By The CrankMart Team

Most rides start with the same question: where can I ride near me? Maybe you've just moved to Pretoria, you're spending the holidays on the Garden Route, or you want something new for Saturday's club ride. Searching "mtb trails near me" or "bike trails" plus your town usually throws up a scatter of old forum posts and half-finished lists.

That's why we built CrankMart Routes. It lists more than 270 MTB trails, gravel roads and road rides across all nine provinces, each with its own page showing the distance, climbing, surface and difficulty.

MTB, gravel or road?

At the time of writing, the list holds 118 MTB routes, 85 road rides and 70 gravel routes.

  • MTB trails are mostly trail parks and nature reserves with marked, graded loops. Many list their facilities, such as parking, showers or a coffee shop.
  • Gravel routes follow farm roads and district roads through wine valleys, forestry and the Karoo. They're good for long, quiet days on a gravel bike or a hardtail.
  • Road rides range from flat beachfront spins to 100 km club classics with serious climbing.

Every route has a difficulty rating from Beginner to Expert, so you can match the ride to your legs.

How to find a ride near you

  1. Open the routes page. Go to crankmart.com/za/routes, or tap Routes in the menu.
  2. Tap Near Me. Your browser asks for permission to use your location. Allow it and CrankMart shows the routes within 50 km of you. Pick a different radius from the pills that appear: 10 km, 25 km, 50 km, 100 km or 200 km. Tap Near Me ✕ to switch it off.
  3. Or filter by province. Tap Filters and choose a Province, from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape. You can narrow it further by:
    • City
    • Discipline: Road, MTB or Gravel
    • Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert
    • Distance: Under 30 km, 30–60 km, 60–100 km or 100 km+
    • Facilities: Parking, Coffee, Showers or Restaurant

    Tap Show to see the results, or Clear all to start again.

  4. Switch between List and Map. List shows route cards with the distance and climbing. Map puts the routes on a map so you can see what's close by.
  5. Open the route. Each route page shows the distance, elevation, surface, discipline and difficulty. Many trail parks also list their graded loops, from green to black, and their facilities.
  6. Save it and go. Tap Save Route to keep it on your shortlist (you'll need a free CrankMart account), and Navigate to Trailhead to get directions. Share tips with other riders in Trail chat and leave a review after your ride.

Cape Winelands and the Overberg

Riders searching for MTB trails in Stellenbosch don't have to look far. MTO Jonkershoek Trails in Stellenbosch is a 28 km singletrack network in the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve with 650 m of climbing. It's rated advanced, with steep climbs and flowing descents through fynbos. The listing's graded loops start with the 15 km blue Valley Trail, and the trailhead has parking, showers, a wash bay and a restaurant.

If you'd rather ride gravel, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Gravel near Hermanus covers 44 km with 510 m of climbing, rated intermediate. It runs through the wine valley behind the town, with fynbos and views over Walker Bay.

Riding from Cape Town? The nearest Winelands trails are listed under Stellenbosch. Tap Near Me and set the radius to 50 km or more to see them.

Garden Route and the Eastern Cape

Knysna Forest MTB Trails is 30 km of intermediate singletrack with 480 m of climbing, through indigenous forest with yellowwood trees and fern-lined trails. It's a classic for a holiday ride on the Garden Route.

Further east, 3 Rivers Trails at Crossways is a big network for MTB riders of every level. The listed route is 35 km of singletrack with 450 m of climbing, and its graded loops run from a 5 km beginner loop that suits kids to a 65 km expert option. There's parking, showers, a wash bay and a restaurant.

Johannesburg and Pretoria

Gauteng has the most routes on the site, so searches for MTB trails in Pretoria or Johannesburg have plenty to choose from.

  • Hennops MTB Trails, Centurion: 42 km of purpose-built singletrack with 500 m of climbing, split into six named sections. Start gently on the 6 km green Safari section through a game park, then take on the Dragon's fast flow or the Snake's technical switchbacks.
  • Wolwespruit MTB and Trail Park, Erasmuskloof, Pretoria: 23 km of singletrack with 300 m of climbing, plus a pump track, skills area and jump line. The loops go from the 10 km green Wolf Pack Safari to the 3 km black Werewolf Traverse.
  • The Cradle Loop (Classic 100), Muldersdrift: the big Saturday road ride. It's 102 km on tar with 1,240 m of climbing, rated advanced, through Lanseria and the Cradle of Humankind.

Durban and KwaZulu-Natal

Looking for MTB trails around Durban? Giba Gorge MTB Full Loop in Pinetown is 25 km of singletrack with 480 m of climbing, through gorge forest and grassland past a waterfall. Newer riders can start with the 8 km beginner loop.

For an easy road spin, Durban Beachfront to Umhlanga is 28 km on tar with just 120 m of climbing. It's rated beginner and is flat and fast, which makes it a good early-morning or social weekend ride.

Inland, the Midlands Meander Gravel Route from Nottingham Road covers 68 km of gravel with 720 m of climbing, rated intermediate, linking craft studios, cheese farms and trout dams.

Mpumalanga

The Lowveld escarpment is MTB country. Sabie MTB Trails is 20 km of singletrack with 400 m of climbing through the plantations around Sabie. Its colour-coded routes start with the 6 km Yellow Route along the Sabie River.

For gravel, the Kaapsehoop Escarpment Gravel Loop is 48 km with 560 m of climbing, rated intermediate. It runs along the plateau's farm roads and cliff-edge viewpoints over the Lowveld, and you'll often see the wild horses that roam the plateau.

Everywhere else

The Free State (30 routes), Limpopo (30), the Northern Cape (27) and North West (22) have plenty more, from Clarens and the Waterberg to the Karoo and the Kalahari. Counts are as listed at the time of writing. Open CrankMart Routes, choose your province in Filters, and see what's out there.

Before you ride: check with the venue

Trail parks set their own rules. Many need a day permit or an annual pass, opening hours vary, and trails can close after heavy rain or for events. Check the venue's own website before you go. Road and gravel routes cross public roads and farm land, so ride with lights, carry water and let someone know your plan.

Ready for more?

  • Train for a goal. Pick a race or fun ride on the CrankMart events page, then use these routes to get the kilometres in.
  • Sort your gear. Browse the classifieds for bikes and parts, or find a local bike shop for a service in the CrankMart directory.
  • Share your favourite ride. Know a great trail we're missing? Tap Submit a Route at the bottom of the routes page or go straight to the route form. If a route's details need updating, email us at support@crankmart.com.

See you on the trail.

The CrankMart Team