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Country Trail | Gravity Trail
https://www.trailforks.com/region/tokai-34414/
4/5
Tokai Mountain Bike Trails, located in Cape Town, Western Cape, is one of the best mountain bike trails to experience in SA.
Intermediate and Experienced riders.
The Tokai mountain bike trails are an excellent example of how mountain bikers, driven by passion, have worked tirelessly to create an incredible playground for themselves.
Since the massive fire in 2014, Tokai MTB’s dedicated volunteers have been solely responsible for resurrecting and growing the trail network to world-class status.
Tokai MTB’s vision is to meet the mountain biking needs of the Cape Town public. For instance, it is developing and maintaining a sensitive and sustainable network of mountain bike trails. In the same vein, establishing Tokai as the premier local, national, and international destination. In the heart of a world heritage site accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Riders can enjoy some of the best descending trails in the country at Tokai, where the gradient is generous. As a result, a wide range of singletrack, passionately created by knowledgeable mountain bikers.
Tokai has three trails: Green (easy), Blue (challenging) and Black (Difficult)
Have you experienced Tokai mountain bike trails?Please tell us what you think by leaving a review of your ride.
With the support of sponsors, Tokai’s trails are well marked, with various local businesses and brands taking ‘ownership’ of different trails, as denoted by their branding on the signage.
IMBA grading sees trails that include Green, Blue and Black.
There are just two Green trails lower down to cater for newer riders. But the majority of the riding is on Blue and Black trails, ideal for intermediate and experienced riders in terms of skill level. Because the trails are on a mountain slope, most of the ascending is done on the main gravel road and jeep track and all of the stimulating descending is done on the various trails, which are almost entirely singletrack and single direction. The builders certainly know what they’re doing and have thoughtfully made a myriad of trails that are worth the climb.
A fairly recent addition is the Donkey Trail, which is a fast and flowing downhill trail that you reach by climbing up the concrete switchback trail, above the Silvermine Dam.It’s effectively on the Noordhoek Peak loop and you turn right towards Elephant’s Eye and the drop into the trail that sweeps down a ravine to the Level 5 jeep track.It took months of toil to clear out the alien trees and ‘rediscover’ and repurpose an old donkey trail.
For those that are more about the climb, the Tokai mast climb is legendary to the locals and offers 10.7km ascent at an average gradient of 7.7% (max 16%) to give a total ascent gain of 836 metres! The incredible views from the top are Instagram favourites…
Since the trails are in a national park, there’s not much off the bike activity other than a post-ride picnic area. But there are loads of decent coffee shops and wine farms in the area where you can enjoy a post-ride meal or caffeine fix.
The gradient on the slopes of the mountain looking over False Bay, is generous and has resulted in the building and maintenance of a stimulating, well-planned trail network that offers steady climbs and exciting descents. A real Cape Town asset.
You need a San Parks Level 3 Activity Permit or a day permit of R32 (for adults) or R16 per child. An annual membership (or part thereof) to Tokai MTB is optional and costs R400, every cent of which goes to trail building and maintenance.
Trail Ratings
Tokai mountain bike trails is a great example of how mountain bikers, driven by passion, have worked tirelessly to create an incredible playground for themselves. Since the huge fire in 2014, Tokai MTB’s team of dedicated volunteers has been solely responsible for resurrecting and growing the trails network to world-class status.
If you've ridden these trails recently, why not tell us about it? Follow the link to our review section, complete our rating criteria and give us some feedback on your experience. You'll go into a regular draw to win cool mountain biking prizes from our partner brands.
