Silver City MTB Trails

The Silver City MTB Trails, on the outskirts of Zeehan on Tasmania’s wild West Coast, deliver around 35 km of purpose-built mountain biking through the spectacular Heemskirk Range. Opened in December 2022, the network combines stacked-loop trail riding with genuine backcountry adventure, progressing from accessible flowing trails near Zeehan to remote and highly technical riding high in the mountains. The landscape is unmistakably West Coast Tasmania, with buttongrass plains, rainforest, exposed rocky ridgelines and huge views across the surrounding wilderness. The network starts from the Heemskirk Road trailhead, around 500 m north of Zeehan. Despatch provides the main 4.5 km climb through rainforest and buttongrass to the top of Oonah Hill, where riders can drop into Oonah Hill, a 2.8 km flow trail packed with linked berms and rollers. This combination provides one of the more accessible experiences in the network and is a great introduction to Silver City before venturing farther into the Heemskirk Range. For riders wanting a bigger adventure, Heemskirk Link provides access to trails including Western Odyssey, Featherstone and Silver Lining. Western Odyssey flows across open buttongrass towards Piney Prospect, while Featherstone adds a faster ridgeline descent featuring gravel, rocks, berms and built features. The farther you travel from Zeehan, the more remote and demanding the riding becomes. The headline ride is Stormsdown, a challenging 14 km advanced adventure trail into the Heemskirk Range. Riders face a substantial mountain climb before dropping into a highly technical ridgeline descent featuring rock slabs, natural rock features and multiple line choices. The official trail information recommends allowing 2–5 hours for Stormsdown alone, reflecting just how different this is from a typical trail-centre loop. Silver City also tells the story of Zeehan’s extraordinary mining past. Once nicknamed “The Silver City”, Zeehan boomed during Tasmania’s mining era, and many of the MTB trails are named after mines that once operated throughout these hills. Historic mining activity also creates a very real hazard: open mine shafts remain within the area, and sections around Oonah Hill are classified as an Extreme Hazard Area. Riders must remain on the designated trail at all times. RTS Tip: Silver City is a network where you should choose your ride carefully. For a shorter introduction, climb Despatch and descend Oonah Hill for a brilliant taste of Zeehan’s flow riding. If you're heading deeper towards Silver Lining or Stormsdown, treat it as a genuine backcountry ride. The Heemskirk Range is remote and highly exposed, with weather capable of changing suddenly and dramatically. Download your maps, check the forecast, carry plenty of food, water, tools and appropriate clothing, and allow considerably more time than the distance alone suggests. Most importantly, stay on the trail due to historic open mine shafts throughout the area.