The Piney - Armidale State Forest

TRACK HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION 

The Piney’s been a bit of a single track stable forever around Armidale as it’s located only a few km’s north of the town. Access via Rockvale rd or Cycleway. From 2020 to 2025 storm damage and clear felling means the Mountain bike trails are  now 'out the back' of the forest. Best car access trail head is Pine Forest Rd carpark trailhead. From the carpark the trail now mixes it up, starting with '16 beers' into fast big cog action in Big Dog’s Den, the flowy Ding Wit & new Pork Barrel, resurrected Grommet & Wallace before a loop of Ghost and Trotters Climb making a fun & friendly 8km loop.

The current loop only has small pinch climbs, the old big climbs limited to the fire roads on the bare 'hill' section. The tracks are majority Pine Forest trails with some short open link sections.

GETTING THERE

By Car

From the Erskine st traffic lights, follow Rockvale road 6.5km past the forest and Tilbuster Ponds bridge to Pine Forest Road. Turn right and 500m up the gravel road is a carpark and trailhead. This trail head leads straight into '16 beers' trail next to the carpark. Watch for the plastic white signs with Red or Black arrows that mark the trails.

By Bike

The best way to get onto the track is a 5km warm-up ride north out along Rockvale Rd along the cycleway. From the Erskine st traffic lights, follow Rockvale Rd & cycleway 3.3 kms to the first Forest carpark, go through the walking gate and follow the gravel road a further 1.5km to the Creek causeway. Cross the causeway, go through the fence knockover, turn right and ride 200m to the next causeway and you will meet Pine Cone Chaos trail right in the middle of The Piney (Armidale State Forest).  

If you are super keen, there is an sneaky alternate from town. The back-road option goes from town via Cooks Rd & Hillards Rd. Its no shorter, but more gravel, and can make a loop option from town.

TECHNICAL NATURE

This is a track for everyone. Great fun to take any friends and family for beginning mountain  bike adventure. But be warned, the faster you go, the grin gets wider, but the trees jump out faster.

YOU’LL NEED

Armidale is at 1000m above sea level, throw in an extra layer and check the forecasts before you ride. There are a few black spots with mobile coverage but a short walk up one of the hills will get you back into coverage if needed. 

FACILTIES Toilets are available 250m from the Pine Forest Road Carpark, just head into the forest, down the doubletrack and they are on the left just before the creek and Medieval village. This is also at the end of 'Ghost' trail if riding a loop.

Bring you own water, as even though there are flowing creeks the cattle tend to ...... wash their feet in it.

DISTANCES

A loop of the 8 km track takes around 50 minutes if you’re checking out the scenery or sub-30 if you‘re smokin'. You can easily burn a few hours to complete a couple of laps or a few smaller loops on the sections you really get into.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: Follow the Red sign markers for the longer loop

TYPE OF RIDING: XC ---- Trail

TRACK HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION 

The Piney’s been a bit of a single track stable forever around Armidale, however storm damage and subsequent clear felling or parts of the forest from 2020- 2025 has meant the loss of a lot of the steeper and rough 'hill section' trails such as 'Angry Eyes', 'Snakes & Ladders', 'Rooty Hill' and 'Yellow Descent' along with the famed bridges of 'Lucy's Leap'. The track mixes it up with fast big cog action in Big Dog’s Den, the flowy Snakes n’ Ladders, grinds and rock gardens.

There’s one main climb through IGOR and Rooty Hill to get you up to the peak at just over 1,000m. Once you’ve crunched the grind it’s into the rock gardens of Angry Eyes and The Fort, all meshed together with single track. The forest thins a little and heads into the tech structures from Decked Skinny to Wibble-Wobble.  A few bridges including the fabled Lucy’s Leap, gets you tracking the creek line. You leave the forest over the fence on The Gnarly Knock Over.

The track changes to open single track and then feeding onto the only long section of vehicle track allowing a slow steady climb along The Strip to the start of the fast pine forest section Big Dog’s Den.