Noosa bike hire, self guided rides and mountain bike coaching, from a local team that rides these trails every day.
Beyond the beach
Most people know Noosa for Main Beach, Hastings Street and the national park headland. Fair enough. But turn inland and within twenty minutes you are somewhere else entirely: volcanic peaks, dairy country, subtropical forest, quiet gravel roads and small towns where the pub and the bakery are still the centre of things.
All of it sits inside the Noosa Biosphere Reserve, recognised by UNESCO in 2007, and more and more of it is joined together by trail. For riders, that changes what Noosa is. It is not a beach town with a few rides. It is a premium, high quality cycling region you can cross by bike, and one that most riders in Australia have never heard of.
When to come
Southern winter, northern sunshine. While riders down south are pulling on thermals and dodging rain, Noosa’s winter days are mostly dry, clear and mild, with cool mornings that make a long climb pleasant rather than punishing.
The trails are at their best. The drier months firm up the gravel and forest tracks, the creeks run clear and the hinterland stays green without the summer humidity.
Big days feel easy. A 50km ride that would flatten you in January is a pleasure in July. That is when the point to point days and multi-day journeys really come into their own.
The Noosa Biosphere Trails
The Noosa Biosphere Trails (many riders still call them the Noosa Trail Network) are a set of named trails through the hinterland, managed by Noosa Council and shared by riders, walkers and horse riders. Each one is a good ride on its own. Together they link Cooroy, Pomona, Cooran, Kin Kin and Lake Macdonald, with Boreen Point next in line.
Cooroora Trail
Pomona to Cooran. About 10km of eucalypt forest and grazing country with Mount Cooroora in view.
Kurui Trail
Pomona to Cooroy. About 11km and the flattest link in the network.
Yurol Trail
Pomona to Lake Macdonald. About 14km with creek crossings on the way to the Noosa Botanic Gardens.
Woondum Trail
Cooran to Kin Kin. About 22km of rainforest, tall timber and proper climbs.
Wahpunga Trail
Kin Kin to Lake Macdonald. About 25km, with views over Lake Cootharaba early on.
And much more
Loops around Kin Kin and Cooroy, plus hundreds of kilometres of quiet gravel roads and forestry tracks in between.
Trail development
This is not a trail system that was built once and left. There has been extensive development right across the network, backed by generous funding from the Queensland and Australian governments and Noosa Council.
The network is being developed as part of Noosa’s application under Queensland’s 45 by 45 ecotourism plan, with plans to link even more of the region, including Boreen Point, Lake Cootharaba and, through the planned Weyba Trail, the coast at Peregian Beach. We are passionate supporters of the trail network and have been working with Noosa Council to showcase it to visitors nationally and beyond.
Multi-day riding
This is what makes the Biosphere Trails so rare. Most trail networks are day trips or a single fixed route, where cycling is the only activity and there is little to do off the bike. Here you can ride for several days, and every night you roll into a well serviced country town with a real choice of places to stay and eat, and things to do.
Add hikes, spa days and massages, farm stays, local produce and a kayak on the Noosa Everglades, and a riding trip becomes a proper holiday. Our guided multi-day journeys and fully supported self guided journeys link it all together, with your luggage moved between stays.
See how a typical three day trip runs, day by day and night by night, in our multi-day mountain bike guide.
The experience
What makes riding here different is what the trail joins together. In one day you can roll out of a country town, through working farmland, into subtropical forest, over a ridge in the national park and down towards the edge of the Noosa Everglades.
You stop for coffee in Pomona, lunch in Kin Kin, a swim at a rock pool. The bike stops being the point and becomes the way you see the region, which is how the best riding destinations in the world work.
There are very few places in Australia where you can do that and still finish the trip in a beach town.
More than trails
If your idea of riding is going downhill fast, the hinterland has you covered. Shuttle days drop you high in the range for big, flowing descents, with the climbing taken care of.
Self guided
Every self guided ride comes with a GPS route we have ridden and mapped ourselves, loaded onto your phone or GPS unit, with spoken turn by turn directions in the Ride with GPS app.
There are two ways to do it: ride straight from our shop and stay close to Noosa, or get dropped deep in the hinterland and ride one way back to us.
1. Close to Noosa: rides from our shop
These rides start and finish at our Noosaville shop, with no transfer needed. Within minutes you are on the beach, the river, the national park or the forest trails on the edge of town.
Beach
Noosa North Shore Beach Ride (31km). Across on the ferry and along the sand on a fat tyre e-bike.
Scenic
The Full Noosa Ride (34km), the Noosa Surf Beaches Ride (37km), the Mt Tinbeerwah Ride (41km) up to a 360-degree lookout, and the Pirate Park Kids Ride (17km) for families.
Mountain bike
Wooroi & Wetlands (25km), a first taste of forest singletrack, Tewantin MTB Trails (25km), and the easy going Lake Weyba and Tewantin Forest Loop (42km).
Gravel
The Ringtail Loop (41km) and the longer Yurol Forest Loop (53km), out into the hinterland forests and back.
See them all, with maps and flyover videos, on our bike trails page.
2. Deeper into the hinterland: point to point rides
To explore the Biosphere Trails, the country towns and the big forest descents, get dropped at James McKane Lookout near Cooran, or at Pomona, and ride one way back to our Noosaville shop. Transfers are run by our sister company By Earth and Ocean. Find the routes in our Noosa Trail Network guide and our gravel ride guides.
Pick the right bike. Gravel, hardtail, dual suspension or eMTB from our hire fleet, checked in our own shop before every hire.
Route guides
Five point to point mountain bike rides from 34km to 81km.
Relaxed hinterland days back to the coast.
A solid day out through forest and farmland.
The big point to point epics.
Common questions
Yes. Noosa has flat, sealed paths along the river and coast, some of the best gravel riding in Australia in the hinterland, and the Noosa Biosphere Trails linking country towns through forest and farmland. There is riding for every level, from a family cruise to a 100km gravel day.
A network of named trails through the Noosa hinterland, managed by Noosa Council and shared by riders, walkers and horse riders. They link Cooroy, Pomona, Cooran, Kin Kin and Lake Macdonald, with more connections planned, including Boreen Point.
Autumn, winter and spring. Winter is the standout: mostly dry, clear and mild, with the trails at their best and none of the summer humidity.
Plenty. Ride the hinterland on the Biosphere Trails, explore country towns like Pomona and Kin Kin, climb Mt Tinbeerwah or Mount Cooroora, kayak the Noosa Everglades, or spend a few days riding town to town. See our Noosa rides for ideas.
Yes. The towns along the network have accommodation, pubs and cafes, so you can ride for several days. Our guided multi-day journeys and self guided journeys take care of routes, accommodation and luggage.
No. We hire gravel bikes, hardtails, dual suspension mountain bikes and eMTBs, set up in our own shop. See our bike hire range.
Plan your ride
Hire a bike, pick a route, and see the Noosa most visitors drive straight past. Want the transfer out to the hinterland or a multi-day journey? We will get you to the start.
Discover Noosa with premium bikes built for comfort and adventure. Choose from road bikes, e-bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers, kids’ bikes and more. Hire by the day or longer.
Discover sealed riverside paths, hinterland gravel, quiet country roads, purpose built singletrack and a long stretch of open beach, all on routes locals actually ride.
Fun, inclusive and progressive coaching for all ages and abilities. Learn new skills, ride with friends and take your mountain biking to the next level.
