37.2 miles
Distance
3,910 ft
Climb
-4,708 ft
Descent
07:50:40
Avg time

Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    St James Conservation Area
    Hanmer Springs
  • Difficulty Rating
    Advanced rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Black Diamond (2 votes)
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T2 Mountain Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Both Directions
    Popular direction shown
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Extreme
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • TTFs on Trail
    Bridge, Rock Garden
  • Global Ranking
    #52857 in Mountain Biking
  • Local Popularity
    10 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 5 in Trail Running
    • 5 in Hiking
  • Land Owner
    Department of Conservation

This trail offers challenging, mixed riding through stunning scenery of mountain peaks, crystal clear waters, high country lakes, alpine meadows, subalpine beech forest, and expansive grassy flats.

In spring the alpine meadows are in full bloom while summers offers long evenings and the chance to see the famous St James wild horses.

Riding options:

- The best time to ride is from November to April.
- Start at the Maling Pass entrance and finish at St James Homestead - travelling in this direction provides more downhill riding and the prevailing wind is more favourable.
- For young families or riders with insufficient time or experience to attempt the full trail, the Peters Loop will give you a taste.

source: Department of Conservation
Access Info

The nearest airport to Hanmer Springs is a 90 minute drive away in Christchurch. You can drive or catch a bus from Christchurch - if driving, take SH1, SH7 and SH7A to get to Hanmer Springs.

From Hanmer Springs take Clarence Valley Road over Jacks Pass to connect with Tophouse Road (13 km from Hanmer Springs).

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for St James Cycle Trail mountain bike trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -798 ft
  • Altitude min
    1,995 ft
  • Altitude max
    4,306 ft
  • Altitude start
    3,493 ft
  • Altitude end
    2,697 ft
  • Grade
    -0.4%
  • Grade max
    -92.1%
  • Grade min
    69.2%
  • Distance climb
    16 miles
  • Distance down
    17 miles
  • Distance flat
    4 miles
  • Avg time
    07:50:40
  • Avg reverse time
    05:57:37
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Mar 18, 2022
Dry
Avg: 3.99 (7 votes)
Your vote: 0

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      Directions to st-james-cycle-trail trailhead (-42.228910, 172.757050)
      update trails status or condition

      St James Cycle Trail Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Mar 18, 2022 @ 1:10pm
      Mar 18, 2022
      		 Rode complete St James Loop over 2 days - with the bridge out had to cross the Waiau - not too bad (for comparison sake the ecan gauge at marble...
      Jan 29, 2022 @ 10:21pm
      Jan 29, 2022
      Seems the track is closed. One of the bridge was blown away and that is hard to cross the river. Im trying to find official information. If...
      Jan 12, 2022 @ 11:07pm
      Jan 12, 2022
      		 Trail starting to be overgrown with grass due to lack of use. If river is low it is possible to ford the river about 300m downstream of the closed...
      Jan 8, 2022 @ 11:32am
      Jan 8, 2022
      		Full trail is not rideable as shown unless you attempt a risky major river crossing. From DOC: The [McArthur] swing-bridge across the Waiau...
      Mar 2, 2021 @ 12:28pm
      Mar 2, 2021
      		 We got a shuttle with Andrew from St James Trail Journeys 027 315 6106 to drop us off at the beginning of the ride at Maling Pass. Our vehicle was...
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 0 rides
      •  
      All
      • 4 rides
      • Last: Apr 6, 2024

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      more »
      581 |
      Sep 29, 2017 @ 5:28pm
      Sep 29, 2017
      310 |
      Dec 14, 2016 @ 9:27pm
      Dec 14, 2016
      258 |
      Nov 1, 2021 @ 1:53am
      Nov 1, 2021
      271 |
      Nov 1, 2021 @ 1:53am
      Nov 1, 2021

      Links

      2 Reviews & Comments


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