CLOSEST TOWN > Parys TRAIL DESTINATION > Dwarsberg, Vredefort DISTANCE > 10km or 20km GRADING > Intermediate to difficult
All around the towns of Parys and Vredefort lies the Vredefort Dome, centre of the largest visible blast crater on earth. Controversy remains about whether this was caused by an asteroid impact or by a blast from within the Earth’s crust. Whatever the cause, this explosion, some 2.02 billion years ago, gave South Africa its ring of goldfields, and also created the enchanting concentric rings of the Bergland Mountains flanking the Vaal River. In October the Crater Cruise race takes place in the Vredefort area between the Vaal River and the Dome Bergland Mountains.
Dampoort Farm is a convenient off-road getaway for harassed Gautengers who don’t wish to travel miles for a quality ride. The homestead is a genuine Boer Way farmhouse, nestled just outside the ring of mountains which form the Dome Conservancy.
On your bike
Dwarsberg Trail (20km circuit route) : The trail on offer is not ‘soft’ MTB riding. You will get scratched by thorns, have to dodge cow pats in some sections and call upon your MTB skills and fitness. Riding is through indigenous African bush and cultivated lands via cattle tracks, jeep tracks or good secondary roads. Do not bother to come and ride here unless you have puncture proofing and are committed to closing the farm gates you open. For gentler or long rides, ramble along the nearby undulating, interlinking farm roads with panoramic Free State views and wide open spaces. Avoid the ‘Commando Nek’ road – the corrugations ar horrific and you encounter motor vehicle traffic with associated dust.
Luiperd Route (10km return route): this route goes up to the top of Dwarsberg, passing by the cave which has been known to be the den of an elusive leopard.
Contact Details
- Phone: 056-931-0001
- Website: www.mtbroutes.co.za