Time: Various
Fitness: Good
Technical Skill: Moderate
One option is to ride up Brook St and turn right in to Blick Tce, cross Westbrook Tce and ride to the T-intersection where there is a gate straight ahead that leads to the Grampians Summit Rd. You can either grunt all the way to the top by taking the road or you take the Kanuka Track that goes straight ahead at the first switchback to Couch Saddle.
Climbing Summit Rd and Kanuka Track from Blick Tce
From Couch Saddle go right and follow the Kanuka Track which soon forks. Either go straight ahead to rejoin the road which can be taken up to the cattlestop hub, or hard left and connect on to the Mahoe Track which takes you up to the same hub. From the hub there are several options. You can ride down Mahoe which goes right at the first intersection down through the native bush, ignoring the track off to the left part way down, to the where it emerges on to a 4WD track. Go up the 4WD 50 metres and Mahoe continues down to the Bishopdale carpark on Market Rd or go right and you are on Tawa Track which takes you all the way around the Grampians and out at Fairfield House.
Descending Kanuka Track from upper Summit Rd and at the hub at the top of Mahoe
From the Hub you can also go through the gate in the east√west fence and double back towards the lookout to pick up the Mamaku Track. This is fairly technical and narrow with some really tight switchbacks in it. Part way down you can turn right and take the link track out to the northern end of the Kanuka Track or go left to end up on the Tawa Track Another ride for fit riders is to ride up the road from Blick Tce until you reach the ridge. Follow the road and just before it starts to climb again take the Kanuka Track to the left. This takes you out to Couch Saddle. From here follow the track to your right climbing gently at first then doubling back up the hill a couple of times before leading aroung the south side of the Grampians to meet the top of the Kahikatea Track.
Clearing trees off Kanuka after an April storm in 2014
Turn right at the Kahikatea sign and continue up crossing a firebreak at an angle then sidling and dropping to a track junction with the Mahoe Track. From here you can go straight ahead up the Mahoe for some switchback practice to the Hub or left down the Mahoe. There is one steep section which will have a lot of riders climbing on foot, but otherwise is quite straightforward. Just follow the most well worn looking 4wd track. Drop left off the 4wd road at the Fairfield sign down a few zig-zags to a gate on to a sealed road. You can turn right here and follow trails through trees above Fairfield to a stile and a grassy slope with scattered trees. Turn hard left down the fenceline for 50 metres and drop onto a track. Go right along the track a short distance and you will be back at the top of Collingwood St. There a quite few tracks above Fairfield which are hard to describe, so you may have to use a bit of trial and error. It isn't a big area so you won't be lost for long.
Fitness: Good
Technical Skill: Moderate
Climbing Summit Rd and Kanuka Track from Blick Tce
From Couch Saddle go right and follow the Kanuka Track which soon forks. Either go straight ahead to rejoin the road which can be taken up to the cattlestop hub, or hard left and connect on to the Mahoe Track which takes you up to the same hub. From the hub there are several options. You can ride down Mahoe which goes right at the first intersection down through the native bush, ignoring the track off to the left part way down, to the where it emerges on to a 4WD track. Go up the 4WD 50 metres and Mahoe continues down to the Bishopdale carpark on Market Rd or go right and you are on Tawa Track which takes you all the way around the Grampians and out at Fairfield House.
Descending Kanuka Track from upper Summit Rd and at the hub at the top of Mahoe
From the Hub you can also go through the gate in the east√west fence and double back towards the lookout to pick up the Mamaku Track. This is fairly technical and narrow with some really tight switchbacks in it. Part way down you can turn right and take the link track out to the northern end of the Kanuka Track or go left to end up on the Tawa Track Another ride for fit riders is to ride up the road from Blick Tce until you reach the ridge. Follow the road and just before it starts to climb again take the Kanuka Track to the left. This takes you out to Couch Saddle. From here follow the track to your right climbing gently at first then doubling back up the hill a couple of times before leading aroung the south side of the Grampians to meet the top of the Kahikatea Track.
Clearing trees off Kanuka after an April storm in 2014
Turn right at the Kahikatea sign and continue up crossing a firebreak at an angle then sidling and dropping to a track junction with the Mahoe Track. From here you can go straight ahead up the Mahoe for some switchback practice to the Hub or left down the Mahoe. There is one steep section which will have a lot of riders climbing on foot, but otherwise is quite straightforward. Just follow the most well worn looking 4wd track. Drop left off the 4wd road at the Fairfield sign down a few zig-zags to a gate on to a sealed road. You can turn right here and follow trails through trees above Fairfield to a stile and a grassy slope with scattered trees. Turn hard left down the fenceline for 50 metres and drop onto a track. Go right along the track a short distance and you will be back at the top of Collingwood St. There a quite few tracks above Fairfield which are hard to describe, so you may have to use a bit of trial and error. It isn't a big area so you won't be lost for long.