Want the biggest bang for your mountain biking buck? We’ve put together our favourite trails and laps to help you experience the best riding central Nelson has to offer — without spending half your day glued to Trailforks.
From fast and flowy singletrack to steep, techy goodness, this guide covers our pick of the trails and laps that are actually worth your time.
These aren’t necessarily the longest or hardest trails around. They’re the ones we reckon deliver the goods — good riding, good views, minimal faff and max descent. This is where the locals will send you.
A note on grading: our grades don’t accurately reflect the grading on Trailforks. We’ve based our ratings on local experience and the difficulty of the tracks listed relative to each other. Use our grades as a guide to how the trails compare within this guide, rather than gospel.
Lap 1:
🚲 Trail: Top Dog → Lower Hot Box, Koata Park (Codgers)
🔵 Grade: 4
2km | -330m
❓ What to expect: Peak playfulness — mainly flow with a sprinkle of tech (without being janky af), and A/B/C lines galore.
🖤 What we love: The lap that slaps every. single. time. Makes for a rowdy party train or a stellar warm up to shake out the cobwebs.
Looking for a lap that packs plenty of fun into a relatively short ride? The Hot Dog combo is a cracker — and a local favourite for a reason.
Starting out on Top Dog, the trail drops you into a flowy bit of singletrack, with a few rocks and roots and plenty of extra features to bounce off for those keen. The mid-trail chute is definitely not compulsory.
Once you're sufficiently fizzing, pedal a few hundred metres back up the road and drop into lower Hot Box — or climb another few hundred metres to drop in from the very top.
Freshly revamped in 2025, the trail now features bigger catch berms and sneaky A lines to dial up the spice. HB is a slight step up from Top Dog in terms of gradient and technicality, but thankfully the well-built corners make the trail much more rideable than its steepness might suggest. There are so many fun lines that you'll be able to pick your way down a different one each time. The jumps towards the bottom are totally rollable if you're not feeling airborne. The lap finishes down in a field near Maitai Valley Road — watch out for the cow pats.
Worth knowing: these tracks get pretty slimy after a decent rain, and take a while to dry out properly.
Access:
Option 1 — from the Maitai
This is where you'll finish up after Hot Box. From the cricket ground on Maitai Valley Road, follow the gravel river track to a gate signposted Koata Whenua climbing track. At the top of the track turn right and head up the forest road to a large skid site. Follow signs for Take Me to Your Leader climb (new!).
Option 1 — From Codgers
Head up Jacks Track to the Fireball Skid. To save yourself riding down the road and back up again (a goddamn waste), we'd recommend riding down Turners (grade 4 flow) and up the Take Me to Your Leader climb. Note that you'll finish up on the opposite side of the hill and need to pedal back.
Lap 2:
🚲 Trail: Upper Marama → Smasher, Koata Park (Codgers)
⚫ Grade: 4/5
1.8km | -363m
❓ What to expect: Easy flowy warmup into full-on gnarly tech descent.
🖤 What we love: The brain-melting contrast of gooey grade 4 flow & hectic white-knuckle tech.
Soak up the glorious views from Firball Trig before dropping into Marama’s flowy, pumpy singletrack. Keep an eye out for the picnic table area a few corners in that's been decked out with fairy lights — how romantic!
After a quick, zippy descent to loosen up the body, the trail branches right into the short, sharp climb up to Smasher. This is where things start to ramp up: the track gets narrower, the corners tighter and the gradient steeper.
If Upper Smasher isn't quite your cuppa tea, it's easy to bail when you hit the forestry road. Because from here, things only get wilder.
Lower Smasher starts out sweet and flowy, but quickly turns into a steep, off-camber dream. Think tasty rooty corners, chunky chutes and steep switchbacks, with plenty of gnarly features for those that partake. But even the B-lines down here will keep you on your toes!
Towards the bottom, things get properly dusty, rooty and chunky before spitting you out in the Maitai, near the bottom of Hot Box.
Smasher is the kind of track that let's you really push your limits, with generous catches and run-outs and a restrained amount of exposure. It's the perfect next step if you're comfortable on Hot Box and looking to progress.
Access:
From Codgers, head up Jack’s Track to Firball Trig. Follow the signs for Marama, then keep your eyes peeled for the turn-off to Smasher — it isn’t signposted.
After a few hundred metres on Upper Smasher, cross the forestry road and continue down the lower section. You’ll eventually pop out on a different side of the hill from Codgers, so be prepared to pedal your way back around.
Lap 3:
🚲 Trail: Whaimana (660), Fringed Hill
🔴 Grade: 6
2.3km | -623m
❓ What to expect: The ride of your life — steep, off camber & a sh#t ton of Nelson rooty goodness.
🖤 What we love: Everything.
Whaimana is consistently voted Nelson's best track for a reason. Expect plenty of natural, off-camber turns, engaging little chutes and some cracking catch berms to keep things interesting.
It’s a step up in difficulty from 629, but if you’re comfortable riding something like Peaking Ridge you should be sweet here.
It's one of those trails that rewards a bit of confidence and a willingness to let the bike do its thing, and you can make it a flow trail if you hit it with enough speed.
One thing to watch: take it easy as you approach the very bottom. The trail finishes at a fence with a gap that your handlebars definitely aren't getting through! We assume it’s there to stop riders accidentally carrying on onto the road, so don’t come flying into the finish.
Access:
There are a few ways to get up to Waimana — although none of them could exactly be described as a casual warm-up. Take a snack.
Option 1 — Fringed Hill Road
Head up Fringed Hill Road → Black Diamond → Sunrise Ridge. The entrance to Waimana is roughly halfway along Sunrise Ridge, on the left.
Option 2 — From 629
Ride up to the top of 629 Firebreak, then follow Sunrise Ridge until you’re about halfway along. The Waimana turn-off is roughly 100m past the turn-off to Maitai Caves.
Option 3 — From Third House
Ride up to Third House, then push up Black Diamond Third House Link before heading down Sunrise Ridge to the Waimana entrance.
Whichever way you choose, you’re in for a decent climb before the fun starts — but that’s Nelson for you!
Lap 4:
🚲 Trail: Koata Whetu → Lower Firball, Koata Park (Codgers)
🔵 Grade: 3/4
1.4km | -139m
❓ What to expect: Fast & flowy — rollers, table tops & big berms galore.
🖤 What we love: No matter if you're a total newb or a grade 6 demon, everyone froths this flow lap. Use it as a warm up or close-out your session - good time guaranteed.
Starting up at Firball Trig, Whetū winds its way down through the Codgers hills with a bucket load of flow, rollers and huge bermed corners.
It’s mostly smooth and purpose-built rather than super technical, making it a great step up for riders who are comfortable on the easier Codgers trails and want to start getting a taste of steeper, faster riding. There are a few hairpin corners towards the bottom, so keep an eye out for the "SLOW" sign and don’t let the flow lull you into switching the brain off!
Whetū transitions straight into either Crazy Horse (left) or Firball (right), both of which continue the flow (but personally, we love finishing on Firball).
Access:
From Codgers Hub/Andrews Farm, head up Jacks Track right to the top of Firball Trig.
Lap 5:
🚲 Trail: 629, Fringed Hill
⚫ Grade: 5
2.3km | -528m
❓ What to expect: A heavenly combo of Nelson's iconic tech & flow.
🖤 What we love: Intermediate & advanced riders alike will have a sweet time. There isn't a crazy amount of exposure so harder features aren't as risky.
This one is a whole sh#t ton of fun.
The trail kicks off in classic rooty beech forest, with a few rollable rocky chutes dropping you down towards the road. Things get steeper once you cross over, with a chunky chute leading into a section of fast, swoopy, pumpy singletrack.
From there, you'll sidle down the hillside before diving back into narrow native bush, where steep hairpins, chutes and natural features keep you locked in.
There’s been a bunch of work done on the trail in early 2026, adding easier/B-lines around some of the harder features and giving the whole thing a much-needed tidy-up. So while there are still plenty of spicy bits to keep experienced riders frothing, there are now more options for riders who want to take it a little easier.
In short: roots, rocks, chutes, berms, flow & hairpins. Basically, a bit of everything.
Access:
From Maitai Valley, start at Smiths Ford, where 629 finishes (there is big open area for parking). Head up the Coppermine Trail, then take a sharp right onto the 629 Smiths Ford Climb. Take another sharp right onto Bob Taylor Road, then turn left onto 629 Firebreak before joining the E Tū climbing trail. From there, follow the climbing route to the start of the trail. It's a long, steep climb — take what you need.
Lap 6:
🚲 Trail: Te Ara Koa, Fringed Hill
⚫ Grade: 5
5.1km | -746m
❓ What to expect: A very similar track to 629 — greater exposure but features aren't as gnarly.
🖤 What we love: The spicy features are there if you want the challenge, otherwise lean into the flow and just cruise.
TAK is a superb day out in lush native forest. The trail is hand built singletrack with plenty of small natural features to keep you on your toes. The gradient starts out deceptively chill, but the challenge is ramped up by a carpet of ancient tree roots and plenty of off camber. After the first kilometre you'll hit a traverse and the flow comes at you thick and fast. All rocky and rooty features are rollable, and there are B lines around the really hairy features. Towards the bottom, TAK smooths out and you'll get to fly down the sweetest slice of flow — spitting you out on Brook Street, just 10 minutes from Nelson CBD.
Access:
Head up to the top of Fringed Hill from Koata Park/Andrews Farm. You can duck into the trail from a small skid site (and cut off the very top rooty section), or continue up the road to the lookout. You can smash out the climb and descent in under 2hrs, but most people will take 2.30-3 hours at a steady pace with a generous rest at the top to enjoy the incredible views over Tasman Bay.