Ballinastoe Mountain Bike Trails

Ballinastoe is Coillte's National Mountain Bike Centre in the Wicklow Mountains, about 45 minutes from Dublin city centre, with over 40km of purpose built singletrack and forest road across blue, red and black graded routes. A cafe, bike hire and guided tours run by biking.ie sit right at the trailhead.

Ballinastoe Mountain Bike Trails

Ballinastoe is Coillte's National Mountain Bike Centre in the Wicklow Mountains, about 45 minutes from Dublin city centre. The trail network has grown well beyond a single loop: it now runs to over 40km of purpose built singletrack and forest road across blue, red and black graded routes, with a cafe, bike hire and guided tours run by biking.ie right at the trailhead. Views open out south over Lough Tay, the valley used as a filming backdrop for Braveheart, Excalibur and King Arthur.

The Trails

• Blue (5km, around 100m of climbing, 1 to 2 hours): the easiest graded route at Ballinastoe, running Easy Rider, Cool Runnings, House Bound, Flat Liner and Home Run. A good introduction to the network.
• Red (30km, around 750m of climbing, 2 to 4 hours): the largest part of the network, spread across ten red graded trails including Zipper, Pump and Grind, Fancy, Pig Dog, Little One, Expressway, Suas, Double Trouble, Dark Loam and Holts. Difficult throughout, with tight twisty singletrack, fast descents and technical rocky sections.
• Black (16km, around 500m of climbing, 2 to 3 hours): five severe graded trails, Junkers, Ravens, Peaty, Glitch and Steps, with prolonged steep and narrow sections for experienced riders only.

Trails at Ballinastoe are subject to periodic closures for forestry operations and storm damage repair. Always check the Coillte Ballinastoe page for current alerts before travelling.

Getting Here

The main car park is at Ballinastoe Wood, off the R759 as it climbs from Roundwood towards Sally Gap. Turn off at the signed Coillte forestry road marked "Ballinastoe Trail Centre". Parking is free, with around 80 spaces, and is open 365 days a year.

Without a car, the St Kevin's Glendalough bus stops at Roundwood Crossroads, about 2km from the trailhead.

Facilities

• Trails Cafe at the car park, run by biking.ie, serving coffee and home baking
• Bike hire, including hardtail, full suspension and electric bikes
• Bike wash and a small bike shop
• Guided mountain bike, road and gravel tours from the trailhead, run by biking.ie

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