Duckholes Fire Trail   (4.76km)

Notes:

Duckholes Fire Trail is a great fire trail that runs from near the top of McCarrs Creek Rd to near the intersection of McCarrs Creek Rd and West Head Rd.   (It is sometimes separated as Duck Holes and sometimes referred to as the Terrey Hills track between McCarrs Creek Rd and the gate)

Duckholes is a very popular trail with XC riders who link the trail with the Chiltern Track, Centre Track and even the Perimeter Trail and Long Track which then opens up a massive XC ride from Oxford Falls if you link in the St Ives and Belrose trails.

The trail head is about 1km down from the Austrian Restaurant on McCarrs Creek Rd and is signposted with a "Coal and Candle Creek - Rural Fire Brigade" sign.  Turn off McCarrs Creek Rd and follow the sealed driveway down the hill, keeping left at each intersection until you reach the fire trail gate.

The top section of the fire trail is the roughest section of the ride.  Ruts, sand and plenty of large rocks can make this section tricky, however there is a relatively smooth riding line if you stay on course.

The trail undulates for the next 2 kilometres with some reasonable descents and significant climbs, one of which I'm yet to successfully ascend, however the good news is from the second gate the trail is quite flat for the next kilometre, with only a few small undulations.  This section is a bit sandy in some places, but easily ridden.

The final kilometre is a fast descent with some tight corners, lots of loose rocks, a few creeks and a number of fairly nicely groomed water bars.  It's certainly a fun flowy (if a fire trail can be flowy) descent.

The Duckholes trail ends at McCarrs Creek Rd just 300m from the West Head Rd turn off and 700m from the bottom of the Chiltern Track.

This fire trail could be ridden by anyone with a basic level of experience and fitness, however its definitely a step up from trails like the Long Track and the Perimeter Trail.

Parking at the top of McCarrs Creek Rd, there are also a few spots outside the National Parks booth at the intersection of McCarrs Creek Rd and West Head Road.

1km road ride - From the top of Duckholes to the top of Centre Track (slight descent)
2km road ride - From the bottom of Duckholes to the bottom of Centre Track (climbing most of the way)
700m road ride - From the bottom of Duckholes to the bottom of Chiltern Track (descending)

Blog articles that mention this trail

• 26/1/2015 - VIDEO: 2014 FAILS - Will Ride, Will Fail
• 17/6/2014 - 365 Days of Reign - My 2nd Year on a real mountain bike
• 14/12/2013 - Merry Christmas from MTB-TV - What a year its been

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