Amazing Adelaide Gravel Cycling Routes
FOUR KILLER ADELAIDE GRAVEL CYCLING EXPERIENCES. FROM SHORT AND SWEET TO FINE PASTE!
Words and Images - James Raison
Adelaide is known to be a blessed place to ride a road bike. Plentiful hills, beautiful scenery, great weather, what’s not to love? Well what if I told you that it’s equally blessed with options for gravel biking. Maybe more.
That in mind, below are some ideas of killer things to do on a gravel bike in one day. There’s tons of multi-day things to do as well, but let’s keep it to tasters only. Think of me as your gravel dealer; give you enough to get you hooked.
But hey, check out our Kidman Trail Guide or Mawson Trail Guide if you’re feeling the call of adventure.
Want to support this content? It’s all completely self-funded to help people have an awesome time on a bike. So feel free to buy me a coffee! Every little bit helps me keep making guides like this.
I’ll answer a common query up front: can you road bike these? Yes. Should you road bike these? Absolutely not. This is a CX bike or greater kinda operation. My weapon of choice for scouting all of these routes was the Grove R.A.D - check out the review.
THE SUNSET CHASER - STEUB EDITION
I love riding this route all year round starting a little over an hour before sunset so I can have a total blast and then hang out on Mt Osmond and watch the sun go down. It’s a truly fantastic experience. Sure, you can ride it at any time of day but c’mon SUNSETS! I’ve given it a 2020 makeover too with a trail so new that it doesn’t exist on any maps. For that reason you need to be watchful when you load this into a GPS because it can freak them out. You can see it closely when you zoom in because I had to draw it manually.
Scoot off Waterfall Gully Road and bounce your way up the Chambers Gully/Bartrill Spur Track. It’s got some fun, steep, and moderately rugged sections along trail before widening out for some fantastic gravel. You’ll gradually work your way up the eastern face of Mt Lofty. The new Steub Trail is a blast with well-cured gravel, tight switchbacks, and some great views. Once you hit the top, you’ll work around the face of Mt Lofty. There’s some banger descending, be sure to mind your speed going down, that take you to the cured grey gravel of Spa Track surrounded by ferns that brush your legs. Spa track gets you out onto the Old Freeway bike path to roll you down to the Old Bullock Track for some zesty descending.
You’ll wind up at one of Adelaide’s best views atop Mt Osmond. It’s a wonderful spot. Drink in the view before taking the Pioneer Womens Trail down and back to tarmac of Waterfall Gully Road. Be mindful that it’s a shared walking trail with plenty of people and doggos about.
THE MICRO MAWSON TRAIL
The Mawson Trail is the jewel in our gravel/adventure biking crown so here’s a way to wet your appetite. Check out our guide to Bikepacking the Mawson Trail if you want to immediately gorge the entire buffet. So, this is a great day on the bike, with a train back to the city.
You’ll kick off at the Mawson Trail’s Adelaide end and immediately get slapped in the face by Stone Hut Road; a tough climb at its best and a tough walk at its worst. It’s a slow going few kilometers. Those wanting a faster option through these section can use this re-route. You’ll chop through the Fox Creek MTB paradise before heading into Lobethal for a deserved cafe stop.
The gravel continues with some lovely stretches that take you around Birdwood that gradually take you through incredibly beautiful farmland and into Mt Crawford Forest to ride among the pines.
You’ll undulate the next few kms before hitting the mega brilliant Steingarten Road with its stellar views and thunderous descent back down to the flatter land. The route follows the Mawson into Tanunda where I’ve marked out the delicious bakery. Here’s where you leave the Mawson to follow some pleasant gravel roads into Gawler where you have an hour-ish train back to Adelaide.
SALTY GRAVEL
One of the most fun routes on the list with a mixture of fantastic views, gnarly terrain, and a brewery visit. It’s a darn good day out!
The route begins at the Seaford Train station. Catch a train from Adelaide and don’t get off until the end of the line. Early kilometers roll along bike paths before dropping you off at the clifftops at Moana. You’ll follow walking trails along the cliffs - while your GPS fritzes out - around to Maslins Beach and into some sandy slush through the Conservation Park. The views get fantastic along the cliffs to Port Willunga where you’ll drop down onto the tarmac for some beachfront action through Silver Sands. More narrow trail will take you across the front of Sellicks Beach before you begin a sizeable climb.
Drag yourself up to the Victory Hotel, go through the carpark and past the stinky dumpsters and you’ll find yourself on Old Sellicks Hill Road which is closed off to traffic and is where golf ball sized rocks meet up to party. It’s a surface like no other because vehicles don’t go up there to clean it off. Enjoy the climb and take a moment to drink in the staggering view at the top before hitting the brilliant descent off the back.
The next noteworth section is in the Myponga Reservoir which is partly open to the public. You’ll have to jump the fence with some emphatic signage saying DO NOT ENTER but we’ve got it on good authority that you won’t get in trouble for being in there. The Southern side has been prepped for riding and walking, and this side hasn’t. Follow your GPS because there’s no trail until you hit the beautiful section following around the water with some hard pinchy climbs. We leave the Reservoir area and jump onto the road to cross the iconic bridge. You’ll be back on gravel for Forktree Road before a short but gross section on Main South Road. Soon you’ll be jumping another angry fence and following another excellent trail through the reservoir and right to Smiling Samoyed Brewery.
Once you’ve carbed up, head out for some tasty gravel backroads before the fabulous climb up Louds Hill Road and across the top of Range Rd with its staggering views. You’ll drop back down Delabole Road and head into Willunga where the ride is functionally finished. All that’s left is a bike path back to the train. Not the most fun way, but the most chilled way.
THE FINE PASTE RIDE
This one is a big day out on the bike, hence why I’ve named it the Fine Paste because that’s what you’ll feel like at the end. I’ve strung together a ride I did over two relatively relaxed days to run all the way from the Gawler Train Station to Adelaide. It’s a long day that takes in a big chunk of the Kidman Trail, snippets of the Mawson Trail, and some killer gravel. Expect some tough sections of sandy Kidman Trail off Hoads Fire Track too. I can assure you it’s a phenomenal ride for those who stick it out.
Pay attention to your supplies with Tununda at 35 km, Mt Pleasant at 85 km, and Woodside at 160 km. Water will be particularly important riding in summer. This is a hot part of SA.
Your first move is to catch a train to Gawler from the Adelaide station. It’s about an hour-long trip so plan to get on nice and early. Alternately you could ride from Adelaide at the very crack of dawn and get the train back from Gawler. That way the train doesn’t delay starting the course.
Credit for the early kilometers go to Lana and Max who found some fun trails and sweet gravel to get you out of Gawler, then up the punch-in-the-legs Rifle Range Road climb and drop down Kaiserstuhl. The route then connects with the Kidman Trail and rolls through Mt Crawford Forest before dropping you into Mt Pleasant for a lunch stop.
The next stretch is pure Kidman Trail gold with a gorgeous but wearing sector of climb-and-descend gravel goodness. It’s a fantastic stretch with some top views. You depart the Kidman Trail in the Brukunga area before heading back towards the city. It’ll be a few hours before you hit Woodside for some supplies with plenty of cafes and a supermarket.
I’ve drawn the route back to Adelaide to take in some mighty fine gravel stretches with Burns and Staffords Road particularly delightful. Anderson Hill Winery sits at the 173 km mark if you fancy a pizza before rolling onto Croft, Mawson, and Blockers Road. You’ll hit tarmac again to climb Knotts & Pound Road and then roll down Norton Summit to finish.
