The Piney (Armidale State Forest)

Overview

The Piney is Armidale's singletrack staple, sitting in a 170 ha pocket of Armidale State Forest about 5 km north-east of town on Rockvale Road. Built and maintained by the New England Mountain Bikers (NEMTB) club since the late 2000s, it grew into the New England Tablelands' largest XC / trail-bike network — around 15 km of signposted singletrack threaded through undulating Radiata pine plantation, intercut with rock gardens, root-laden tech sections, wooden boardwalks and bridges. The Piney also hosts NEMTB's flagship event, the annual UNE 12 Hours in the Piney endurance race (March), which has been running since 2011 and drew the WEMBO Asia Pacific / MTBA 24-hour championships in 2019.

Riding here is high-country: the forest sits at roughly 1,000 m elevation, so summers are mild and winters frosty. Surface is mostly fast pine duff and exposed schist — quick to drain but slick when wet. The historic main loop is ~9.2 km, with eight sign-posted B-lines easing around the gnarlier features (Lucy's Leap bridge, Angry Eyes rock garden, Decked Skinny, Wibble-Wobble). It's flowy enough for first-timers via the green/yellow loops and technical enough on the Big Dog's Den / Snakes n' Ladders / The Fort lines to keep regulars honest.

In late 2024 Forestry Corporation NSW commenced scheduled timber harvesting across the western half of the forest (the section bounded by Rockvale Road, Tilbuster Ponds and Donald Creek), which destroyed most of the original western trails by April 2025. As of mid-2026 the eastern side of Donald Creek remains open and rideable from the Pine Forest Road carpark, while NEMTB works with FCNSW on a multi-year rehabilitation and trail rebuild program. Riders should consult NEMTB's news page before visiting — burn-offs of timber windrows and weed spraying were still ongoing through autumn 2026.

Location & Access

Address: Rockvale Road (between Erskine Road and Donald Creek), Armidale NSW 2350. Council/tourism listings sometimes use Elm Avenue as a postal locator; the actual trailhead is on Rockvale Rd, ~4.9 km from the Erskine Rd intersection, third entrance on the right.
Coordinates: -30.485228, 151.643956
Drive times: Armidale town centre 5–10 min; Tamworth ~1 h 50 min; Coffs Harbour ~3 h; Sydney ~6 h 30 min (~570 km); Brisbane ~6 h.
Air: Armidale Regional Airport (ARM) has daily flights from Sydney (QantasLink, FlyPelican).
Parking: Pine Forest Road carpark is currently the primary access for the eastern (open) trails. Limited gravel parking at the gate plus overflow opposite. Multiple other historic parking entries on the western side are inaccessible during rehabilitation. Multiple park_entrances rows already in DB (11 entries — many of these are now closed/inactive following the 2024-25 harvest).
Public transport: None to the forest itself. Buses to Armidale CBD via NSW TrainLink coaches and CountryLink rail; rideshare/taxi for the last 5 km.

Best Season & Conditions

Optimal: Autumn (Mar–May) and Spring (Sep–Nov). Cool mornings, dry afternoons, golden pine light.
Summer (Dec–Feb): Rideable but watch for hot afternoons and Total Fire Ban days (NSW RFS Northern Slopes zone). FCNSW closes state forests on Park Fire Danger Rating "Extreme" or "Catastrophic" days.
Winter (Jun–Aug): Cold (frost overnight, single-digit days). Trails ride well when dry; surface gets greasy after frost-melt mornings.
Wet weather: Pine duff drains fast but exposed schist rock gardens stay slippery for ~24 h after rain. Avoid riding immediately post-storm — both for trail surface and tree-fall risk.
Current closures (May 2026): Western half (Donald Creek to Rockvale Rd / Tilbuster Ponds) closed for FCNSW rehabilitation following 2024-25 timber harvest. Eastern trails accessible from Pine Forest Road carpark remain open. Burn-offs and weed spraying ongoing into autumn 2026 — check NEMTB news for live status.
Events: UNE 12 Hours in the Piney (annual, March). 13 km race loop historically; format may adjust during rehab.

Managing Body & Trail Builders

Land manager: Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) — Armidale State Forest is a working pine plantation; MTB use is permitted under recreation agreement.
Trail builder / maintainer: New England Mountain Bikers Inc. (NEMTB) — Armidale-based community club, ~250+ members, formally responsible for trail design and ongoing volunteer maintenance.
NEMTB contact: pres.nemtb@gmail.com; website nemtb.com.au; Facebook /nemtb.com.au.
FCNSW contact: Head office (02) 9872 0111 / info@fcnsw.com.au; no dedicated Armidale-forest phone line published.
Council role: Armidale Regional Council promotes the forest as a recreation asset but does not manage trails or land.

History & Background

The Piney has been Armidale's primary MTB venue since the late 2000s. NEMTB volunteer-built most trails, expanding incrementally through 2010s.
Hosted the annual UNE 12 Hours in the Piney endurance race since 2011 — has become a fixture on the NSW endurance MTB calendar.
Hosted the 2019 WEMBO Asia Pacific 24-hour and MTBA National Solo 24 Hour MTB Championships.
Featured in Australian Mountain Bike Magazine (AMB) coverage as one of the most-ridden regional XC networks in NSW north.
Late 2024: FCNSW commenced scheduled commercial timber harvest in the western section. Operations completed by April 2025; rehabilitation phase ongoing through 2026 with replanting, weed control and burn-off of timber windrows.
NEMTB has documented the rebuild via its "Piney Rehabilitation Project" news series (2022, 2024, 2025 updates) — collaborative work with FCNSW on which trails will be rebuilt and where.