Before you head off on your ride of the Dreaming Pools there’s a few things you need to know and a few things that are important you consider.

It may be 27kms, but don’t be fooled…it’s not all downhill and not an easy ride, it is rated blue, or more difficult, not just because of distance but because of the nature of the trail, including the pedalling you will have to do. (You can check out the elevation profile here to give you an idea of the amount of climbing.)

The Dreaming Pools is a wilderness trail, this means it traverses valleys and ridgelines through St Helens’ beautiful, but remote back country. Some of the areas have little to no reception and if you are with a mobile carrier other than Telstra, you may find you have little to no reception at all.

There is no doubt it is a spectacular trail that will take riders to some scenic places that up until now were secrets of the St Helens’ locals, like the Dreaming Pools, the trail’s namesake, but you will have to work for it!

Due to its remoteness and difficulty, we have installed bright orange emergency markers at 1km intervals along the trail – you may be familiar with these if you have ridden the Bay of fires Trail. These markers serve two purposes; the first is to alert riders to how many kilometres into the trail you are and how many to go, the second is to give emergency services a location to find you if you have an accident. All a rider has to do is call 000 and provide the operator with the emergency letters and numbers when asked for a location – on the Dreaming Pools trail this would be DP1-27, on the Bay of Fires it is BF1-42.

Something else you may want to consider is downloading the Emergency + App. Available on Google Play and the apple App store, this app gives you longitude and latitude coordinates for your location. It also has built in emergency numbers and information – we highly recommend.

The Dreaming Pools trail also crosses and traverses fire roads at different points so it is important riders stick to the trail and follow the markers. It is very easy to get disorientated and lost once you leave the trail, besides, World Trail have made sure to reward your hardwork with some scenic spots and features, you don’t want to miss out.

Because we want riders to have an epic but safe experience, it is essential that riders are prepared before they head out.

Make sure you have charged up your phone and e-bike battery before you go and make sure you pack:

• Plenty of water and snacks
• A first aid kit
• Puncture repair kit –and any other tools you may require

But most importantly, let someone know when you are leaving and when you expect to be back.

If you are feeling a little nervous about the ride, we recommend you use one of the local shuttle operators, Vertigo MTB or Gravity Isle. They both offer a Dreaming Pool shuttle service that focuses on rider safety and will make sure that you have all you need for a safe and enjoyable ride.

At the end of the day we want riders to be able to experience the unique beauty of the trail in safety! And don’t forget to share your images with us by using #sthelensmtb