Ben Lomond Trails (BLT)

Queenstown is home to New Zealand’s first gondola-assisted bike lift, providing direct access to the Ben Lomond Trails, one of the country’s most iconic riding areas.

Located right above the CBD, BLT offers a unique mix of accessibility, vertical, and trail variety that’s hard to match anywhere else in the world.

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Trail Highlights

 

​Vertigo

One of Queenstown’s original purpose-built MTB trails, created in the mid-90s by local legend Tim Ceci. This machine-built line runs from the gondola summit to Midway, offering fast, wide sections mixed with steeper, rougher terrain, rollers, and small jumps to build confidence and flow.

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Huck Yeah

A step up for riders chasing airtime. A full line of tabletops designed for speed, commitment, and progression — this is where you come to push it.

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Original

One of the first trails in the Queenstown Bike Park, following historic gold mining routes from the late 1800s. It starts fast and direct, moves through loose corners and flowing berms, then opens out to incredible views over Lake Whakatipu and the surrounding peaks before finishing with jumps and a steep chute into Hammy’s.

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Squid Run

A true community-built trail, crafted by the QMTBC Wednesday Dig Crew over multiple seasons. Fully hand-built, it blends flow and technical riding with A-lines, B-lines, roots, rocks, and everything in between — a proper reflection of local trail culture.

 

Want to be part of building trails like this? Join the Wednesday Dig Crew.

 

Access

BLT are public trails, open to everyone.

 

Climb options:

• Ride up Skyline Access Road

• Ride up from Wynyard to Fernhill Loop to Wink to Midway Clearing

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Uplift option:

• Skyline Queenstown Gondola
   

Ride Safe

There is no dedicated bike patrol on BLT.

• Ride within your limits

• Look out for others

• In an emergency, call 111

 

Before you ride, make sure you’ve read the BLT Riders Code of Conduct.

 

Report Issues

Seen something that needs attention?

Use the Trailforks App to report hazards or trail issues.

This notifies the Dirt Design maintenance crew in real time so they can respond quickly.​​

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Protect the Trails

We’re committed to maintaining and improving the BLT network — but we need your help.

Unauthorised trail building (“pirate trails”) puts access, safety, and the future of the network at risk. Time and money spent closing these trails takes away from maintaining the ones we all ride.

Those found building or riding unauthorised trails risk:

 

• Losing Skyline uplift access

• Losing QMTBC membership

• Further consequences

 

Let’s work together to protect what we’ve got.

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Get Involved

There’s more to come.

We’ve got ongoing plans to improve and develop the BLT network, and there are plenty of ways to be part of it:

 

• Trail builds

• Community rides

• Planting days

• Pest control efforts

 

Keep an eye on our channels and come get involved.