Jacks Ridge Mountain Bike Park

Overview

Jacks Ridge is a volunteer-built mountain-bike network on Forestry Corporation NSW land in Nambucca State Forest, a few kilometres west of Nambucca Heads on the NSW Mid North Coast. The network is unusual for the Australian east coast in how much of its character is defined by timber: hand-built wooden features range from rollovers, table-tops and a 400 m kids loop right through to substantial structures such as Phil's Flyover, Big Boris Log Roll, and "the Troll" — a roughly 160 m timber boardwalk.

Six numbered loops radiate from a single trailhead at the corner of Jacks Ridge Road and Teague Ridge Road, with most rides being green/blue (beginner to intermediate) and A/B-lines giving advanced riders harder options on most timber features. Industry coverage (Trailforks, Visit NSW) places the current network at roughly 28 km of single-track stitched together via the loops, with around 70 timber structures across the network — well up from the "14 km+ of hand-built trails" the club's About page still advertises.

The park is built and maintained by the Nambucca Valley Cycle Club (NVCC) — an AusCycling-affiliated club formed in 2011 — under a formal Forest Permit agreement with Forestry Corporation NSW. Entry is free; the club runs the annual Triple X cross-country marathon (next: 7 June 2026, 50/100 km laps) plus a Summer Series of shorter races, and accepts PayPal donations toward trail upkeep.

Location & Access

Address: Corner Jacks Ridge Road and Teague Ridge Road, Nambucca State Forest, Nambucca Heads NSW 2448
Coordinates: approx -30.6437, 152.9943 (trailhead carpark)
Region: Mid North Coast / Coffs Coast — the closest towns are Nambucca Heads (about 5 km east) and Macksville (about 8 km south-west)
Drive times:
- Coffs Harbour: ~45 min north
- Port Macquarie: ~1 hr 30 min south
- Sydney: ~6 hr south
- Brisbane: ~5 hr 30 min north
Public transport: None to the trailhead. Nambucca Heads has CountryLink rail and Premier coach services; a bike + taxi/Uber from the town centre covers the last leg.
Parking: Main carpark at the trailhead. Note: for the Triple X event, trailhead parking is closed and riders park along Jacks Ridge Rd and Rosella Drive.
Nearby alternate access: Visitor parking has historically been recorded at the Nambucca Heads Island Golf Club and TAFE Nambucca Heads (per the DB's park_entrances rows). These are reasonable bail-out / shuttle drop options rather than primary access.

Best Season & Conditions

Year-round riding. Sub-tropical Mid North Coast climate — mild winters (10–22 °C), warm humid summers (20–32 °C). Most rideable months are March–November.
Avoid riding during or directly after heavy rain — clay sections and timber features become slippery, and wet riding damages the surface. The club explicitly asks riders to stay off in the wet.
Summer storms (Dec–Feb) can drop quick heavy falls; check NVCC Facebook for "trails closed" notices before driving in.
Fire-danger days: Forestry Corporation NSW retains the right to close the forest entirely on Catastrophic / Total Fire Ban days. Always check the Forestry Corp NSW closures page before heading up in summer.
Race weekends: Triple X (early June) and Summer Series rounds (Nov–Mar) close parts of the network to general riders for the duration.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land owner / regulator: Forestry Corporation of NSW (Nambucca State Forest is production native forest under their management).
Builder / operator: Nambucca Valley Cycle Club Inc. (NVCC), formed 2011, AusCycling-affiliated.
Operating arrangement: Forest Permit between NVCC and Forestry Corp NSW governs the trail-building rights, with input from Aboriginal heritage, conservation, and wildlife teams within Forestry NSW.
Volunteer contributions: "Hundreds of hours per month" of volunteer trail-building, per NVCC's About page.
Contact: nvcc55@gmail.com — no public phone number is advertised by the club. Donations via PayPal link on jacksridge.com.au.

History & Background

2011 — NVCC formed, with the goal of building a mountain-bike destination in the Nambucca Valley.
Early–mid 2010s — initial Roller Coaster Loop built, establishing the signature timber-feature style. Big Boris Log Roll and Phil's Flyover become iconic features.
Mid–late 2010s — Teagues and Western loops added for beginner-friendly access; Dead Cow Shortcut and Bili Bili added as intermediate options.
2019 onward — Northern Loop expansion across Teague Ridge Rd opens the "Loggers" section; the Troll (~160 m timber boardwalk) added.
2024–2026 — Triple X marathon established as the marquee event; Summer Series introduced; network grows past 25 km.

The park is widely promoted by Forestry Corporation NSW and Destination NSW as one of the few large-scale, volunteer-built MTB networks on the Mid North Coast, sitting alongside Coffs Harbour and Bonville as a regional draw.

Sources

Jacks Ridge MTB Park — Home — https://jacksridge.com.au/ — accessed 2026-05-19
Jacks Ridge MTB Park — Routes — https://jacksridge.com.au/routes/ — accessed 2026-05-19
Jacks Ridge MTB Park — About — https://jacksridge.com.au/about/ — accessed 2026-05-19
Jacks Ridge MTB Park — 2026 Triple X event — https://jacksridge.com.au/events/2026-jacks-ridge-triple-x/ — accessed 2026-05-19
NSW Government — Jacks Ridge MTB Park, Nambucca Heads — https://www.nsw.gov.au/visiting-and-exploring-nsw/locations-and-attractions/jacks-ridge-mountain-bike-park-nambucca-heads — accessed 2026-05-19
Visit NSW — Jacks Ridge MTB Park, Nambucca Heads — https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/coffs-harbour-area/nambucca-heads/attractions/jacks-ridge-mountain-bike-park-nambucca-heads — accessed 2026-05-19
Visit NSW — Jacks Ridge Mountain Bike Track (alternate listing) — https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/coffs-harbour-area/nambucca-heads/attractions/jacks-ridge-mountain-bike-track-nambucca-heads — accessed 2026-05-19
Trailforks — Jacks Ridge region — https://www.trailforks.com/region/jacks-ridge-12859/ — URL captured, page itself 403s to WebFetch (typical Trailforks behaviour); confirmed via Google snippet 2026-05-19