Remark­able Epic Trail - Frequently asked questions

How long is the trail?

Approx­i­mate­ly 38km

How long should it take?

You should allow for around 6 – 8 hours includ­ing some rests along the way. This can vary great­ly depend­ing on the rid­ers’ abil­i­ty, fit­ness lev­el, weath­er, how many stops you take, etc.

How much climb­ing will I need to do?

The total ele­va­tion is around 1300 meters across the ride with the main ascent at the begin­ning of the ride (12kmin length).

Can I come back down the trail if I’m worn out after the climb?

No. The trail is strict­ly one way. There is how­ev­er a descent approx­i­mate­ly 1 km from the sum­mit, at the junc­tion of ​“North Face” and ​“Yeah Gnar” which you can take. This is apt­ly called ​“Bale Out” and will lead you down to Wil­lowie and from there it’s a flat 7km ride along a rail trail back to Mel­rose. This is also a great 25km ride for those not want­i­ng to tra­verse the entire EPIC trail.

Is the trail completed?

Yes, the trail can be tra­versed from end to end. There are how­ev­er a cou­ple of small sec­tions along ​“Home Run” where we are still improv­ing the rideability. 

Why are there still con­struc­tion crews on the trail?

We are priv­i­leged to be able to tra­vers­es areas sen­si­tive to the local first Nations group, Nukunu. As such, con­struc­tion in cer­tain areas is still being fin­ished off whilst we work close­ly with Nukunu observers ensur­ing the trail does not com­pro­mise fea­tures through this cul­tur­al­ly sen­si­tive corridor.

Who paid for the trail to be built?

This was a joint­ly fund­ed project with the Fed­er­al Gov­ern­ment pro­vid­ing 50% and the State Gov­ern­ment pro­vid­ing 50%.

The Fed­er­al grant was obtained through the Foun­da­tion For Nation­al Parks and the project was man­aged by the SA Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Service.

Oth­er con­sul­ta­tive part­ners include Region­al Devel­op­ment Aus­tralia Yorke and Mid North, Port Pirie Region­al Coun­cil, North­ern Areas Coun­cil and The Dis­trict Coun­cil of Mount Remarkable.

Who Built the Trail?

Trailscapes Pty Ltd, they are an Aus­tralian com­pa­ny known for their MTB trail build­ing capa­bil­i­ties, deliv­er­ing trails such as the Indego EPIC in Victoria’s High Country.

Were the 1st Nations groups involved in the project?

Yes. The local 1st Nations Group Nukunu engaged and reviewed the Cul­tur­al Her­itage assess­ment report, they pro­vid­ed con­struc­tion observers and impor­tant­ly sup­port­ing us in build­ing a MTB trail through lands so sig­nif­i­cant to their culture.

What should I take?

This ride takes you out through areas that are remote and dif­fi­cult to access. You should take

  • enough food and water to last the 6 – 8 hours on trail 
  • Tools and spares to under­take minor repairs
  • A 1st Aid kit
  • A phone, many of the more ele­vat­ed areas do have mobile recep­tion for most carriers.
  • A map of the trail.

The local Bike Shop has cre­at­ed a handy infor­ma­tion video you may find useful.