Geelhoutboom – George Trails
The Geelhoutboom Route System lies to the west of George and is mainly made up of district roads winding through picturesque farmlands with beautiful views of the Outeniqua mountains. The system starts and finishes at the Redberry (strawberry) Farm outside George with excellent facilities. It includes 5 routes and coffee/water can be found in the hamlet of Great Brak on the blue, gold and grey routes. No route markers are displayed so please navigate by downloading the GPX file for the route and uploading it to your GPS device or smart phone to navigate with.
TRAILS
Redberry ± 13.0 km ± 70 m Easy
Redberry is the shortest and easiest route in the Geelhoutboom system, with little climbing, smooth gravel and some tar surfaces. Great for novices. It is named after the start/finish venue where it is situated.
Dairyland ± 27.0 km ± 300 m Moderate
Like most of the routes in the Geelhoutboom system, the Dairylands route winds through the George farmlands, of which most is occupied by dairy farms with beautiful views of the Outeniqua mountains. Easy to moderate effort is required with little climbing. Mostly fast gravel district roads with some tar road towards the finish.
Great Brak ± 55.0 km ± 750 m Hard
The ‘Great Brak’ route takes you through the small town of Great Brak River with a gradual decent and beautiful views of the town below as you head down the small pass. There are a few coffee shop options in town along the main street. The second half of the route includes some difficult climbs some might find challenging. Mostly district gravel roads with some tar.
Bottlierskop ± 73.0 km ± 1,179 m Very Hard
The famous Botlierskop Game Reserve can be found along the ‘gold’ route for a coffee break if you choose to. The 73 km route includes some challenging climbs with beautiful views of the Outeniqua Mountains in the distance. Mostly gravel district roads with some tar.
Friemersheim ± 81.0 km ± 1,335 m Very Hard
The toughest route in this system (grey) takes you high up close to the mountains through the little agricultural settlement of Friemersheim. This routes features the last major climb of the Attakwas Extreme Mtb Challenge and you will understand why it forms part of an extreme event. This route is only for the fit mountain biker. Mostly gravel district roads.
ABOUT GEORGE TRAILS
George Trails is SA’s largest and most diverse network of mountain biking, trail running and hiking routes, totaling more than 1000 kilometers. Located at the heart of the Garden Route, between the Indian ocean and the foothills of the Outeniqua mountains, the picturesque city of George boasts lush indigenous forests, fynbos, pine plantations, mountains, oceans, rivers, dams, mountain passes, farmlands and semi-desert (Karoo) all within a 20km radius of a town or city centre. Dubbed the ‘Trail Republic’, George offers an incredible diversity of route options – from the historic Montagu Pass to the single tracks of Witfontein to the plantations of Saasveld, jeep tracks and beaches of Wilderness – you’ll never get bored exploring this amazing natural playground. George is also situated along the Cross Cape Cycle Route between Plett and Stellenbosch.
