17 Sep 2018

Epic Rides in Belize – Mountain Pine Ridge Forest

Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve is a nature reserve located in central Belize, close to the Guatemala border. It was setup to protect the natural pine forests. Since it is sparsely populated it is a great place to venture around on a motorcycle.

Considering its proximity to the massive jungles in the north of Guatemala, and the fact that belize is a very small country, the landscapes here are unique. You can explore several caves, some Maya ruins, rivers and waterfalls.

There are alot of hidden gems as well. from Abandoned logging villages, to private reserves of the famous, Francis Ford Coppola has massive estate here.

Location

Type of Road

As of 2018, All hard clay or loose hard packed gravel.

When is the best time to Ride?

All year road

GPS Tracking Map

My tracking from ride around Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. (GPX / KML files), But to be honest, this is a place that is just best explored without a map or GPS

Here is an overview of the area. Just fuel up and ride.

Elevation Profile

Details

Covers an area of 106,352.5 acres (430 km2)
Camping is NOT allowed in the Reserve. You can camp at one of the lodges inside the reserve. Check out Pine Ridge Lodge . Neil the owner is very welcoming and knowledgeable of the area.
Be aware of your Motorcycle impact on the environment and the peacefulness of the place.
South of the Reserve is the biggest Mayan Ruins in Belize, Caracol

Accessing the Reserve

The reserve is best accessed from the north at a town called San Ignacio. There will be a Ranger station on the road entering the reserve, you need to give them details of the place you’re staying.

Why is it a ‘Best Ride’

Belize is a very small country (even for central american standards). You wont find many areas where you can just ride around so freely. Most other places like this will have fences everywhere to stop the adventurer from looking around. This is not the case in Mountain Pine Ridge, you’re free to explore for days. Enjoy