The Harkerville Trail offers a range of routes suited to all levels of riders. Four colour-coded routes, ranging from an easy family ride to fast-flowing singletrack meander through shady plantations, coastal fynbos and indigenous forest.
Harkerville with four (4) routes – all circular routes. Situated between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, Harkerville forest is the ideal location for recreational mountain-biking. The relatively easy gradients and diversity of the rides offer some of the finest cycling in the Southern Cape. All four start and finish at the Garden of Eden, on the N2, where permits must be obtained. Alternative access roads are available, starting from the Forestry Office, Kranshoek Road Gate, or the Kranshoek Picnic Site. Permits may also be obtained at the Kranshoek Road Gate
The Yellow Route:
14 kilometers in length and takes about 1¼ hours to ride. The route follows gravelled service roads and will be the only route open when other routes are closed due to wet soil conditions.
The Blue Route:
Covers a distance of 12 kilometers and take about 1½ hours to complete. A section of 2½ kilometers along Beukespad, a forest slip-path, leads the rider through some typical medium-moist high forest. The return part of the loop passes by a small glade of coast redwood which were planted in 1927.
The Green Route:
15 kilometers in length and takes about 2¼ hours to ride. This circuit follows the Grooteilandpad for several kilometers before turning eastwards into Waterpad. On Waterpad is a shady swimming hole which provides a pleasant stop-over. An alternative southward loop gives the cyclist an opportunity to enjoy a breathtaking view of the rugged Harkerville coast.
The homeward leg of the route takes the rider northwards along Kleineilandpad, then turns westward into Perdekoppad, a delightful section of off-road track which passes through some tall, coastal forest with a number of the finest examples of hard pear.
The Red Route
24 kilometers in length and can take between 3 to 5 hours to ride. This route is much tougher than the other routes and can be difficult for the not-so-fit rider. probably the most scenically diverse mountain-bike route in the country, its two outstanding features are the long stretches of off-road track, which follow old slip-paths through the forest and a section of track through the coastal fynbos near the cliff-line. Together these total over ten kilometers.
Contact Details
- Phone: 044-382-5153
- Website: www.knysnacycles.co.za
