Silvan Trails

Overview

The Silvan area of Dandenong Ranges National Park is a sanctioned beginner-to-intermediate mountain bike network on the eastern flank of the ranges, roughly 50 km east of Melbourne. The trail network sits beneath a tall mountain ash and messmate canopy on hard-packed clay, with steep terrain making it gravity-leaning despite being graded mostly Blue. Around 13 km of dedicated singletrack is woven together with the existing management vehicle track network (Track 13, Track 18, Track 24 etc.), allowing riders to link laps without long road climbs.

The network is owned by Parks Victoria; trail building and maintenance is led by the local club, Yarra Ranges Mountain Bikers (YRMTB), via formal trail-custodian arrangements (Duncan Rose is listed as the "Silvan Trail Custodian" on YRMTB's about page). The flagship trails are Bakers Dozen, Twisted Sister, Tchans, Temple of Zoom and a downhill known as Telegraph Downhill / "Downhill". Surface character is fast, flowy, and rolls well after rain — Parks Victoria rangers endeavour to keep it open in nearly all conditions.

Silvan has become a regular Victorian race venue. Rocky Trail Entertainment's Fox Superflow gravity-enduro series has run at Silvan multiple years (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and is scheduled 25–26 April 2026), and the Yarra Ranges Schools Comp also uses the network. The 2026 Superflow uses Temple of Zoom (FOX track), a Twisted Sister / Bakers Dozen combination (Stans track) and the Downhill descent (Lazer track).

Location & Access

Address: Stonyford Road, Silvan VIC 3795 (primary trailhead at Silvan Reservoir Picnic Area)
Region: Dandenong Ranges (Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges tourism region)
Drive times: ~50 min from Melbourne CBD; ~20 min from Lilydale; ~25 min from Belgrave
Public transport: Limited — Lilydale (Belgrave–Lilydale line) is the nearest train station; bus connections to Mt Evelyn / Silvan are infrequent. Realistically a car-only park.
Parking: Free at Silvan Reservoir Picnic Area (upper carpark ~45 bays, lower carpark ~50 bays). Alternative starts: RJ Hamer Arboretum (Olinda), Mt Evelyn footy oval, Happy Trails Cafe / Mt Evelyn aqueduct trail.
Coords: -37.825262, 145.41147 (verified — Silvan Reservoir / Stonyford Rd)

Best Season & Conditions

Peak riding season: Year-round; February is the most popular ride month per Trailforks logs. Late spring through autumn is the sweet spot. Hard-packed clay rolls fast in the dry and holds up surprisingly well in the wet.
Wet-weather impact: Rangers keep trails open in most conditions; short closures may occur after extreme weather events, storms, or planned burns. The Rib trail has been called out by YRMTB as storm-damaged and currently best avoided.
Fire-danger / total-fire-ban impact: Silvan Reservoir Park closes on Extreme Fire Danger Rating days. BBQs prohibited on TFB days. Trails themselves are within Dandenong Ranges National Park and subject to standard summer fire-closure protocols.
Snow / alpine season: Not applicable — low-elevation Dandenong Ranges, no alpine closure.
Night closures (deer control): Annual Parks Victoria deer-control program closes parts of Dandenong Ranges National Park overnight (4 pm – 7 am) on selected nights. 2026 dates: between 16 March and 12 May 2026 (some sources reference 15 March – 20 May). Signage at access points indicates active control nights.
Planned burns 2026: Track 13, Track 18 and Track 24 are listed as closed during current planned-burn windows (FFMVic Silvan – Track 18 burn ignited from late March 2026). Check https://plannedburns.ffm.vic.gov.au/ for current status.
Carpark gate hours (Silvan Reservoir Park): Daily 9am–4:30pm AEST / 9am–6:30pm AEDT (exit gate closes 7:30pm AEDT). Riders parking at RJ Hamer Arboretum or Mt Evelyn aren't bound by these gate times.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Parks Victoria (Dandenong Ranges National Park)
Trail builder / maintainer: Yarra Ranges Mountain Bikers (YRMTB) — formed 2007; Silvan Trail Custodian: Duncan Rose
Volunteer / dig days: Promoted via YRMTB Facebook page; regular working bees
Donations / membership: YRMTB membership via MTBA Recreational tier; non-members
5 per social ride (covers liability + club donation). Donate link on yrmtb.com.au

History & Background

YRMTB founding (2007): YRMTB was formed in 2007 to represent Yarra Ranges riders and lobby for the creation of a Mountain Bike Park in Warburton. The club emerged from the Fat Tyre Flyers MTB community (Jerry Healy and Andrew Swann) after they pitched Warburton to Parks Victoria's Stuart Ored as an event venue starting September 2006.
Silvan sanctioning: The Silvan network has long been a YRMTB-maintained area and is now an officially sanctioned Parks Victoria mountain biking destination — featured on the Parks Vic "5 epic mountain biking trails near Melbourne" list and with its own visitor PDF brochure. A precise sanctioning date is not published by either Parks Victoria or YRMTB; the trails were progressively brought under formal management as YRMTB's relationship with Parks Vic matured through the 2010s. Sign-off needed if a more specific date is required.
Race heritage: Rocky Trail Entertainment has run the Fox Superflow gravity enduro at Silvan in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and the venue is on the 2026 calendar (25–26 April 2026) as the grand finale of the 2026 Victoria Express Series. The Yarra Ranges Schools Comp also runs at Silvan.
Wider regional context: July 2025 saw the first 30 km of the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination open further up the Yarra Valley — the original goal that drove YRMTB's formation in 2007. Silvan remains the closer-to-Melbourne option for a shorter day.
Silvan Reservoir Park reopening (May 2024): The Silvan Reservoir picnic area reopened on 27 May 2024 after closures since late 2022 to replace a failing septic system; new DDA-compliant toilets and modern septic, plus 400 m² of resurfaced pathways and refurbished BBQs, were installed via the Urban Parks Active Wellbeing Program.