Test your mettle with these 4 MTB trails in Limburg
Limburg's varied landscape makes it ideal for mountain biking. Hills, sand, moors and water – in Limburg, nature itself is a challenge. It’s no wonder that the province has a huge number of MTB trails. We’ve picked 4 of the best. Test your mettle with an MTB trail in Limburg!
1. Mountain biking on and around the Sint Pietersberg
- Mount Saint Peter – in Dutch, Sint Pietersberg – straddles the border between Maastricht in south Limburg and the Belgian municipality of Riemst. It has all the necessary ingredients for a challenging and enjoyable mountain biking experience, including a steep climb and lovely scenery at the top. There is a 5.1-kilometre MTB trail on the Dutch side of the hill that was voted the most technically challenging route in the Netherlands in 2018. Although it’s a short trail, the steep climbs and descents make it less suitable for novice mountain bikers. Another trail, located largely on the Belgian sideof the border, is easier and fine for beginners and families. While longer at 12 kilometres, it is mostly flat and has only one climb. Both trails start at Chalet D’n Observant on Lage Kanaaldijk, Maastricht.
See the south Limburg tourist information website for more information about the routes.
2. MTB in Parkstad
Parkstad has a number of mountain bike routes, the MTB route Brunssumerheide is the oldest. The most versatile, with many single trails, tough climbs (on the mine rock mountains) and technically designed passages. The route was built in collaboration with the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten and the Municipalities in Parkstad Limburg. In many places, the trails have been specially laid out for mountain bikers in order to relieve the burden on hiking trails and vulnerable nature. Mountain biking outside the marked route is also prohibited on the Brunssummerheide, this is regularly checked. The route starts at the bezoekerscentrum Brunssumerheide.
3. MTB trails in and around Weert
You can mountain-bike to your heart’s content in and around Weert in central Limburg. There are plenty of trails of varying lengths to choose from. The longest (the ‘south loop’) is 42 kilometres and crosses the Tungelerwallen Woods and Stramproyse Moor nature reserves. Unlike the MTB trails in south Limburg, the trails around Weert do not involve a lot of climbing. But don’t be fooled! Most of the south looo is off-road and on sandy tracks, making it a tough ride in every season: when it's dry, it's easy to wipe out in the loose sand, and when it's wet, you can get good and stuck in the mud. The landscape changes every few kilometres, as the trail runs through woods, then along meadows and waterways, and finally across moorland. Part of the trail crosses into Belgium. It starts and ends at Bier- en Spijzenlokaal Dennenoord in Weert.
For more MTB trails in central Limburg, visit the tourist information website for central Limburg.
4. Single tracks in Schadijkse Woods
Schadijkse Woods, at Horst aan de Maas in north Limburg, is a fantastic place for mountain biking. It has one of the most highly regarded MTB trails in the Netherlands, a tough 19-kilometre route that starts out flat but becomes more challenging by the minute. The entire trail is off-road and has a large number of single tracks – trails so narrow that riders are forced to bike single file. Twists and turns make this MTB trail through Schadijkse Woods especially thrilling! Start your ride at the car park along Lorbaan/Naaldhoutweg in America.
For more information about the MTB trail in Schadijkse Woods, check out this website.