Mission Beach MTB

Blog Post

The most Insta-worthy mountain biking trails

Cameron McGavin

TNQ Writer

If you’re mountain biking in Tropical North Queensland and want to share the splendour of #exploreTNQ, get onto these trails and have your smartphone ready.

The next best thing to a great holiday is uploading great holiday photos to your social media platform and watching the ‘likes’ roll in. Visitors to Tropical North Queensland – and the locals – agree. Search #cairns on Instagram and you’ll find nearly two million results. Add #portdouglas, #missionbeach and other hashtags to that list and you’ll find several hundred thousand more. Hit the trails and catch your breath at these photo-worthy destinations.

Four Mile Beach

View of Four Mile Beach

Reef to Reef

Sunrise ride

This beach is a special place for mountain bikers; hard-packed and easy to ride on, it’s used as the finishing straight for the area’s Reef to Reef, Triple-R and Crocodile Trophy mountain bike races. With its white sands, coconut palms stretching into the distance and tranquil Coral Sea views, it’s also the perfect spot to stop and take a photo (#tropicalparadise).

Kuranda Downhill Trail

View of the track

Kuranda Downhill Track

Henry Ross Lookout

Track information

Before you drop into this legendary local downhill trail, drink in the views from Henry Ross Lookout just metres away and get ready to post #wow. Named after the foreman in charge of building the Kuranda Range Road and perched 430m above sea level, it offers a sensational panorama of Cairns, its Northern Beaches, Trinity Bay and the Coral Sea far below.

Goldfield Trail

One of the many creek crossings

View to Kearney Falls from the trail

Find hidden waterfalls along the way

Chase the #waterfalls on this gently undulating 16km return ride through the magnificent tropical rainforest scenery of the Goldsborough Valley. As you set off, Kearneys Falls can be seen cascading spectacularly down a mountainside over your left shoulder. Further along the trail, the several creeks that tumble down mossy boulders and over causeways are beautiful places to stop, splash your face and get snapping.

Mission Beach

14kms of golden sands

Riding Mission Beach

Clump Point Jetty at sunrise

After an early-morning ride up the hard-packed sands of Mission Beach, keep riding north past Clump Point Jetty and onto Bingil Bay for a well-earned #breakfast at the famous #bingilbaycafe. Whether you choose eggs benedict, a smoked salmon and avo bagel or a fresh fruit and granola bowl, the pretty plates at this boho-styled eatery are sure to give your followers a serious case of food envy.

Musgravea Track

Riding through the famous Licuala Palms

Creek crossing

Rainforest immersion

Sharpen your #naturephotography skills with this easygoing 6km one-way ride through the dense tropical rainforest of the Djiru National Park just inland of Mission Beach. The Licuala Fan Palms on the trail are beautiful and you might just see a cassowary.

Cardwell Forest Drive

Hinchinbrook Island Lookout

Many lookouts along the way

Cardwell Spa Pool

This road into the Cardwell State Forest south of Mission Beach delivers you straight into a treasure trove of shared 4WD/mountain-bike trails and natural attractions. Look out for the Cardwell Spa Pool about 8km in and take a cooling #swim in its beautiful turquoise waters.

Smithfield Mountain Bike Park

Smithfield Mountain Bike Park

Show the world your off-road skills by pointing your #mtb down some of this world-famous mountain-bike park’s most challenging trails and obstacles and getting a mate to capture it.

Bump Track

Loads of Insta-worthy stops on the way

Robbins Creek on the Bump Track

Hucking water bars

The Bump Track is a journey through landscapes

Before you tear down this big, wide and rollicking roller-coaster of a trail, stop to take in the amazing #view of the coastline near Port Douglas that can occasionally be seen through the trees.

Picture yourself here

While it’s not always about the ‘gram, the TNQ does excel in Insta-worthy locations.