Silvan MTB Trails

The Silvan MTB Trails, in the Silvan area of Dandenong Ranges National Park east of Melbourne, offer around 13 km of formally designated mountain bike singletrack, backed by an extensive network of management vehicle tracks that can be used to create much longer rides. Set beneath the Dandenong Ranges’ tall forest canopy, Silvan has a distinctly natural, hand-built character, with hard-packed clay, roots, logs, ruts, short punchy climbs and fast flowing descents. The official network provides beginner and intermediate opportunities, although much of the singletrack is best enjoyed by confident intermediate riders. Silvan isn’t a manicured bike park; much of its appeal comes from exploring interconnected forest trails. Popular trails include Magpie, Twisted Sister, Bakers Dozen, Yarbung, Temple of Zoom, Downhill and Huds. Magpie mixes pinchy climbing with roots, logs and flowing XC sections, while Temple of Zoom delivers 1.6 km of descending with speed, berms, ruts, steep corners and a few short climbs. The aptly named Downhill is a 700 m one-way descent with small jumps, ruts, steeper lines and log features, providing plenty of fun for trail and enduro bikes without being a full-on downhill race track. Huds sits farther south-east near the Silvan Reservoir boundary and RJ Hamer Arboretum. This 1 km one-way descent is smoother and faster, winding through the forest with large-radius corners before emerging near Silvan Road. Another standout is Tchan’s / Avec Plaisir, around 2.1 km of twisting singletrack featuring numerous corners, wide berms, fast straights and a large log rollover. For a longer outing, local riders have created several loops linking the singletrack with forest roads. A popular Hills and Valleys blue loop is around 16 km with roughly 500 m of climbing, combining trails including Magpie, Twisted Sister, Bakers Dozen and Burnt Out Climb. This gives a good indication of Silvan’s character: distances might not look huge, but the repeated climbing can make for a substantial workout. The easiest starting point is Silvan Reservoir Picnic Area, where there is parking, toilets, picnic tables, barbecues and drinking water. From here, ride around 500 m along Stonyford Road to Track 13, which leads into the Forest Flow network. Another option is RJ Hamer Arboretum, providing access towards Huds. The trails are managed by Parks Victoria with support from Yarra Ranges Mountain Bikers, who assist with ongoing maintenance. RTS Tip: Silvan is one of those networks where having a map makes a big difference. The singletrack is scattered through a much larger maze of forest management tracks, so download the current Parks Victoria map or Trailforks before setting off. For a first visit, start from Silvan Reservoir Picnic Area and build a loop around the central trails before venturing farther towards Huds or Tchan’s. The hard-packed clay, roots and steep sections can become much trickier after rain, and temporary closures can occur following storms or during trail works, so check current Parks Victoria conditions before riding.