Manly Dam

Manly Dam MTB Trail is one of Sydney’s most established and iconic mountain bike rides, winding through the sandstone bushland of Manly Warringah War Memorial Park on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The official loop is around 11km, combining purpose-built singletrack, shared trail and fire road into a classic Sydney cross-country ride. The riding is very much old-school Sydney MTB. Expect exposed sandstone, rock slabs, roots, technical climbs, water bars, drops and short punchy descents rather than long stretches of smooth machine-built flow. While Council describes the trail as suitable for riders from beginners through to advanced, there are jumps, drops and technical features along the route, with easier lines provided around some of the more challenging obstacles. The trail is designed to be ridden clockwise, with several access points around the reserve. Gibbs Street at Manly Vale is recommended by Northern Beaches Council as one of the best places to access the MTB trail, with other entry points at North Balgowlah, Seaforth and Allambie Heights. One of Manly Dam’s biggest attractions is the setting. You’re riding through genuine Sydney bushland around one of the city’s largest freshwater lakes, yet you’re only a short distance from Manly and the coast. The wider reserve also has picnic areas, toilets and walking trails, making it easy to turn a ride into a longer day out. Manly Dam is also useful as part of a bigger Northern Beaches MTB adventure. Stronger riders often use the Dam as the foundation of a longer ride before linking into surrounding riding areas, while nearby Bare Creek Bike Park offers a completely different style of purpose-built gravity, jumps and skills riding. For riders searching for Manly Dam MTB, Northern Beaches mountain bike trails, Sydney MTB, Manly mountain biking or technical XC trails in Sydney, this is one of the city's must-know MTB loops. RTS Tip: Manly Dam is relatively short at around 11km, but don’t underestimate it — the sandstone features and repeated technical sections can make it a much bigger ride than the distance suggests. Night riding is not permitted, and the trail can close after heavy rain or for maintenance. Council currently lists the MTB trail as OPEN, but check the live status before every visit because closures can change quickly.