Oaks distances


kitttheknightrider's picture

By kitttheknightrider - Posted on 25 September 2014

Does anyone know the rough distances for the Oaks fire trail from the causeway up to the gate at the start of the single track, both height gained and distance travelled would be great, and then also the length of the single track from the gate back down to the end where it spits you onto the road at the hairpin above the causeway?

Many thanks

Rob's picture

It's 7.2km from the causeway to gate at the top of the single track & 220m vertical.

It says the sniggle is 6.9km & 195m descent back to that hairpin.

kitttheknightrider's picture

Thanks Rob.

Did you plot that yourself or does google maps have the ability to pull up ride sections from things like strava or garmin?

I noticed that the rides data base on here has a link to an old, 2007, Garmin connect page that no longer shows the map or the charts or am I missing something?

Might be time for someone with a more recent map to upload something.

Rob's picture

I just plotted it on Google Maps. If you tell it you're cycling it works out the vertical too.

No doubt you could also find these on Strava or simply make a new one.

If you find old stuff on here that we should update just shout out with the link and will try and fix that up.

kitttheknightrider's picture

I'm not on strava but if I get up there I will try and export the files from Garmin.
Pretty sure there are people on here though that use the up and back as a training ride so maybe one of them has a current file that has the new sniggle on it.

Thanks again.

obmal's picture

"not on strava"?? then what are you supposed to shout at people when you want them off the track when your in a hurry?

kitttheknightrider's picture

Race Leader

Didn't you hear me shouting it from the back of the back on Wednesday night?

ChopStiR's picture

lol

Most of the locals I know don't ride straight up the dirt road but rather do what is nicknamed The Coat Hanger. Riding up, approximately 100m past the paved road there is a gate/firetrail (Named Ironbarks) on the left that takes you to Euroka Clearing. Ride through the clearing then up Bennetts Ridge. This adds roughly an extra 2km to the ride up.

Here is a recent social ride I went on, we also started to ride up to Portal lookout but turned back and did the normal loop. Portal Lookout is sometimes an additional hill climb thats added to the Coat Hanger.

kitttheknightrider's picture

Is Bennets signposted at the start or is there a chance I'll get on the wrong trail and get lost?

ChopStiR's picture

I'm not sure if its sign posted. You shouldn't get lost. At the Bottom of the Iron Barks Fire trail keep following the dirt road to the right. This will lead you onto Bennett's. Just keep following your nose.

kitttheknightrider's picture

Finally got up there today. Elected to do the main fire trail the first time around as I was on my own but just as I got towards the intersection with Bennets another ride came out from there. We had a bit of a chat and without meaning to he convinced me it was the better option so lap 2 I went in at Ironbarks picnic area. I should have gathered that the "extra 2km" and "about an extra 20 minutes" meant I would be climbing more but to be honest I was expecting the drop back down into Euroka clearing to be quite so much. All good fun and much better given just how sandy the oaks fire trail is at the moment given it has been recently graded. The climb back up the main fire trail on Lap 3 from the management trail at the end of the old single track nearly killed me, all dirt but I swear the sand made it feel like someone was grabbing my rear tyre the hole way.

I must say I had forgotten how much fun that old single track is.

hawkeye's picture

That sand is tough. But good fr handling skillz. Eye-wink

kitttheknightrider's picture

Given I was on the hardtail I was fearing that my bike / user interface wouldn't survive the pounding from the corrugations but they are now none existent.

Obviously in my previous post I meant whole not hole as well, that ride is far from a hole. Eye-wink

ChopStiR's picture

Well done, 3 laps is a big effort. Did you take the iron barks on the 3rd lap also?

kitttheknightrider's picture

as I only did the old sniggle on lap 2 and popped out onto the Oaks where the bitumen turns to dirt. There was a split second of foolishness where I contemplated dropping back into Euroka a second time but no, common sense prevailed and I went straight up the Oaks fire trail on the 3rd. Glad I did too because my legs were screaming by the time I got to the gate again. A tad under 50km and about 820m vertical carpark to carpark according the Edge.

ChopStiR's picture

Thats a really good effort, may I suggest that if you plan to do those Kms again you add in a trip to the various lookouts and Red hands Cave. This will add a lot more variety.

Here is a recent ride I did, I was on my Cyclocross so I skipped the old singletrack as I really wanted to try the bike on Bennett's travelling downhill.

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