The Adriatic coast is rocky. That is putting it mildly. The rocks here are those special kind of rocks. Rocks that like to stick out of the dirt at a 90 degree angle. That means no gently rolling over them. Most of the time you will be violently slamming into them and loosing speed (best case) or flying over handlebars (worst case). Of course not all trails are like that and not all rocks are like that. But take this as a warning, this is how most of the terrain here looks like. Let this be a warning especially for the mountain biking beginners and those who only want to ride flow trails. So why would someone want to go and ride mountain biking trails in Krk island, or mountain biking trails in Lošinj or Mali Lošinj? These two (and other) islands are even rocker than the Adriatic sea mainland coastline.
There are quite a few reasons why:)!
Table of Contents
Mountain Biking in Winter
You can ride your bike here year round. Autumn, winter, spring is when back home the trails are most of the time filled with cold, fog, snow & ice. You have to wear layers of sweaters, jackets, bib pants, you get hot, take them off, get cold, catch cold… generally, if you are not a really die hard mountain biker riding in winter sucks. But if you drive to the sea the climate changes considerably. Those 10 degrees in temperature make all the difference and so does the sun. Cold weather from inland turns into just the right conditions for mountain biking. So yeah, you can mountain bike in Krk and in Lošinj in your shorts when back home you get cold just by looking through the window.
Actually the worst season for riding the trails in Krk and Lošinj/Mali Lošinj islands is the summer. It get’s insanely hot in the sun. You need to start at ungodly morning hours to beat the heat and the sun. And since all the fun trails back home are at their best, it makes no real sense to drive there. There is one upside to riding there in summer. You will know it when you see it further down:).
The Mountain Biking Trails
Even though most of the trails look like rocks are having their annual world convention right where you want to ride they can still be fun. Even if you don’t like technical riding , they all have those sweet parts that feel even better after coming through all those rock gardens. Also, most of the time you will be the only person there. If escaping the bike crowds is your thing then you will love mountain biking trails in Krk or Lošinj. They are virtually empty, even though one of the DH World Cup races happens in Mali Lošinj, the crowds are virtually non existent.
The Nature
Riding down the hill towards the sea, passing countless rock walls, being surrounded by sheep, lunar landscape… the whole experience is just so different from your usual trails back home. If you are at least a little bit adventurous and in love with nature you will love it. Standing on the top of the hill looking down on the Adriatic sea and neighbor islands while sitting on a mountain bike you will feel so out of place, like you are exploring new uncharted terrain. It’s pretty sick.
The Sea
And finally, if the season is right there is nothing better than riding all day and then finish your last mountain bike trail in Krk or Lošinj right by the sea. You step of the bike all sweaty and hot and jump straight into the Adriatic sea. We even did it with our bike clothes on. Btw, if you are lucky, you can even surf there.
Working on Your Rock’n’Roll Technique
Actually, the good side to all these rocks is that mostly they are not loose rocks that roll under your wheels. So even though there are plenty of them they are easier to ride than they would be if they were loose. But still, this place is a nice training ground for rock gardens and it gives you chance to work on your mountain biking technique.
Mountain Biking Trails in Krk
Krk is made out of two quite different halves. The north half of the island is a bit lower and covered in bush and pine forests and the south half is higher and bare. Strong northern wind blowing past between Krk and Prvič islands blows away any chances of vegetation. So this part of the island looks like the landscape on the moon. Just bare rocks, some grass, maybe occasional bush or tree in places where the wind can not reach.
Because the higher hills are in this area also most of the mountain biking trails in Krk are in this area. There are two main starting points. One is at the beginning of the plateau on the left side of the valley that goes towards the town of Baška near the peak called Hlam. The second one are the two peaks called Veli Vrh and Obzova on the right side of this same valley just opposite of the first one.
Hlam and Mesec Plateau Area Trails
Below Hlam peak you will find two easy flow trails going in opposite directions.
The shorter one goes in the direction of the mainland (east) and ends at the vineyard. It’s a short and sweet trail and here is a video of it:
The longer one goes in the direction of the valley mentioned before (west). It ends just above the main road going to Baška. Once you hit the tarmac road you can either use it to go back up to the Mesec plateau or go right down to the main road and get some beer and burgers at the nearby restaurant. Or you can continue and hit the trails under the Veli Vrh and Obzova peaks. Here is a video of this second trail:
Third option is that when you get to a crossroads at the 2:48s in the above video you go right. After some up and down trail with amazing views you will end up on the tarmac road almost at the top of the pass Treskavac between Punat and Baška valley. So this is perfect if you want to continue toward Veli Vrh and Obzova and don’t want to go all the way down to the valley. This version of the trail can be seen here, from 0:35 on:
Veli Vrh, Obzova and Punat Area Trails
The trails going from Veli Vrh and Obzova are way rockier. Since the terrain is not very steep it is kind of hard to get enough speed at times. Especially with all the rocks constantly stopping you. But, at the bottom half of the Veli Vrh trail there is the only man built trail in the area. It is a really fun one with plenty of jumps and turns, off course plenty of rocks as well :).
Next video shows the first part of the mountain bike trail from Veli Vrh above Punat. The part directly from the top of Veli Vrh is usually skipped so the video starts at the end of the tarmac road close to the zip line start. If you start from the top of Veli Vrh you will join the trail in the video at a smaller grassy meadow after you descent the top rocky part of the Veli Vrh (0:41s in the video). This trail is a bit flat for the amount of rocks it has so it’s hard to pick up speed, but the rocks are pretty manageable otherwise. Enjoy!
At the end of the first part of the trail you will reach a T crossroad next to the stone wall. To reach Part 2 and Part 3 of this mountain bike trail you have to go left. You can also go right, it’s an ok straight trail among the stone walls there. But we will go left this time. Pedal / push your bike until you see a gap in the wall on the right with trail going down. This is it. The middle part of this trail is really annoying because the trail is quite flat and it gets hard to roll over all the rocks. But the top and the bottom parts are ok. The most dangerous part is obviously the flat tarmac road at the end (watch the video, you’ll see what I mean haha)
Črni Biser DH Mountain Bike Trail
The the last part of the Veli Vrh / Obzova descent is the only man built trail in the area. Because it is a real mountain bike trail it is often ridden alone without the above parts. Just doing laps on this trail instead of doing the whole Veli Vrh descent. This trail is called Črni Biser DH – Black Pearl DH trail (I think :)? ). Because of all the rocks it’s quite a leg burner, there is no place to rest and just cruise to take a couple of breaths. Also, I managed to avoid all the jumps but the last drop :)
Obzova (569m) Trail to Draga Baščanska
A bit further away from Veli Vrh there is the Obzova mountain which is a bit higher that Veli Vrh. The descent from Obzova goes down away from Punat into the Baška valley. The trail ends in the town called Draga Baščanska. Trail is marked black on TrailForks and it really is I think the most challenging trail on the island. It is steep enough to ride comfortably and to get enough speed without problems, so in that regards is better than the trails towards Punat. It is also not too steep. The “problem” with this trail are the loose rocks in the top and middle section of the trail. There are some parts of the trail where the rocks are just constantly rolling and moving under your wheels so it is hard to go fast. A technically demanding trail with some hairpin turns. If it wouldn’t be for the moving rocks, the trail would be quite easy. Here is the full video of the trail:
MTB Trail Maps for Krk
Mountain Biking Trails in Lošinj and Mali Lošinj
The Cres – Lošinj – Mali Lošinj archipelago is made out of three islands. They are jammed so close together most of the time you won’t even notice you have crossed a short bridge over the sea and made it to the next island. All three islands combined look and are quite big. But they are very wild and not very accessible. Even reaching the coastline and the sea on foot is in most places impossible. So the mountain biking trails in Mali Lošinj (also Cres and Lošinj are rare). The main mtb area here are the trails around the Would Cup DH trail in Mali Lošinj. Apart from the WC trail there are 3-4 other trails here and one of the longer ones is the Balvanida trail.
Balvanida is quite an easy trail, very rocky, but most of the times the rocks are solid. You can ride occasional steps and drops even if you are a beginner. Once you reach the sea you can continue along the coast with a really sweet flow trail but then things get more boring and exhausting. Lots of pushing your bike over the rocky beach, through the bush, stepping off your bike, getting back on etc… Alternative is that you go back up the trail or use a rocky dirt road nearby.
Here is the Balvanida trail:
Osorščica MTB Trail
Osorščica on the other hand is the highest mountain in the three islands. Or to be more precise it is a mountain range with highest peak called Televrina (588m). The peak from where the “trail” starts is called Sv. Nikola or Sv. Mikul, depending on where you check the map and signs. Sv. Nikola is a bit lower with 557 m above the sea. Going up with a mountain bike you will have to pass Televrina anyway:). 588m does not sound like much but remember, you start at zero.
The trail from Osorščica Sv. Mikul is rocky and technical with only few faster smoother sections in between and a longer faster section at the bottom the this trail. I don’t think you can ride the whole trail without stepping of your bike if you are not into trial, but that’s just my opinion:). If you can do it – respect, if you cant, don’t worry, most of the trail is completely rideable for intermediates. You will only have to step down a few times.
But maybe the allure of this trail is not so much the trail itself as it is the amazing view from the top. You will be standing on top of the Cres – Lošinj archipelago with views of the sea and islands in every direction. It is quite a magical place. The trail is a “popular” hikers path so be careful. Popular as in don’t be surprised if you meet someone. Not in there will be lots of people.
Unfortunately I don’t have the full video of this trail. I only started filming in the bottom quarter of the trail.
MTB Trail Maps for Lošinj and Mali Lošinj
Strava MTB segments Mali Lošinj
Any questions or comments about mountain biking trails in Krk or Lošinj/Mali Lošinj or mountain biking here in general, let me know:)!