CORALLY

Can you ride a motorcycle on dirt tracks in Catalonia? What the law says

Last reviewed: October 30, 2026

Yes, with conditions: outside specially protected areas, on paved tracks or tracks at least 4 metres wide and on authorised ways in the county inventory, at no more than 30 km/h on dirt. In parks and reserves, only on the tracks their plan allows. Never off-track, on firebreaks, logging tracks, livestock routes or riverbeds. It is set by Catalan Act 9/1995 on motorised access to the countryside.

Allowed

  • On paved tracks or tracks 4 metres wide or more on forest land and in PEIN areas that are not specially protected (art. 6.2).
  • On authorised ways listed in the county inventory, even if they are narrower than 4 metres (art. 6.2).
  • In specially protected areas (parks and reserves), on the tracks and ways their plan sets (art. 6.1).
  • At 30 km/h at most on dirt ways and tracks (art. 13).

Not allowed

  • Off-track, or leaving the way (art. 7).
  • On firebreaks, logging tracks or livestock routes (art. 7).
  • Along the bed or the water of rivers (art. 7), except at a ford or a traditional crossing (Decree 166/1998, art. 6.1).
  • More than 7 motorcycles together in a specially protected area, or more than 15 vehicles together elsewhere (art. 16).
  • An organised ride without notifying it a month in advance (art. 17), or at night except on tracks between villages (art. 18).
  • On a way temporarily closed for wildfire, avalanche or flood risk (Decree 166/1998, art. 6.3).

PEIN and ENPE: two levels of protection

The law distinguishes two kinds of land. The PEIN (Plan of Areas of Natural Interest) is Catalonia's network of protected areas. Within it, the ENPE (natural areas of special protection) are the most protected: national parks, natural sites of national interest, nature reserves and natural parks (Act 12/1985, art. 21).

In an ENPE you may only ride the tracks and ways its plan sets out (art. 6.1). In the rest of the PEIN and on any forest land, the general rule below applies.

Which tracks you may ride

Outside the ENPE you may ride (art. 6.2):

  • Paved tracks (asphalt or concrete).
  • Dirt tracks 4 metres wide or more.
  • Authorised ways listed in the county inventory, even if narrower.

The county inventory of ways

County councils, with the town councils, draw up the inventory of ways and tracks in their county: who owns each one, what rights of way it carries and whether it may be used by vehicles (art. 11). A dirt way only joins the open network if the administration commits to maintaining it. When a way has restrictions, it is signed at the start, the end and the intermediate accesses.

It is not a traffic-light system or a coloured map: it is an official inventory approved by the Generalitat and published in the DOGC (Decree 166/1998, art. 11). Corally does not check it: a track narrower than 4 metres that is not in the inventory is not open to you, even if the map shows it.

Speed and how to ride

On dirt ways and tracks, 30 km/h at most (art. 13). And the bike must be road-registered: the law requires the vehicle to be identified (art. 5) and Decree 166/1998 adds carrying your driving licence and registration certificate and identifying yourself to the rural rangers if asked (art. 4).

Groups and organised rides

In an ENPE, at most 7 motorcycles in a non-organised group; in the rest of the PEIN and on forest land, gatherings of more than 15 vehicles are banned (art. 16).

An organised ride needs prior notification a month in advance, and each vehicle carries a copy (art. 17). It cannot run at night, except on tracks linking villages (art. 18).

Wildfires and temporary closures

The administration can temporarily close ways for wildfire, avalanche or flood risk (Decree 166/1998, art. 6.3). Riding a closed way in a high-risk area and season is a serious offence (Act 9/1995, art. 27).

Before a summer ride, check the Generalitat's daily risk level (Pla Alfa) and the signs at the forest entrance.

What happens if you are fined

Minor offences (speed, group size) carry 60.10 to 300.51 €; serious ones (unsuitable way, off-track riding, way closed for wildfire), 300.52 to 3,005.06 €; and very serious ones, up to 30,050.61 € (arts. 27 and 30).

How Corally applies it

  • Singletrack is outside the way-type filter by default: the planner does not use it and the analyzer flags the sections of a GPX that go along it.
  • If OpenStreetMap says a way is closed to motorcycles or motor vehicles, the planner avoids it and the analyzer flags it as "Closed to motorcycles".
  • What Corally does not know: the real width of each track, whether a narrow way is in the county inventory, which tracks each park's plan opens, new chains and signs and wildfire closures. The data is public and collaborative (OpenStreetMap) and may differ from the ground: signs prevail.
  • For the group: the limits of 7 and 15 come from the law; Corally does not enforce them.

Plan a route on dirt tracks in Catalonia

Frequently asked questions

Can I ride a dirt track in Catalonia?
Yes, if it is 4 metres wide or more, or an authorised way in the county inventory, and you are not in a specially protected area; at 30 km/h at most (arts. 6.2 and 13). In a park or reserve, only on the tracks its plan allows (art. 6.1).
And if the track is narrower than 4 metres?
Only if it is an authorised way listed in the county inventory (art. 6.2). If it is not, you may not ride it even if it looks open.
What is an ENPE?
A natural area of special protection: a national park, a natural site of national interest, a nature reserve or a natural park (Act 12/1985, art. 21). There, only the tracks set by its plan are allowed.
There are 10 of us. Can we ride together?
Outside specially protected areas, yes: the law bans gatherings of more than 15 vehicles (art. 16). Inside an ENPE, 7 motorcycles at most. If it is an organised ride, it must be notified a month in advance (art. 17).
Can I cross a river?
Not along the riverbed or the water (art. 7), except at a ford or a traditional crossing (Decree 166/1998, art. 6.1).
Can I ride an enduro bike?
Catalan law does not ban a type of bike: it regulates where and how you ride. On a road-registered bike, on the ways of article 6 and at 30 km/h, yes.
Can a way be closed in summer?
Yes: the administration can close it temporarily for wildfire risk (Decree 166/1998, art. 6.3), and riding a closed way is a serious offence (art. 27).
What are the fines?
60.10 to 300.51 € for minor offences, 300.52 to 3,005.06 € for serious ones and up to 30,050.61 € for very serious ones (art. 30).

Sources (with the article)

A practical guide written by Corally from the rules cited at the end. It is not legal advice: rules change, every protected area has its own plan, and signs on the ground always prevail.