Majura Pines MTB

Overview

Majura Pines is one of Canberra's oldest and most iconic mountain biking destinations, a roughly 80-hectare pine plantation tucked between Mt Majura, the Federal Highway and the Majura Parkway, only a few kilometres north-east of the Canberra CBD. The forest itself was first established as a softwood plantation in the 1940s, and the rabbit-warren of singletrack that's grown up through it over the following decades has produced a generation of Australian MTB racers — the trails were a fixture of Canberra's race scene long before Stromlo opened in 2007. [1][3]

Today there are over 25 km of mapped and sign-posted singletrack across all abilities: beginner green loops, a pump track and the Majurassic Park dirt jumps at the southern hub, intermediate flow trails like Barry, Planet Claire, Rock Lobster, Pinot Grinio and Bombora, technical XC up at Auto Alley and Space Elevator, and gravity-enduro lines including Touching Cloth, Rocksanne and Dirty Distancing. Four of the flow trails were professionally built in 2015 (Trailscapes) when the Majura Parkway construction would otherwise have torn the network in half; the rest are volunteer-built and maintained by the Majura Pines Trail Alliance (MPTA), a community group formed in 2015 to safeguard and rebuild the network around the new road. [1][3][4]

What makes Majura distinct is the combination of inner-city access (15-minute drive from Civic), free unmetered parking with toilet/water/pump-track facilities on site, year-round dry-weather rideability on the well-drained pine-needle surface, and a dog-on-leash-friendly policy from Parks ACT. Trails are shared with walkers, runners, horse riders and orienteers, and the forest is still an active logging site — riders are expected to check alerts before visiting. [2][4]

Location & Access

Address: Majura Pines, off Majura Road / Mackenzie Street, Hackett ACT 2602 (main beginner-area car park). Secondary entry at Lime Kiln Road / Old Well Station Road (north end, near Mount Majura Vineyard).
Region: Canberra
Drive times: ~10 min from Canberra CBD; ~15 min from Canberra Airport; ~3 hr from Sydney CBD; ~7 hr from Melbourne.
Public transport: Limited — Transport Canberra bus services run along Phillip Avenue / Antill Street in Hackett; ~1.5 km walk/ride to the main car park. Most riders drive.
Parking: Free, unsealed. Two car parks: the Majura Road southern car park (main hub, toilets/water/pump track) and the Lime Kiln Road northern car park (no facilities).
Coords: -35.2495, 149.1803 (Majura Road car park)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round, but best in autumn (Mar–May) and spring (Sep–Nov) — Canberra summers are hot (30 °C+) and exposed; winters are cold (frost overnight) but the trails dry quickly in sunshine.
Wet-weather impact: Pine-needle surface drains well but the underlying soils can rut after sustained rain. MPTA asks riders to stay off the trails for 24–48 hours after heavy rain to protect the surface. No formal closure mechanism — riders self-regulate.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: The plantation is closed by Parks ACT on declared "Extreme" or "Catastrophic" Fire Danger Rating days, and access can be restricted during active fire-fighting or hazard-reduction burns. Check ACT Emergency Services Agency (esa.act.gov.au) before riding in summer.
Snow / alpine season: Not applicable — Canberra rarely sees lasting snow; very occasional dusting in winter.
School-holiday surge: Saturdays year-round and the after-work weekday window (4–6 pm) are the busiest periods; school-holiday weeks have noticeably more family / beginner-area traffic.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Parks ACT (ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services Directorate). The forest is gazetted as a recreation area in the Majura Pines plantation.
Trail builder / maintainer: Majura Pines Trail Alliance (MPTA) — a volunteer incorporated association formed in 2015. ~150 volunteers contribute over 2,000 hours of work each year (2,193 hours from 143 volunteers in 2022). The four flagship flow trails (Barry, Planet Claire, Rock Lobster, Bombora) were professionally built in 2015 by Trailscapes at a cost of ~$300,000. [8]
Volunteer / dig days: Monthly dig days advertised at majurapines.org. Corporate dig days available on request.
Donations / membership: Optional MPTA membership/donations via majurapines.org/get-involved.

History & Background

1940s — Majura Pines plantation established as part of Canberra's softwood forestry programme.
1980s–2000s — Informal singletrack carved through the pines by local riders. The forest became one of the spiritual homes of Canberra MTB, hosting club racing and producing multiple Australian XC champions long before purpose-built venues existed in the region. [3]
~2013–2014 — ACT Government announced the Majura Parkway, a four-lane arterial that would cut through the centre of the trail network. The Canberra MTB community mobilised to save the trails.
2015 — Majura Pines Trail Alliance (MPTA) formed. Trailscapes contracted to build four professional flow trails as part of the parkway mitigation package, opened the same year. Volunteer rebuilding of the legacy network around the new road begins. [3]
2022 — 32,110 mountain bike rides recorded via MPTA / Strava telemetry; average ride 14.1 km; estimated $4.1 M total annual economic benefit (tourism, health, volunteering). [8]
2023–2026 — Continued volunteer build-out, adaptive trail additions (suitable for adaptive bikes), trail diversions around forestry operations.

Sources

Majura Pines Trail Alliance — homepage — http://www.majurapines.org/ — accessed 2026-05-20
Parks ACT — Majura Pines — https://www.parks.act.gov.au/find-a-nature-park/plantations/majura-pines — accessed 2026-05-20
Flow Mountain Bike — Majura Pines guide — https://flowmountainbike.com/destination/majura-pines-mountain-bike-trails/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (Cloudflare 403 on direct fetch; content captured via web search snippets)
Majura Pines Trail Alliance — Beginner Area — http://www.majurapines.org/beginner-area/ — accessed 2026-05-20
Trailforks — Majura Pines region — https://www.trailforks.com/region/majura-pines/ — accessed 2026-05-20 (verified via search; direct fetch 403)
Parks ACT — Majura Pines recreation area map (PDF) — https://www.parks.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/906361/majura-pines-recreation-area-map.PDF — accessed 2026-05-20
CORC — Trail Maps — https://corc.asn.au/trail-maps/ — accessed 2026-05-20
MPTA — Economic Benefit of Mountain Biking at Majura Pines — https://www.majurapines.org/news/economic-benefit-of-mountain-biking-at-majura-pines/ — accessed 2026-05-20
AMB Magazine — Centenary Trail / Canberra guides — https://www.ambmag.com.au/feature/centenary-trail-canberra-guide/ — accessed 2026-05-20