Description

This is one of the best short rides at Red Mountain, and is a tribute to the skill and hard work of the team who sculpted it.

The route begins on the various sections of the Pilgrim Trail, a beautifully crafted up-track which makes the ascent enjoyable (or at least as enjoyable as going uphill can be)! The up-track is well signposted, clear and at such a constant angle that it feels almost effortless for much of the way.

The final part of the climb goes up a short trail called Paydirt, and this is also well signposted. The descent is also made clear by a signpost, and a golden shovel bolted to a tree! (See our photos to check it out.) The riding itself is never easy enough that you can switch off, but never hard enough that you think you'll fall off.

It's flowy, with some nice technical sections and some great rip-able terrain too. There are a few points at which the trail crosses over FSRs, and at some of them you might need to look around briefly to see the next section of trail or the signpost marking it.

There's only one actual junction on the trail, where the route meets an up-track, and you need to go left. When Gold Digger ends you can follow a service road down to the village but detouring to finish down the excellent lower section of Dragontail - via a short climb up a service road - is a better option.