UK MTB Trail Grades Explained: Green to Black & Orange

Grades aren't perfectly consistent between venues, and bike parks often add their own systems on top. Here's what each colour officially means and how the nations differ.

UK trail grades at a glance

The wording in the "What to expect" column comes from the newer grading system that Forestry England, FLS and NRW now publish. Their definitions are almost word-for-word the same.

*Sources: Forestry England, FLS and NRW grading pages, checked 1 Oct 2026.*

Each grade in detail

Green: easy

In the newer system a green is relatively flat, wide and smooth, with gentle climbs, descents, rollers and berms. Features such as rocks and potholes are easy to avoid, though the surface can be loose, uneven or muddy at times. Forestry England's longer description says greens suit beginners or novice cyclists, most bikes and hybrids are fine, and some green routes can take trailers.

Blue: moderate

Expect moderate gradients, technical features like tree roots and rock steps, and jumps and berms, but the features are rollable at controlled speed. Forestry England says blues suit riders with basic off-road skills on a basic mountain bike, and a good standard of fitness helps.

Red: difficult

Reds step up to steep climbs and descents, larger jumps and berms, and technical features such as roots, drop-offs and large rocks. Surfaces are very variable. Features are still described as "avoidable" or rollable at controlled speed. Forestry England says reds are for proficient riders with good off-road skills on a quality mountain bike, and need a higher level of fitness and stamina.

Black: severe

Blacks bring long, steep climbs, descents and jumps, numerous hazards including drop-offs, and rapid changes in surface. FLS, NRW and Forestry England all add "commitment required". Forestry England's older description is clear that you should expect "large, committing and unavoidable" features, possibly with downhill-style sections.

Double-black: extreme

Double-black is the top of the singletrack scale in the newer system: very fast, steep descents, large drop-offs, jumps and unavoidable obstacles that need high levels of skill and commitment, and an extreme level of exposure or risk.

You'll find it on some of Scotland's best-known downhill tracks. FLS grades the Ae Downhill at Ae Forest double-black. It also grades all four waymarked downhill tracks at Innerleithen "extreme", and strongly recommends a full-face helmet, gloves, body armour and a downhill-specific bike on them.

What does orange mean on a mountain bike trail?

This is the grade that confuses people most, so here's the official wording. Forestry England splits its grades into cross-country singletrack grades (green, blue, red, black) and non-singletrack grades (bike parks and forest roads). It says this split highlights that "orange-graded bike parks are not simply a progression on from singletrack grades".

Forestry England's orange definition says:

• Suitable for: riders aspiring to an elite level of technical ability. It covers everything from full-on downhill riding to "big air" jumps.
• Trails and surfaces: severe constructed trails and/or natural features. All sections are challenging, with extreme levels of exposure or risk. Jumping ability obligatory.
• Features: small, medium and large technical features, including downhill trails, freeride sections and mandatory jumps.
• Fitness: good fitness is recommended, "but technical skills are more important".

So orange isn't "harder than black". It describes a *different type* of riding: built jump, downhill and freeride terrain where you need to be able to jump. Being comfortable on black singletrack doesn't automatically mean you're ready for orange, and the reverse is true too.

How it's used in practice:

• Forestry England still labels some features orange. Its Haldon Forest Park pump track is shown as "Orange: Bike Park" and described as "suitable for novice to advance riders". Read orange as a *type* of trail, not a difficulty step.
• In Northern Ireland, MountainBikeNI's grade specifications call it "Orange/Extreme", with essentially the same description (elite technical ability, mandatory jumps, jumping ability obligatory). Its Rostrevor page lists 1.9 miles of orange trails alongside the red and black loops. See Rostrevor.
• At Nevis Range, the World Cup downhill track is listed as Orange, alongside Top Chief (black) and Blue Doon (blue).
• Grades can disagree. FLS grades The Shredder at Ae Forest red, while the uplift operator there calls it "graded orange bike park". If two sources give a trail different grades, ride it as the harder one until you've seen it.

One more nuance: Forestry England's newer 2023 grading list covers green to double-black plus forest roads, and doesn't include orange. Its older page, which still carries the orange definition, says it is being replaced "over time". For now you'll still see orange on signs and venue pages, so it's worth knowing.

Forest roads: the "grade" outside the scale

All three national bodies have a forest road grade. Gradients can be steep or variable, surfaces may be uneven, loose or potholed, navigation skills help because routes aren't always waymarked, and you should look out for vehicles and forestry work. Forestry England notes forest roads "are not part of a progression on to green and blue level singletrack trails".

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: what's different?

• England (Forestry England): it's moving to the newer system and says the older one, including the separate orange bike-park grade, is being replaced over time. Check each forest's cycling page for the current grading.
• Scotland (FLS): FLS says it is "currently updating to a newer version of the nationwide mountain biking grading system" and will run the old and new systems in parallel until all waymarking is upgraded. Its published definitions match the newer system, from green to double-black. Its glossary describes downhill tracks in general as "black-graded", but some FLS downhill tracks (Ae, Innerleithen) are signed double-black.
• Wales (NRW): NRW publishes the same newer definitions, from green to double-black. It notes that every trail's grade is shown on the information panel at the start, and tells you to look out for "Top of the grade" warning signs, where you might want to inspect a feature before riding it.
• Northern Ireland (MountainBikeNI): its grade specifications use the older-style descriptions (green, blue, red, black) plus Orange/Extreme. They don't list a double-black.

Bike parks often use their own systems

Commercial bike parks usually keep the colours but add their own layers, so read each park's key:

• BikePark Wales has a Pro Line rating, "Extreme Difficult", for trails with mandatory jumps, gaps and large features, aimed at riders whose skills are honed "to an exceptionally high level only". Its recommended starting trail, Kermit, is a 5 km singletrack.
• Dyfi Bike Park uses diamonds: single red, double red, single black, double black and triple black. For example, double red has unrollable drops as opt-in lines, and double black has unrollable features on the main line.
• Wind Hill B1KEPARK adds a DOT feature grade within the colour grade. The dots rate the size of technical features like drops, jumps and road gaps, and it also has a "Pro Line" trail.

How to use grades (rider-to-rider)

• Ride a grade down at a new venue. Grades vary from place to place, so warm up on something easier first.
• Look before you leap. Stop and look at big features first, especially anything flagged "Top of the grade" in Wales.
• Match your kit to the grade. On extreme downhill tracks, FLS strongly recommends full-face helmets, gloves, body armour and a downhill bike. Some parks make full-face helmets compulsory on certain trails, so check the park's own rules.
• Don't treat orange as the next level after black. Treat it as jump and freeride terrain and build your jumping skills specifically.

*Last checked: 1 October 2026. Grading systems are changing over time, so check the venue's own page and the trailhead sign before riding.*