Dun Mountain Trail: 38 km in Nelson
The Dun Mountain Trail is a named Ngā Haerenga Great Ride in Nelson. The governing figure used here is 38 km (nzcycletrail.com · Dun Mountain Trail), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 1 day. Grade: Grade 3 · intermediate. Season window: Year-round.
NZCT lists it as a day ride from Nelson. The mineral belt is ultramafic rock — red soil, stunted forest. The Brook Sanctuary fence is the usual return. E-bikes are common; the climb to Coppermine Saddle is the work.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: Nelson, Coppermine Saddle, Brook Valley, The Wood. Cabins and holiday homes load live around each stop; hut and trailhead pins without a town page still search by radius.
Book DOC huts and Great Walks on the DOC system where that applies. Town beds are what this site lists. Carry the day’s food on remote legs — several of these routes have no shop between ends.
Stop by stop
Nelson — start and finish, the bed base. Coppermine Saddle — high point of the old tramway. Brook Valley — sanctuary fence, downhill home. The Wood — back into town.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow nzcycletrail.com · Dun Mountain Trail. Confirm opening dates, slips and hut bookings on the operator or DOC page before you travel; alpine and West Coast tracks close or reroute after weather.
