A Guide to Gravel Biking in Otago

For gravel bike riders - or gravelleurs as they're known - that mix creates endless possibilities. Gravel biking routes can be shaped into day rides, overnight credit card rides, or longer multi-day bikepacking adventures. With the Great Rides providing the backbone, routes are well connected to the region’s established trail towns, where good coffee, food, bike-friendly accommodation and resupply points are rarely far away.

The dry, continental climate adds to the appeal. Otago’s warm summers with their long daylight hours, colourful autumn days and crisp, dry winters make gravel biking possible throughout the year.

Gravel biking in Otago is easily accessible. Well-documented gravel routes start from key hubs like Queenstown, Alexandra, Cromwell, Clyde, Roxburgh, Lawrence, Ranfurly and Naseby. These towns have developed around the Great Rides and offer services including bike shops, shuttles, bike transport, baggage transfers, great local hospitality and a wide variety of accommodation options, making them ideal for exploring Otago’s cycle trails and unpaved backcountry roads.

Gravel biking sits in the sweet spot between road cycling and mountain biking. It retains some of the efficiency of road biking, but adds the stability, comfort and resilience needed for rougher, unpaved surfaces. Gravel bikes usually feature drop handlebars, wider tyres, easier gearing and more relaxed geometry than a road bike. Many will also include integrated rack mounts for panniers and frame bags for bikepacking.

Unlike mountain bikes, which are generally built for more technical tracks with obstacles like jumps, rocks and tree roots, gravel bikes are designed for mixed terrain: rural roads with compacted gravel surfaces, farm tracks or forestry roads, and of course unpaved cycle trails such as Otago’s Great Rides.

No, not necessarily. Most of the bikes you’ll see in Otago on the Great Rides will be hardtail mountain bikes, E-Bikes, or hybrid bikes. If you only plan to ride relatively short distances each day - about 30km -50km, then a mountain bike or E-Bike will do the job more than adequately.

Mountain bikes and E-Bikes are widely available for hire across Otago from bike shops and cycle tour operators, and generally come equipped with panniers, a basic tool kit and helmet.

Where a gravel bike comes in to its own is for covering longer distances, where they’re much more efficient and faster than a mountain bike. Daily distances of 100km or more can comfortably be covered on gravel bike. However, this does of course depend on your fitness level, the trail surface, weather conditions and amount of gear you’re carrying.

Gravel bikes are available for hire from some specialist bike shops, and an increasing number of bike tour operators are beginning to offer gravel bike specific itineraries or stock gravel bikes in their rental fleets. However, gravel bike hire is not as common as mountain bikes or E-Bikes.

The best gravel biking routes are always the ones which you have planned and mapped out with yourself or with friends. But, to get you started here are some popular options.

• Otago Central Rail Trail – the perfect introduction to gravel biking on a well-maintained gravel trail, with plenty of options for coffee stops or a cold beer en route. A classic point-to-point ride with lots of interesting side trips like Poolburn, St Bathans, Naseby or Danseys Pass to check out.
• Queenstown Trails – this network of over 150km of trails also makes a great introduction to gravel biking. It’s super easy to map out loop rides making transport logistics a doddle.
• Lake Dunstan Trail – a classic day ride between Cromwell and Clyde through the Cromwell Gorge. Beware of other cyclists on the exposed, narrow sections. Combine with the Hawksburn Road for a longer and hillier circuit (see Cairnmuir Circuit below).
• Roxburgh Gorge Trail and Clutha Gold Trail – these two trails combine to make a spectacular journey along the mighty Clutha River between Alexandra and Waihola, with interesting side trips available on quiet gravel roads.
• The Big Loop - links all 5 Great Rides into a 500km multi-day epic; the ultimate Otago gravel adventure
• Southern Way 1000 – New Zealand’s latest bikepacking route is a spectacular 1,000km loop through the lower South Island and is ideal for gravel biking.

Backcountry Options

• Cairnmuir Circuit - a solid 1-day, 70km loop ride which incoproates the Lake Dunstan Trail
• Oteake Conservation Area - various routes that can connect with the Otago Central Rail Trail
• Naseby & Danseys Pass - plenty of great gravel roads in the Maniatoto between Naseby, Ranfurly and Waipiata. Ride over Danseys Pass to connect to the Alps to Ocean Great Ride.
• Thomsons Gorge - Hawksburn Loop - a classic 2-day bikepacking loop through Central Otago
• Reclaiming Wild - an account of a 3-day bikepacking trip through the best of Central Otago

Check out the 5 bikepacking routes for beginners below – also perfect for a first time gravel bash.