Offroad Trails around Bangalore Part 2

This is a continuation of documenting the Offroad trails around Bangalore. The 1st part of the blog series you can read here which contains the short Weekday Trails.

So a quick recap, we had divided the Trails into 3 sections as per the image below:

3 Broad regions around Bangalore

Region A are the Weekday trails which you can finish and be home by 9-10am. Region B are the Breakfast Trails which takes half a day to cover. Region C are the Full day trails which may take a day or longer at 100+ Kms.

The focus of this post will be primarily on list of trails around region B (Breakfast Trails).

Warning - This will be a very Long Post with around 60 Trails. If you are interested to know more about a particular trail, use the Image below as Index to head to head to that section directly.

With each trail, I will mention my experience of exploring them across the below categories:

1. Trail Length

2. Difficulty on a Motorbike (Easy / Moderate / Hard)

3. Restrictions (If any)

4. Terrain

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants

6. Considerations

Also, if you zoom into the Image, you will find that I have marked out the Trails in Red that I have already completed and my recommendations on the route plan.

Quick Links

South Trails

West Trails

North Trails

East Trails

Concluding Thoughts

South Region

We start with region south of Bangalore in the Ramnagara, Kanakpura, Panchpalli quadilateral. Here are some 30+ trail sections most of which I have explored and details around them.

B1 - Sanmavu elephant chase

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Restricted. However when we entered there was no fence. Can approach it from south though

4. Terrain - Forest Jeep tracks. Might encouter Elephants

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at A2B Hosur

6. Considerations - The trail is divided in 2 sections. the northern one is a Forest whereas the southern one is farms. So ideally can start from south to north

B2 - Denkanikottai flats

1. Trail Length - 10-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted except for Denkanikottai and Thalli RF. However when we entered there was no fence. Can approach it from south though

4. Terrain - Farm flat track offroads

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Ganesh Bhavan in Denkanikottai

6. Considerations - Try including temples like Vangurki Nagamuneshwara Temple, Sri Gangadhareshwara Swami temple (CQJ9+54P, Salivaram Rd, Salivaram, Tamil Nadu 635107)

B3 - Panchpalli Traverse

1. Trail Length - 15-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest route with lots of Obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Shiva Veg hotel in Thalli

6. Considerations - There is no network here. Best to download the cache of satellite map and plan your route well. You should do from Panchpalli to Mookangarai

B4 - Lower Panchpalli

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Medium

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Base of the Hill farm trail and Southern Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Shiva Veg hotel in Thalli

6. Considerations - There is no network here. Best to download the cache of satellite map and plan your route well. Trails are very far from Bangalore so stick to schedule and start early

B5 - Bettamugialam

1. Trail Length - 5 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Small Village road on top of the Bettamugilam hill

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Since its a short trail, can combine with sumptous breakfast at Rocky Ridge cafe

6. Considerations - There is no network here. Best to download the cache of satellite map and plan your route well.

B6 - Kodakarai Sharp Ridge

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest Trails with obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - The Kodakarai Ridge is a beautiful road on top of the hill

6. Considerations - Dense forest trails with animal activity

B7 - Anchetty Traverse

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Climb up the hill and down

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Best to include Gulatty and Toluva betta along with the traverse

6. Considerations - include Sree Kanive Malleshwara Temple

B8 - Ulibande Traverse

1. Trail Length - 15-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Need to go along the boundary of the fenced forest

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Thalli Shiva hotel is the best option for breakfast

6. Considerations - The fencing can be dangerous for Low GC Bikes

B9 - Jawalagiri Forest Temple run

1. Trail Length - 15-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest trails leading to temple. Sandy

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Check the Temples along route to plan your route

6. Considerations - Heavy animal movement in the Forests and good to stick together as a team here

B10 - Muneshwara Betta

B11 - Kudlanadoddi Falls

1. Trail Length - 20-25 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - 3 Hill climbs

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - First do a loop of Muneshwara betta. Then do the traverse and go to Kote Maramma Temple. Finally you can do a Kudlana doddi falls traverse. Breakfast at Kanakpura - Vasu Hotel

6. Considerations - Heavy animal movement in the Forests.

B12 - Dabbaguli and Surroundings

1. Trail Length - 35-40 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat tracks

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Kanakpura - Vasu Hotel

6. Considerations - One of the most famous and common trail. Dont be surprised if you find traffic!

B13 - Sangama and B14- Mekedatu Trails

1. Trail Length - 25-30 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat tracks, Riverside roads

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Kanakpura - Vasu Hotel

6. Considerations - Sangama and Mekedatu will get quite crowded as the day progresses

B15 - South Kaveri Trails

1. Trail Length - 35-40 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unknown

4. Terrain - Flat tracks, Riverside roads

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Kanakpura - Vasu Hotel

6. Considerations - The trail passes through remote forests and very steep slopes. take adequate food water and spares. South of Kaveri is a very dense Jungle with lots of Animals. Proceed with caution

B16 - Shivnasamudra Trails - Pipeline pt 1

part 1 - Pipeline trail

B17 - Shivnasamudra Trails pt 2

part 2 - gavi ranganathaswamy betta trail

1. Trail Length - 20-25 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill climb with obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - start with the Pipeline trail as it will help you reach faster. Breakfast at Babu Hotel Halaguru

6. Considerations - Carry enough water and snacks as this trail is sure to drain you out. There is a temple on top where you might find water but better to carry just in case

B18 - Basavana Betta Forest Trail

1. Trail Length - 20-25 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Restricted

4. Terrain - Hill climb with obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Babu Hotel Halaguru

6. Considerations - Best is to try and strike a deal with forest dept or local villagers because if you dont run into elephants, you are sure to get caught by Forest rangers.

B19 - Doddamakali

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest Trail

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Babu Hotel Halaguru

6. Considerations - Forest Trail to a temple so go in a group

B20 - Sri Ayyanakallu Gudi

1. Trail Length - 25-30 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Some parts are restricted

4. Terrain - Hill climb with obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Babu Hotel Halaguru

6. Considerations - Best to inform Villagers of the temple name and go because of dense Elephant ridden forest

B21 - Achalu Betta

1. Trail Length - 25-30 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard during Monsoon. Moderate otherwise

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill climb and surrounding trails with Obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Vasu Hotel Kanakpura

6. Considerations - Trails around the Achalu hill are nice with a ridge and some terrific views

B22 - Sri Siddheshwara Swami Gudi

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Vasu Hotel Kanakpura

6. Considerations - Climb up from the northern Trail which is dense and tricky. Climb down in the usual easy route

B23 - Hoskere Trails

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unknown

4. Terrain - Small Hill climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Vasu Hotel Kanakpura

6. Considerations - Some trails are very small and may not be best suited for small GC bikes

B24 - Benki Falls Trails

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unknown

4. Terrain - Small Hill climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Sri Krishna Sagar Harohalli

6. Considerations - Some trails are very small and may not be best suited for small GC bikes

B25 - Maralwadi Trails

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Some parts have now been fenced

4. Terrain - Small Hill climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Sri Krishna Sagar Harohalli

6. Considerations - Some trails are very small and may not be best suited for small GC bikes

B26 - Thalli RF

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Some parts have now been fenced

4. Terrain - Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Shiva Veg hotel Thalli

6. Considerations - The circle marked on the map is a trench. the shankareshwara temple could be a good to and fro option

B27 - Bilikal Rangaswamy betta and Sri Govinda Kallu Anjaneya Swamy

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted but only allowed on Saturdays

4. Terrain - Forest Trails managed entry by Forest Dept

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Vasu Hotel kanakpura

6. Considerations - The circle marked on the map is a trench. the shankareshwara temple could be a good to and fro option

B28 - Gangadheeshwara Hill

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate (Difficult During Monsoon)

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted but trails surrounding are restricted and monitored

4. Terrain - Hill climb and Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Sri Krishna Sagar Harohalli

6. Considerations - The hill climb needs lot of support so better to go in a group.

B29 - Channappaji Siddappaji

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted to the Temple

4. Terrain - Hill climb and Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Sri Krishna Sagar Harohalli

6. Considerations - Climb from the East and Descend from the North

B30 - BV Halli Kere

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted to the Temple

4. Terrain - Hill climb and Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Sri Krishna Sagar Harohalli

6. Considerations - Climb from the East and Descend from the North

West Region

The West region is between the Mysore road and the Hassan Road section. This region is characterized by lesser dense forests and lesser Wildlife. There are 10+ Trails here.

B31 - Ramnagara Trails

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Restricted but can pass

4. Terrain - Flat track forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Bidadi Renuka Thatte Idly

6. Considerations - Climb from the South and head north and exit via Mysore road. The last part of the trail near mysore road is restricted exit from north. so you'll need to return

B32 - Handi Gundi

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Restricted but can pass

4. Terrain - Flat track Farm and forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Bidadi Renuka Thatte Idly

6. Considerations - Lot of disjoing small trails to around Handi Gundi.

B33 - Narasimhaswami Gudda

1. Trail Length - 4-5 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat track Farm and forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Bidadi Renuka Thatte Idly

6. Considerations - Lot of disjoing small trails to around Handi Gundi.

B34 - Makali

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat track forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Bidadi Renuka Thatte Idly

6. Considerations - circumvent the Makali state forest

B35 - Yoghavana

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat track forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Sri Kamdhennu Veg at Hassan Road

6. Considerations - Dont miss climbing the Sri Shankareshwara Bettada gudi

B36 - BasavannaGuddi

1. Trail Length - 15-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat track Farm trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Bidadi Renuka Thatte Idly

6. Considerations - Disjoint trails may need lots of navigation

B37 - Heligehalli

1. Trail Length - 20-25 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Udupi Upahara at Magadi

6. Considerations - Dense Bushes at Trimurti Forest Zone and exit may be flooded due to overflowing Heligehalli

B38 - Huthridurga

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Udupi Upahara at Magadi

6. Considerations - Dont miss the climb at the North

B39 - Cheelur Pass

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Small hill cross with obstacles

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Sri Kamdhenu Veg at Hassan Road

6. Considerations - There is a village on top of the pass

B40 - Hassan Windmills

1. Trail Length - 20-25 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Windmill Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Mayura at Hassan Road

6. Considerations - Dont miss the Eastern trail at the base of the hill running parallel to the hill

North Region

The Northern region is charaterized by dry decidious trails. None of these are near bangalore owing to the Northern Airport and fast encroaching of development up north. These are some 10 interesting trails in this region

B41 - Nijagal Betta

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Rocky Climbs

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Shree Rathnam Veg hotel on Tumkur Road

6. Considerations - Small hill and dont miss to trek to the top

B42 - Tumkur Trails

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Pavithra Idly at Tumkur

6. Considerations - Dont miss the Thimmanayakanahalli, Bamboo forest, Chinaga betta

B43 - Madhugiri Trail

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Pavithra Idly at Tumkur

6. Considerations - Be careful of the obstacles

B44 - Sira Windmills

1. Trail Length - 15-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Windmill Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Pavithra Idly at Tumkur

6. Considerations - Its a long way out of Bangalore so start early. The southern trail is dense and covered with Vegetation and can be done in a loop

B45 - C.Durga Windmills

1. Trail Length - 50-55 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Windmill Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Pavithra Idly at Tumkur

6. Considerations - Its a long way out of Bangalore so start early. Direct to Sri Uttare Siddeshwara Swami Gudi. There are lots of Winmill hills so plan what all you want to cover.

B46 - Maakalidurga

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Samruddhi Garden Veg at Doddaballapur

6. Considerations - Forest trails with Obstacles. not for bikes with low GC

B47 - Bettada Sri Lakhmi Ranganaatha Gudi

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Samruddhi Garden Veg at Doddaballapur

6. Considerations - Hill Climb with an amazing view

B48 - Devarbetta forest trail

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Farm and Forest trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Samruddhi Garden Veg at Doddaballapur

6. Considerations - Trails may have some deadends and need expert navigation

B49 - Hanuman Climb

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Samruddhi Garden Veg at Doddaballapur

6. Considerations - Rocky climb may need skills

B50 - Kethanahalli Falls

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Nandi Upchara

6. Considerations - Rocky climb may need skills

B51 - Gudibande

1. Trail Length - 30-35 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Restricted

4. Terrain - Forest Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Breakfast at Nandi Upchara

6. Considerations - Some forest sections maybe closed with lots of obstacles

East Region

The eastern region has the minimum number of trails in this list again owing to Development. However the trails around KGF and Mallapa Konda are some of the longest and hardest there is! Here are 5 trails in this region

B52 - Ambajidurga / Kailasagiri

1. Trail Length - 10-15 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Hill Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Udupi Utsav Grad at H Cross

6. Considerations - Although this is one of the most common trail, There are 2 routes to climb this hill. Suggest you climb from Harder route up North and Descend on easier route South

B53 - JC Rock

1. Trail Length - 5-10 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Farm Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Swathi Hotel & Cafe

6. Considerations - Trails might get super slushy during Monsoon

B54 - Malur Trails

1. Trail Length - 15-20 Kms

2. Difficulty - Easy

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Flat track Farm Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Nanjundeshwara Hotel near Chikka Tirupathi for Best Thatte Idlys

6. Considerations - Flat Trails

B55 - Yargol

1. Trail Length - 45-50 Kms

2. Difficulty - Moderate

3. Restrictions - Restricted

4. Terrain - Forest Trails

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Sri Krishna Bhavan in Shoolagiri

6. Considerations - There are so many trails here that you might want to split your attempts into 2 or 3

B56 - Mallapa Konda

1. Trail Length - 25-30 Kms

2. Difficulty - Hard

3. Restrictions - Unrestricted

4. Terrain - Forest Trails and Hill Climb

5. Places of Interest / Villages / Restaurants - Murugan Idly at Krishnagiri

6. Considerations - Would suggest to definitely try the forest trails highlighted in the map above apart from the hill climb.

Some Final Thoughts

I know this list is not the exhaustive list of Breakfast trails out there and I may have missed one or two. My Intention was not to document all the trails there is. I just wanted to put out all the options out there for people to know, explore and learn from my experiences, discoveries and eat the yummiest breakfast while doing so.

Goes without saying, I am only because of my riding group - BOTS - Bangalore Offroad Trail Squad. They are the reason and motivation for me to organize the rides, explore tough paths and share it across. One of the best things you will ever achieve in life is when you find companions who support you on your craziest ventures and BOTS is just that!

Final note - This blog has taken me long hours and weeks of effort to collate the data, mark out the trails and gather all the relevant details together in one place. If at all you are sharing this, please do credit me (arunsekhar1) as the author if possible or even better drop in a personal feedback. It will not give me any monetary benefit but surely mean a lot and keep me Excited to do more like this!