Drop into Adam's Apple from the summit and the trail wastes no time — rocky, punchy, steep enough that your eyes are searching three body lengths ahead within seconds. Maydena Bike Park, 85 km west of Hobart in Tasmania's Derwent Valley, has 820 m of vertical and 85-plus trails threading down through sclerophyll forest and snow gums. It's the largest gravity park in Australia, built on a mountain above a former forestry town, opened on Australia Day 2018.
Quick picks
- Best first run: Scandinavia — fast, bermy flow with big features that build quickly. Note: locally considered closer to blue in difficulty despite the green rating, because it gets fast
- Most technical: Adam's Apple or Detonate — genuine double-black, committed lines, real consequences
- For newer riders: Green Mile and Dirt Surfer, both well-suited to riders still finding their legs on gravity terrain
- Best freeride: Maydena Hits — a jump line from small to large with optional lines throughout
- Best value: Elevation Club annual Mountain Pass at
Maydena Bike Park at a glance
|
|
| Total trails |
85+ |
| Singletrack |
~80 km |
| Vertical drop |
820 m |
| Uplift |
Summit bus + lower mountain shuttle (both paid) |
| Season |
Early October to late June |
| Mountain Pass (trail access, required by every rider) |
5 adult / 5 child |
| Summit Uplift Pass (Mountain Pass not included) |
$95 adult / $85 child |
| Annual pass (Elevation Club Mountain Pass) |
75 adult / 65 child |
| Drive from Hobart |
1 hr 15 min |
| Drive from Launceston |
~3 hr |
| Trail grades |
Green, Blue, Black, Double-Black |
| Sub-grading |
Flow / Tech within each grade |
| Bike hire |
Full-suspension range on-site; pre-book during school holidays |
| Food |
The Patio café/bar (Fri–Sun), The Summit restaurant |
| Recovery |
Wood-fired sauna + cold plunge |
| Events |
2023 UCI Enduro World Cup, AU MTB Nationals, Red Bull Hardline Tasmania |
How does the Maydena Bike Park trail network break down?
View park guide →
The network divides into three zones by altitude — lower mountain, mid-mountain, and summit — with a separate Wilderness zone on a western ridge that adds a more natural, less groomed flavour to the day.
The lower and mid-mountain zones carry most of the beginner and intermediate content. Green Mile and Dirt Surfer are purpose-built gravity-entry trails. The blue cluster here gives you speed before features — long enough runs to actually build rhythm. Scandinavia lives here: rated green, but fast enough and committing enough in its features that local wisdom grades it closer to blue. It's the one trail that catches out riders who trust the colour without reading the terrain first.
The summit zone is where the character shifts. Adam's Apple is what Maydena's reputation is partly built on — double-black, rocky, exposed, with line choices that require genuine commitment. Detonate runs the same register. Colour Blind is the contrast: double-black rated flow, earning its grade through raw speed rather than technicality. If you're picking just one gravity lap, the summit is why you came.
The Wilderness zone (Middle Earth, Outer Limits, Vista) sits on a western ridge accessed via a ~400 m climbing trail from the summit. The trails here are less polished and more natural than the main network — the kind of terrain where the line is yours to interpret and the consequences reflect that. Worth the leg work on a second visit once you have the park's grading language down.
One detail that separates Maydena from most Australian parks: a parallel flow/tech sub-grading system within each difficulty bracket. A black labelled "flow" and a black labelled "tech" are genuinely different experiences. It's a more honest grading approach than most parks manage, and it helps riders calibrate their day without surprises.
The network continues to grow through professional trail-crew additions each season. Showtime, Supercross, Dirt Church, and Marriott's are among the named trails worth looking up on the Trailforks map before you arrive.
How does uplift work at Maydena?
Two paid options:
Summit Uplift bus — runs 9:30am to 4:00pm in spring and summer, 9:00am to 3:30pm in autumn, with Extended Play sessions to 6:30pm on select summer Fridays. Priced at $95 adult / $85 child for a full day, and it does not include the Mountain Pass — that's a separate 5 adult /
5 child, so budget
20 for an adult uplift day. Takes you to the summit zone, the top of the 820 m vertical. Most visitors buy this.
Lower Mountain Uplift — covers the mid-mountain zone, priced separately. Useful if you're focusing the mid-mountain trails or want a lower-commitment day without climbing to the summit.
Private ATV uplift — bookable on request. Carries you and your bike to specific zones. Priced at a premium; practical for groups wanting ability-specific focus days.
The shuttle buses run 4 to 5 days a week for most of the season — Thu–Sun or Fri–Mon depending on the block, 7 days across Christmas/New Year, and Fri–Sun only in the closing weeks of the season. Outside those days the park still opens, but uplift doesn't run — on a weekday shoulder-season visit, any trail above the lower mountain requires pedalling up. Check the operating calendar at maydenabikepark.com before banking on uplift.
What does it cost to ride Maydena?
| Item |
Cost |
| Mountain Pass (trail access + lower zone) |
5 adult / 5 child |
| Summit Uplift Pass (Mountain Pass not included) |
$95 adult / $85 child |
| Adult uplift day, all in ($95 + 5) |
20 |
| Annual Mountain Pass (Elevation Club) |
75 adult / 65 child |
| Full-suspension bike hire |
Available on-site; pre-book during school holidays |
Every rider needs a Mountain Pass, whether they're climbing, riding an uplift, or entering an event — since 3 October 2026 it is no longer bundled into the Summit Uplift, so it goes in the cart alongside it. The Elevation Club annual pass replaces only that
5-a-day Mountain Pass component, not the uplift, so it earns back its cost after about eleven visits — realistic for riders within two hours of Hobart who ride across spring, two or three school holiday periods, and autumn. The pass covers unlimited entry for the full season, roughly early October through late June, and now spans all three Elevation Parks sites.
Day Mountain Passes without uplift (
When is the best time to ride Maydena?
Spring (October–November) and autumn (February–April) give the best conditions. Trails run firm, temperatures sit in the 12–20°C range during riding hours, and the park runs a Thu–Sun schedule through most of autumn, stretching to Thu–Mon in April.
Summer (December–January) is peak season — the park expands to 5–7 days per week, including a 7-day block across Christmas/New Year (roughly 27 December–11 January). Trails are fast but dusty. Afternoon heat builds in the valley floor even when the summit stays cool. Book hire bikes well ahead; the shuttle queue on a summer Saturday morning will tell you everything about the park's popularity.
Winter is a hard close. The 2026 closing weekend ran 26–28 June; the park is shut from 28 June to 2 October and reopens on 3 October 2026. The summit holds snow into early spring, and the surfaces need time to recover. No winter access at all.
Weather caveat worth taking seriously: Tasmania's Derwent Valley generates its own conditions. The summit can be cold and wet while the base is sunny. A morning that starts overcast can clear by noon or deteriorate by 2pm — often both in the same day. Layers, a rain jacket in the pack, and tyre selection that handles damp roots as well as dry loam are the standard Maydena kit decisions, regardless of what the forecast says when you leave Hobart.
Is Maydena suitable for beginners?
Yes, with the right expectations set beforehand. Green Mile and Dirt Surfer are purpose-built for riders still finding gravity confidence, and the bike school at the base village runs structured lessons with full-suspension hire bikes included.
The thing to understand: "green" at Maydena carries more consequence than the same grade at a flat XC park. This is 820 m of vertical gravity terrain — even the mellower trails carry speed. Scandinavia, technically rated green, consistently surprises riders who haven't adjusted for how fast gravity-driven flow terrain accelerates. A first visit oriented around the lower mountain rather than the summit, and a morning with the bike school if you're genuinely new to this kind of terrain, is the right approach.
For families with kids: the asphalt pump track, skills park, dirt jumps, and air zone at the base village give non-uplift options that require no trail access at all. Kids who aren't ready for the trails can have a full morning while adults run laps above.
From forestry village to Australia's biggest bike park
Maydena village exists because of Australian Newsprint Mills — a timber and paper operation that defined the Derwent Valley community through much of the 20th century. When the mills wound down, the town faced what single-industry communities face: the original reason for being there was gone.
Simon French, founder of trail design company Dirt Art, first scouted Abbotts Peak above the village in 2008. What he found was 820 m of vertical, relatively uncomplicated tenure, and terrain varied enough to run a full gravity spectrum from green flow to double-black freeride. After a decade of design, permitting, and private family funding, the park opened on Australia Day 2018 with an initial 35 km gravity network.
The growth since hasn't stopped. The park hosted the 2023 UCI Enduro World Cup — its first international EWS round on Australian soil — and the Australian MTB National Championships across multiple editions. Most recently, Red Bull Hardline Tasmania ran its third edition in February 2026, with a course extended to a new technical top section near the summit. Twenty-four elite riders competed in front of an audience that could, for the first time, access the full course as spectators.
The economic impact on the Derwent Valley has been documented by the Tasmanian government and is straightforward to observe: Maydena is now the valley's primary tourism driver, pulling riders from every Australian state and from overseas to a town most had never located on a map before 2018.
FAQ
Is Maydena Bike Park good for beginners?
Yes, with the right setup. Green Mile and Dirt Surfer are purpose-built beginner gravity trails, and the on-site bike school runs lessons with full-suspension hire bikes. The green and blue grades carry more speed consequence than equivalent XC ratings at other parks — gravity terrain at this elevation accelerates even on the mellower trails. Plan your first visit around the lower mountain, not the summit, and take the bike school if you're coming from an XC background.
When does Maydena Bike Park close for winter?
The park shuts in late June and reopens in early October. The 2025/26 season closing weekend was 26–28 June 2026. Winter closure runs 28 June to 2 October, and the 2026/27 season opens on 3 October 2026 — check the current calendar at maydenabikepark.com before booking.
How much does it cost to ride Maydena Bike Park?
A Mountain Pass (trail access, no uplift) is 5 adult /
5 child, and every rider needs one. Summit Uplift is a separate $95 adult / $85 child per day and does not include the Mountain Pass, so a full adult uplift day is
20 across the two products. The Elevation Club annual Mountain Pass is
75 adult /
65 child — it covers the
5 daily component only, so it's cost-effective after about eleven visits. Full-suspension bike hire is available on-site; pre-book during school holiday periods.
How do I get to Maydena from Hobart?
It's 85 km west, 1 hr 15 min via the Lyell Highway through Westerway. No public transport. The bike park entrance is on Kallista Road, 1 km north of Maydena village. Parking on-site is free and large. From Launceston Airport the park's own directions page puts the drive at about 3 hours.
What are the best trails for experienced riders?
Adam's Apple and Detonate are the double-black technical standouts — genuinely rocky and exposed, not just fast. Colour Blind is the double-black flow option, earning its grade through speed and commitment. In the freeride zone, Maydena Hits runs a progressive jump line with optional lines from small to large. For something rawer, the Wilderness zone trails (Middle Earth, Outer Limits, Vista) accessed off the summit add a natural flavour most of the main network doesn't have.
Does Maydena have accommodation on-site?
No on-site accommodation. Maydena village has a small number of short-stay options within walking distance of the park. Hobart — 1 hr 15 min away — covers all accommodation needs for riders who prefer city access, a wider range of food options, and a route to the airport. Groups often book riverside or valley properties in the surrounding Derwent Valley for multi-day trips.
Plan your trip
Full trail maps, pass options, and the current operating calendar are at maydenabikepark.com. Book bike hire before you arrive if you're visiting during school holidays — the full-suspension fleet books out.
The Tasmania trails map has the full Maydena trail list with difficulty breakdown. For a broader Tasmanian context, the top 5 MTB parks in Tasmania covers Maydena alongside Derby, Hollybank, and others. If you're deciding between the two big Tassie parks, the Maydena vs Derby comparison breaks down the difference in character, cost, and who each park suits best.
Flying in: Hobart Airport has direct flights from Melbourne (1 hr 20 min), Sydney (1 hr 50 min), and Brisbane. Hire a car at the airport, a night in Hobart, and an early drive west is the standard mainland rider's itinerary.
The mountain closes for the winter. The season runs on.