30km – 35km in distance

1000m – 1200m of descending

Trail centre grade: Red 

Do you want to explore some wild mountain biking? Then this is the perfect trip for you! The Black Mountains Explorer has been designed to help you move away from the comforts of the trail centre and explore the real beauty of mountain biking.

The loop starts on the eastern side of Sugar Loaf Mountain and descends north towards the first climb of the day with outstanding views from the top to reward you. The ride traverses the Bal Bach ridgeline where you can see into the deep valleys before another descent back into the Mynydd Du.

The final big climb takes you to one of the best ridge lines in South Wales onto Crag Mawr, 550m above sea level. Standing on top of Crag Mawr lets you see the whole of the Black Mountains, the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Usk Valley in its full glory.

The descent from Crag Mawr has been voted as one of the best natural descents in the UK and will leave you grinning from ear-to-ear. The final section of the ride is along a low lying bridleway which skirts along the side of the Sugar Loaf Mountain before returning to the car park.