Rifle Butts MTB Park

Rifle Butts MTB Park, on the southern outskirts of Mansfield in Victoria’s High Country, is a compact but surprisingly varied mountain bike network within Rifle Butts Reserve (Loyola G50 Bushland Reserve). Only a couple of kilometres from Mansfield township, the park offers around 8–10 km of interconnected cross-country singletrack, with green, blue and black-rated riding suitable for beginners, families and experienced mountain bikers. The trails are maintained by the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club, making Rifle Butts an excellent local alternative or addition to the larger MTB destinations at Mt Buller and Mt Stirling. The network is designed so that the higher you climb, the more technical the riding becomes. Around the base of the reserve, riders will find relatively flat and flowing singletrack with switchbacks, rollers and smaller jumps. Heading higher introduces steeper climbing, exposed rocks, boulders, rock gardens and technical drops. This progression makes Rifle Butts particularly good for riders developing their MTB skills without needing to commit to a huge trail network. Popular trails include Bogans’ Beginnings, a smooth and relatively flat beginner-friendly loop around the base; Fourteen Farts, which adds flowing trail and switchback climbing; and Critters, where riders tackle a punchier climb before descending through rollers, jumps and berms. More experienced riders can head onto Get Over It, with steep climbing, rock gardens and a technical rock-drop descent, or session Rubbish Run, a gravity-inspired flow trail featuring berms and jumps. A mapped Rifle Butts XC Loop links several of the trails into an approximately 4.5–5 km circuit, making a good introduction to the park before exploring individual lines. Because the network is tightly packed into a relatively small reserve, riders can easily repeat favourite sections or combine different trails to build a longer session. Rifle Butts also has a strong connection with the local cycling community. The Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club uses the park for junior development and local riding activities, and the venue has hosted Victorian Downhill Series racing, adding gravity riding to what has traditionally been a predominantly cross-country network. RTS Tip: Rifle Butts is a great choice if you’re looking for mountain biking close to Mansfield without heading all the way up Mt Buller. Newer riders should start around Bogans’ Beginnings and the lower trails, then progressively work higher up the hill as confidence grows. Experienced riders can link the rockier upper trails with Rubbish Run and the more technical descents for repeated laps. There are no reliable water facilities at the trailhead, so bring your own, and check current trail conditions before riding.