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Trail Conditions
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Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
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- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
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Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
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Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
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Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
- mountain biking recent
- mountain biking (>6 month)
- hiking (1 year)
- moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
- Downhill Ski
- Backcountry Ski
- Nordic Ski
- Snowmobile
Winter Trails
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A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
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Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with NO bikes.
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SaveThe Great Lake Trails offer an epic biking experience. The trails have been purpose built by bikers since 2006. We don't have bits of forestry road, old tramways or shingle. It's all trail. You may see some old totara posts and wire, the remnants of fencing from an age when people believed farming was the answer. The regeneration of the bush has occurred since the mid-1960's when the land was left to return to its natural state. The trails are all two way so be prepared to meet other cyclists as well as walkers and runners who sometimes have a dog.
The trails follow the shores of beautiful Lake Taupō, and take in the stunning views across the water to the majestic volcanic mountains of the Tongariro National Park. Enjoy extensive native bush, dramatic scenery, serene lake views, powerful waterfalls, lyrical bird song and much more.
Currently the GLT is split as below:
1) On the western side of Lake Taupo is a 30 km section (Waihora & Waihaha) There are two road access points and one lake access point.
2) On the northern side is a further 52 km of track in two sections (Orakau, K2K, Otaketake and W2K & Headland). These trails have three road access points and one lake access point.
Cycle the whole track in two or three days or break it up and choose the sections/links you want to experience.
The Great Lake Trails are maintained by Bike Taupō with local support and National Cycleways funding. Please take a few minutes and take this survey to help us procure continuing funding support.
The trails follow the shores of beautiful Lake Taupō, and take in the stunning views across the water to the majestic volcanic mountains of the Tongariro National Park. Enjoy extensive native bush, dramatic scenery, serene lake views, powerful waterfalls, lyrical bird song and much more.
Currently the GLT is split as below:
1) On the western side of Lake Taupo is a 30 km section (Waihora & Waihaha) There are two road access points and one lake access point.
2) On the northern side is a further 52 km of track in two sections (Orakau, K2K, Otaketake and W2K & Headland). These trails have three road access points and one lake access point.
Cycle the whole track in two or three days or break it up and choose the sections/links you want to experience.
The Great Lake Trails are maintained by Bike Taupō with local support and National Cycleways funding. Please take a few minutes and take this survey to help us procure continuing funding support.
source: Great lake
Primary Trail Type: Cross-Country
Shuttleable: YES
Land Status: Conservation Reserve

Links
Activities Click to view
- Mountain Bike
7 trails
- E-Bike
2 trails
- Hike
8 trails
- Trail Running
7 trails
Stats
- Avg Trail Rating
- Trails (view details)
- 8
- Trails Mountain Bike
- 7
- Trails E-Bike
- 2
- Trails Hike
- 8
- Trails Trail Running
- 7
- Total Distance
- 52 miles
- Total Descent
- 7,052 ft
- Total Vertical
- 935 ft
- Highest Trailhead
- 2,114 ft
- Reports
- 226
- Photos
- 135
- Ridden Counter
- 3,834
Popular Great Lake Trails Mountain Biking Trails
status | title | difficulty | rating |
---|---|---|---|
Orakau | |||
K2K | |||
Headland Loop | |||
Otaketake | |||
W2K | |||
Headland NE Overlook | |||
Great Lake Trails - Waihaha Trail |
Great Lake Trails Mountain Bike Routes
title | rating | distance |
---|---|---|
Volcanic Epic - Stage 2 (Taupo) race | 36 miles | |
17 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 17 miles |
17 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 17 miles |
14 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 14 miles |
23 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 23 miles |
15 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 15 miles |
9 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 9 miles |
18 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 18 miles |
9 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 9 miles |
13 mile Great Lake Trails Ride | popular ridelog | 13 miles |
Photos of Great Lake Trails Mountain Bike
trail: K2K
18 |
Sep 17, 2023 @ 8:50pm
Sep 17, 2023
trail: K2K
23 |
Sep 17, 2023 @ 8:50pm
Sep 17, 2023
trail: W2K
14 |
Jul 10, 2023 @ 1:46pm
Jul 10, 2023
trail: W2K
45 |
Jan 8, 2022 @ 4:26pm
Jan 8, 2022
trail: W2K
40 |
Dec 31, 2021 @ 3:37pm
Dec 31, 2021
trail: K2K
75 |
Jul 17, 2021 @ 2:57am
Jul 17, 2021
trail: W2K
181 |
Feb 13, 2019 @ 6:04pm
Feb 13, 2019Recent Trail Reports
status | trail | date | condition | info | user |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
W2K | Feb 8, 2025 @ 12:59am 3 days | Ideal | eRichardP | ||
Otaketake | Jan 31, 2025 @ 9:59pm Jan 31, 2025 | Ideal | ScottFraser | ||
Orakau | Dec 30, 2024 @ 7:40am Dec 30, 2024 | Ideal | mwjimmy56 | ||
Headland Loop | Dec 24, 2024 @ 8:34am Dec 24, 2024 | Ideal | mwjimmy56 | ||
K2K | Oct 27, 2024 @ 9:21am Oct 27, 2024 | Variable | Sandygulang | ||
Headland NE Overlook | Oct 21, 2024 @ 1:27pm Oct 21, 2024 | Dry | graeme-mtb | ||
Great Lake Trails - Waihaha Trail | Apr 26, 2024 @ 2:47pm Apr 26, 2024 | Variable | Pukie123 |
Activity Feed
username | action | type | title | date |
---|---|---|---|---|
eRichardP | add | report | activity #65864794 | Feb 8, 2025 @ 12:59am 3 days |
ScottFraser | add | report | activity #65494977 | Jan 31, 2025 @ 9:59pm Jan 31, 2025 |
Tombraider | ridden | trail | activity #65273775 | Jan 27, 2025 @ 8:06am Jan 27, 2025 |
tpatrickno1 | ridden | trail | activity #64742559 and 4 more | Jan 17, 2025 @ 12:05pm Jan 17, 2025 |
Mikeonwaiheke101 | ridden | trail | activity #64648225 and 2 more | Jan 15, 2025 @ 12:50pm Jan 15, 2025 |
Recent Comments
username | type | title | comment | date |
---|---|---|---|---|
trail | Great track. Lots of swooping corners and dips... | May 10, 2024 @ 9:57pm May 10, 2024 | ||
trail | Ok | Apr 16, 2024 @ 12:34am Apr 16, 2024 | ||
trail | Great track, well maintained. Careful of walkers. | Mar 30, 2024 @ 9:44pm Mar 30, 2024 | ||
trail | Some fun sections in here. We rode it in the... | Oct 3, 2023 @ 11:14am Oct 3, 2023 | ||
trail | Enjoyable ride, though was quite slippery in... | Oct 3, 2023 @ 11:11am Oct 3, 2023 |
Nearby Areas
name | distance | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kinloch | 9 | 2 km | |||
Craters Mountain Bike Park / Wairakei Forest | 20 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 8.6 km |
Huka Trails | 10 | 5 | 9.7 km | ||
Mount Tauhara | 12.4 km | ||||
Pureora Forest Park | 18.7 km |
Activity Type Stats
activitytype | trails | distance | descent | descent distance | total vertical | rating | global rank | state rank | photos | reports | routes | ridelogs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountain Bike | 7 | 50 miles | 6,542 ft | 20 miles | 935 ft | #1,780 | #64 | 121 | 226 | 1 | 2,831 | |
E-Bike | 2 | 26 miles | 712 ft | 10 miles | 784 ft | #1,224 | #52 | 13 | 172 | 521 | ||
Hike | 8 | 52 miles | 7,051 ft | 22 miles | 935 ft | #1,353 | #39 | 1 | 225 | 24 | ||
Trail Running | 7 | 45 miles | 6,339 ft | 19 miles | 935 ft | #1,518 | #44 | 211 | 1 | 134 |
- By MCGMana & contributors
- Admins: BikeTaupõ, robben
- #8696 - 9,026 views
- great lake trails activity log | embed map of Great Lake Trails mountain bike trails | great lake trails mountain biking points of interest
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