Review Date
August 21, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a week

Reviewed by: jimmyd ,  Cross Country Rider

Summary:
Sparrow Hill is located in the Australian Capital Territory (Canberra). However, you have to drive through Queanbeyan to get there, not that it is an issue. It is about 10.5 kms from the Red Rooster on the corner of the exit roundabout in Queanbeyan. You will not miss the cars parked there on a weekend.

These trails flow really well. There are 2 guys who built the whole network. They deserve major props. There really is something for everyone here, trail riding wise. If you are into freeriding or downhill, you would be better suited checking out other mountains such as Majura and Stromlo for dedicated DH runs.

Recommended Route:
From the carpark, you can follow the posted arrows and have a 25km (ish) Outer route, or pick and choose certain trails for all sorts of times and distances. There are signs suggesting inner, outer, A and B loops.

It is easy to spend an hour or 4 out on these trails.

A strange trait of Sparrow Hill is that you can see 30 cars at the trail head but only see a couple of riders out on the trails.

It is best to follow the arrows as quite a few of the trails are direction specific, and really flow exceptionally well in their intended orientation.

The majority of the trails are IMBA green, they can be hammered or cruised, depending what sort of mood you are in.

Highlights include: Bobsled, Sidewinder, Sparrow Loop (nice and technical 2.5km section), Wonderland, Rigor Mortis. Of course these are just my standouts.

The whole course is easily done in middle chainring. You can ride a hardtail, or Full suspension trail bike. My thoughts are that a 4-5" travel bike is pretty close to perfect for these trails.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
You can download a map of Sparrow Hill at www.corc.asn.au - Well worth it. Other trails in the ACT include Stromlo, Majura, Kowen and Jerrabomberra.

Probably best to wear dark condition specific eyewear (lighter tints) due to the density of the pine forest.