Where To Ride: 11 Great trail centers to take your kids to ride
There’s something really cool that’s been happening over the last few years — more kids are getting onto bicycles. Now, across the country, trail centers and bike parks are popping up to cater to them. In this video, we’ve lined up some of the best places across South Africa to take your kids to ride.
Cycle Lab Bike Park | Sandton
Located in Bryanston Sandton, the Cycle Lab Bike Park has something for kids of all ages to enjoy. If your young guns are just starting out on two wheels they’ll enjoy the kid’s track, pump track or skills course. As they progress there are another 10 lines through 13km of well-maintained trails for them to explore. On-site facilities include a restaurant, bike or helmet hire, skills instructors, and kid’s party facilities. Day passes are available on-site and be sure to enquire about their membership packages – you’ll save in the long run. More: cyclelab-bikepark
Wolvespruit MTB Park | Pretoria
Situated just off the N1 Freeway in Erasmuskloof Pretoria, the Wolwespruit Mountain Bike Park has 23km of single track that covers 300m of climbing. You can choose from 4 different loops – the shortest being a child-friendly 10km. Inside the Wolvespruit Mountain Bike Park, you’ll find a great bike shop, rental bikes are available on site and you’ll want to check out the restaurant and mini retail center which has something for the whole family. Wolvespruit is a great place to teach your kids to ride singletrack, expose them to some more technical lines, work on their fitness or polish up their all-around bike handling skills on the pump track. More: wolvespruit
Buffelsdrift MTB Trail Park | Pretoria
The Buffelsdrift MTB Trail Park is located 15km North of Pretoria and is open 7 days a week. There are 10 different loops to choose from, with the shortest being a 7km flat loop along winding single tracks past the beautiful orange orchards. Ready for longer rides? Well, there is a whole lot to choose from with plenty of technical lines or endurance progression on offer – including a big 85km loop. 5km North of Pretoria and is open 7 days a week. On the spot, day passes or annual permits are available. Buffelsdrift has secure parking, showers and a coffee shop to fuel you up – PLUS, this is a pet-friendly trail center. More: buffelsdrifttrailpark
Delta Park Loop | Johannesburg
Located near the famous Braamfontein Spruit riding area in Joburg is the fun and flowy Delta Park Loop. Expect around 5km of trail with about 100m of climbing. Delta is a dual direction trail with single track suited for kids, novice and intermediate riders. Off the side of the main loop is a flow line with jumps and berms for the little ones that just want to shred. More: jozitrails
Rietvlei Bike Park | South of Johannesburg
In the South of Johannesburg, you’ll find the Rietvlei Bike Park. Open 7 days a week, you can choose from 4 different trails with the shorter 5km and 14km is ideal for rookies and kids. The trails have a few minor obstacles, with small bridges and B-lines to help ease your youngster into things. The venue has a wide range of recreational activities on offer, including picnic and braai areas that are ideal for kids’ parties. Day passes are available at the gate and they have an Access Card available for multiple entries. More: rietvleitrail
Giba Gorge MTB Park | Durban
Giba Gorge is one of the original trail centers in our country and mountain bikers have been active in the area since the mid-’90s. Located in a lush green valley just outside of Pinetown, Giba Gorge became an official trail center in 2007 and has plenty on offer for riders of all ages and abilities. The network of trails is sprawled across private land and covers roughly 40km in total. The list of facilities is extensive and in fact, Giba Gorge is as much a lifestyle center as it is a mountain bike destination. They offer hot showers, a restaurant, picnic area, first aid, bike hire, a BMX track and the venue is wheelchair friendly. Giba is open 7 days a week and is one of the best facilities in the region to take your youngster to ride as the trails are novice-friendly with plenty of gradients and progressive lines to choose from. Riding permits are available on a day-by-day basis or through an annual membership. Check out their neat family offer! More: gibagorge
Holla Trails | KZN North Coast
Holla Trails is located on the KZN North Coast near Ballito and has over 375km of trails with 10 different loops to choose from. The routes range from a 20km flat and easy Green route that is perfect for kids and beginners, to long and challenging routes for more experienced riders. It’s a great venue to build your kids’ fitness and endurance whilst rolling through fields, gumtree forests with some spectacular views of Pringle Dam on offer. Completing the experience, Holla Trails offers rental bikes, bike washes, a shop and a café with breakfast served on the weekends. Be sure to enquire about their kid-friendly day rates and annual memberships. Holla Trails is open 7 days a week and on most public holidays. More: hollatrails
The Bike Park At Uitsig | Constantia Cape Town
Designed, built and managed by former Masters World Champ Chris Nixon, the bike park is suitable to all skill levels of youngsters from the age of 2 years. Located in the suburb of Constantia, Uitsig Bike Park is open 7 days a week and the facility includes a bike workshop, bike store, a coffee bar and secure parking. Constantia Uitsig farm also offers restaurants, wine tasting, and an ice cream shop. At the Bike Park you’ll have access to some fine skills instructors to help your youngster progress and ride safely. Take note that this is a world class facility, its very busy and bookings are essential. More: bikeparkatuitsig
Tokai MTB | Cape Town Peninsula
Just a 15-minute drive from Cape Town’s CBD is the ever-popular heartland of the region’s mountain bike community, Tokai MTB. The Fairy Garden, Lizard, and Euphoria Vasbyt trails are all located near the entrance to the park and have a kid-friendly dose of gradient and features. For intermediate and advanced youngsters – Tokai MTB offers some of the countries finest flow lines with berms, drops, and rollers. The park is open 7 days a week and is accessible with a single day pass or a year-long Activity Pass, both are purchased on site. Association memberships are available too and these funds are directed into trail maintenance and security of the park. There’s tons of secure parking, ablution facilities, a picnic area, and a retail center with a bike shop, nearby. Whilst playing, keep an eye out for some of the countries best racers who regularly use this park as a training facility. More: tokaimtb
Specialized Paarl | Boland
Located in the beautiful wine region of Paarl, a mere 45-minute drive from Cape Town is the Specialized Paarl pump track and skills area. Open 7 days a week with day rates or year memberships, Specialized Paarl has a variety of purpose-built kids facilities. With a restaurant on-site, showers, and a bike store – you’ll have everything you need for a good outdoor experience. Look out for their free kids coaching day on Wednesday – it’s open to all youngsters between the ages of 4 and 11. More: SpecializedPaarl
Bloemendal Trail Park | Durbanville
Nestled in the pristine Durbanville Wine Valley, the trails of Bloemendal are suited to youngsters of all skills levels and ages. Facilities include bike fit, bike hire, private venue hire, children’s parties and a YBike kid’s specific trail located near the restaurant. More advanced youngsters can explore the XCO track and trails like the exciting Lombard’s Terra. The Park is open 7 days a week and closed on certain public holidays. Day or annual passes are available, on-site. More: BloemendalTrailPark
RELATED: Beginner’s Guide to MTB | Living Colour / Wolwefontein MTB Trails | First Look: New Trek Rail eMTB | Specialized Experience Centre |