The road loosely follows the trail that was used by gold miners traipsing from Dunedin to Dunstan (now Clyde) in the 1860s. TimeZoneOne There were few smiles on the faces of the 1991 cavalcaders as we cocked our akubra hats to the southerly blast and picked our way up the Rock and Pillar on our first day on the trail. Happy riding and keep posting! I had no fear of losing my hat to the wind. The first power was generated in 1992. Today, the trail is a public road, ranging in quality from chip-sealed road to gravel track. Rich in history both Maori and early pioneers. New Zealand. This is section contains the highest point of the trail, rewarded with magnificent views which also means exposure to the weather. The schist was ever present and we began to notice tall, skinny slabs of it filling the role of fence posts and looking like theyd done so for scores of harsh Central Otago years. Because of the fragile environment, vehicles and mountain bikes must keep to the track. There are a few fords to cross, thus better use a 4WD. To share your ride story or trail tip you need to be logged in. A good leg-stretch is the 10km ride (20km return) to Jackson Creek and Jackson Buttresses, or a little further to Hydes Spur (23km return) which is at the top of the climb with terrific views back down to the Clyde Dam. We cycled in Central Otago but never did this trail. Please use the above parking locations and park considerately; do not block access to any driveway, boat ramp or trail access point. with. Old Dunstan Road, also known as The Dunstan Trail, is a 4WD track located in the Otago Region in the South Island of New Zealand. Theres no shame in that, and youll increase your chances of spotting the pick-axe stuck in the rock wall. On average it takes 2 hours55 minutes to complete this trail. An extremely quiet area to escape to, Adele was eyeing it up for future breaks. From raging rivers, goldminers Hartley and Reilly, the Cairnmuir Slide, a unique climate and much more the area has many of its own stories to tell which you will learn about along the way. Underneath the water is the original track which is heavily used by 4X4 cars, and the cars left big drive lines behind which are not visible from the bike so the risk is very high to slope and slide to the side in the middle of one of the mud pools and drawn down the bike. This mountain bike primary trail can be used both directions and has a moderate overall physical rating with a 2,202 m blue climb. Summer heat maddened as frosty valleys became furnaces. With only one turn to go and armed with Adeles dinner order, I waited no longer and got to the pub and placed our orders as the gloom settled. There's also a 16km section of trail that traces the pretty Lake Dunstan shore from Smiths Way to the Cromwell Heritage Precinct. The Clarks Junction pub still had the same proprietor as when I visited three years before (I think if Id visited twenty years earlier that would have still held), and it was still for sale. Dogs are not permitted between Cornish Point and Dunstan Arm Rowing Club. Trail mark No 1 . It was 50km shorter than the Pigroot, but required the crossing of four mountain ranges: the Lammermoors, the Rock and Pillar Range, Rough Ridge and the Raggedy Range. This one was harder to find, but with a route description and a couple of maps we found it. Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail - Backyard Travel Family Im sold on bivy bags now and will soon have my own to further lessen my bikepacking load on certain trips. We made it! The Lake Dunstan Track is a 55km (34mi) cycle trail that runs between Cromwell and Clyde in Central Otago. But plans on trips like these are fluid at best and I was happy to scale this one back as I had company!