to the trailhead of the yellow. Drop into yellow. Yeeeeeeeeee. and when you get to the trail crossing bridge on the yellow you take the trail exit. From there you head toward G Flow.

Perfect pre breakfast warm up.

MTBeer

Mar 28, 2017, 12:03 PM

For those that have explored the trails...

If you could only ride one route in the park, which would it be. #timelimit

why would you go all the way there and only ride one?

When you've ridden one, I guarantee you you will want to ride the rest.

Raydek

Mar 28, 2017, 12:14 PM

why would you go all the way there and only ride one?

When you've ridden one, I guarantee you you will want to ride the rest.

#timelimit

But, having looked at the route distances and gains, I should be able to manage all of them in a morning.

Robbie Stewart

Mar 28, 2017, 5:33 PM

If you DON't manage them all in a morning, you should rather stay home...lol.

Jokes aside, that trail is just insane, and I challenge you to try NOT ride all the bits when you are there. I swear GRTP comes as close to MTB drugs as probably possible, if there ever was such a thing.

I remember on my first time there doing these endless loops and finding bits that I have been on earlier, and then bombing down them cause they were "somewhat familiar"...I clipped a tree on one of those loops, and very nearly ended up at the bottom of some ravine. Take it easy, and take someone...

Go have F U N, like you ain't never had before.

Raydek

Mar 28, 2017, 5:44 PM

If you DON't manage them all in a morning, you should rather stay home...lol.

Jokes aside, that trail is just insane, and I challenge you to try NOT ride all the bits when you are there. I swear GRTP comes as close to MTB drugs as probably possible, if there ever was such a thing.

I remember on my first time there doing these endless loops and finding bits that I have been on earlier, and then bombing down them cause they were "somewhat familiar"...I clipped a tree on one of those loops, and very nearly ended up at the bottom of some ravine. Take it easy, and take someone...

Go have F U N, like you ain't never had before.

[emoji16][emoji16][emoji16][emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

PhilipV

Mar 28, 2017, 6:46 PM

Going there for easter weekend.

Can't

Wait

berg_fiets

Mar 28, 2017, 6:55 PM

You can thank me later.

The yellow & blue trails loop over themselves. so you'll ride the first bit of the blue an come to a small bridge where you cross the end of the blue trail. hang a left there and ride to the exit of the blue at the road. There you hang a right. ride up the hill for about 70m to the trailhead of the yellow. Drop into yellow. Yeeeeeeeeee. and when you get to the trail crossing bridge on the yellow you take the trail exit. From there you head toward G Flow.

Perfect pre breakfast warm up.

G flow is buggered. Was there 2 weeks ago for my first time. Overgrown and gone for a ball a poop and thorns... Got about 200m down and then realized, hmmm maybe this trail is closed. (Was no signage at the road crossing entrance)

Apparently plans to redo it...

kader01

Mar 29, 2017, 6:52 AM

Would be cool if there was group ride anytime. Anyone know of rides happening here? Id love to ride it but i ride alone so might get lost.

Robbie Stewart

Mar 29, 2017, 7:39 AM

Would be cool if there was group ride anytime. Anyone know of rides happening here? Id love to ride it but i ride alone so might get lost.

Nah, you won't get uncontrollably lost, but maybe in a good way... :drool:

These trails are very well marked and loop over and across each other so often you will soon figure out which way is up.

bullet77

Mar 29, 2017, 7:46 AM

For those that have explored the trails...

If you could only ride one route in the park, which would it be. #timelimit

The new Mountain Mania(I think that's the name) trail up the mountain and back down through the G-Flow trail.

31 comments · Page 1 of 2 · Go to forum topic