Chestnut Park, Singapore Overview

Chestnut Nature Park is the largest national park in Singapore, located on the eastern end of Chestnut Avenue near Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Spread over a whopping 81 hectares, the Park is home to meticulously set-up exclusive walking, hiking, and mountain biking trails. The only nature park in Singapore with separate trails for these activities, Chestnut Nature Park is also known for its rich biodiversity, making it a great location for photographers, bird lovers, nature enthusiasts, and families.

Chestnut Park (North) – which is four times larger than its southern counterpart – has two hiking trails through verdant groves and lakes, while Chestnut Park (South) has three long hiking trail winding through rocks, grasslands, and meadows. The eleven different mountain biking trails are perfect for both amateur and professional biking enthusiasts to try their hand at this skill. The native tree species at the park are a favourite among botanists and animals alike – hikers can hope to spot a variety of mammals, reptiles, and birds here. This is an excellent weekend getaway for the whole family!

Chestnut Nature Park Trails

Chestnut Nature Park is the first nature park in Singapore which has different trails for hiking and biking.

Hiking: The two hiking trails at Chestnut Nature Park (North) measure a combined distance of 3.5km.

The Northern Loop trail is not a loop and ends at a tiny hut. This trail starts off as a paved road before it becomes a cobbled pavement, finally ending up as a dirt track. This trail winds through groves of trees and provides hikers with several scenic views of the dense flora.
The other trail at Chestnut Nature Park (North) is the Nature Trail. This trail runs beside the gurgling stream, also going over it, providing hikers with lovely trekking experience. Hikers can spot large durian trees, magnificent ficus trees and tree ferns on this gorgeous trail, as well as the ruins of old kampong buildings, wells and roads.
The trail in Chestnut Nature Park (South) is 2.1km long and is sectioned into the Sunbird Trial, the Drongo Trail, and the Munia Trail. It ends at Chestnut Drive and hence, forms a loop. A rocky and hilly trail, it is dotted with huge moss covered, granite boulders. It opens out into large fields, covered by tall lalangs.
Combining the length of the trails in the North and South, the hiker gets a total 5.6km of hiking trail in the nature park. There are several huts along the trail where hikers can get some rest, as well as maps and markers which can help them understand where they are.

Mountain Biking: The Mountain Biking trail at the park is 8.2km long and has various levels of difficulty ranging from easy, moderately difficult, very difficult and extremely difficult.

Visitors are advised to choose the trail carefully according to their skill set.
There is also a pump track which has slopes and is designed for bikers to practice and improve their skills within a controlled environment. The pump track can be used by riders of all skills including kids, as it has four subsections of which two are intermediate, one is easy and other is the fast bowl.
Another feature is the Bike Park which has been made specifically for experienced mountain bikers. It helps them develop their biking skills, and practice technical features like drop-offs and jumps.

Bird Watching at Chestnut Nature Park

A popular activity to do at Chestnut Nature Park is bird watching. The thick foliage provides a perfect environment for several birds to nest and roost. Rare birds like the Straw-headed Bulbul, the Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher, the bright orange Banded Woodpecker, the tiny Orange-bellied Flowerpecker and the long-beaked Little Spiderhunter can be spotted among the trees of Chestnut Nature Park. Some lucky visitors can also spot the beautiful Striped Kukri Snake which is known for the vivid orange stripe running down its back.

Tips

Smoking is not allowed within the park.
No pets are allowed in the park.
Chestnut Nature Park has a kiosk where bikes can be rented and washed. Snacks and water can also be bought there. However, the kiosk is located at Chestnut Point and hence, it is important for visitors to carry their own water.
Toilets are located at Chestnut Point.
Car-parking is not allowed overnight.

How to Reach Chestnut Park

MRT – Alight at Pending LRT and walk past Kim San Leng Coffee Shop towards Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre. Then, head towards Blk 276 Bangkit Road, leading to Zhenghua Park and then take the tarmac track leading to Zhenghua underpass to get to Chestnut Nature Park.

Bus – Take bus 700 or 966 and alight at Block 202, Petir Road. From the bus stop, it should be approximately a 2km or a 30-minute walk along Petir Road/Chestnut Ave into Chestnut Nature Park.

Car - Chestnut Nature Park’s car park is sited near the eastern end of Chestnut Avenue. If coming from the north (e.g. Bukit Panjang), drive along Petir Road and turn left at Chestnut Avenue. If coming from the south (e.g. Dairy Farm), drive along Petir Road and turn right at Chestnut Avenue. After turning, drive for about 1.5km along Chestnut Avenue to arrive at Chestnut Nature Park’s car park on the left.