Mario Kart 7 Shortcuts Guide

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Mario Kart 7 Shortcuts Guide Mushroom Cup Tracks Art

Our Mario Kart 7 shortcuts guide will help you locate time-saving shortcuts and give you tips on what to look out for as you race through each track of each Cup in Mario Kart 7.

Table of Contents

Index of Mario Kart 7 Guides:

Mario Kart 7 Shortcuts

Mushroom Cup

Toad Circuit Shortcuts

This is a very easy track so no shortcuts are really needed.

Daisy Hills Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – After the big jump when the glider pops out, make a turn to the right (or try hopping off a hot-air balloon) to land on the roof. From here you gain access to a number of boost pads that can give you the edge!

Cheep Cheep Lagoon Shortcuts (AKA Cheep Cheep Cape)

Shortcut #1 – At the part where you enter the first pool of water, make a sharp right turn and you can land on top of higher ground. If you are riding at the sea floor, you can jump when you see the green plants to float up a bit. But be very careful of the clams! If you manuever correctly you can score Coins or a Power-Up in the mouth of the Clams, but be sure your timing is correct!

Shortcut #2 – As soon as you exit the first pool of water, hang to the left and you’ll see a skinny piece of road. This takes you to an Item Box and a boost pad that allows you to glide over the body of water! Although you will want to try to land in the water near the edge of the pool at the far side to hit the boost pads underneath the water.

Shy Guy Bazaar Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Hang to the right in the section with all the little stands, and you’ll be able to boost yourself up to a higher level which can help you out, just be prepared to make some tight turns and land back down on the main road post haste. It may actually be quicker to skip the higher ground altogether though.

Shortcut #2 – Before the section with the multiple small red ramps, you’ll want to head all the way to the left until you fall to a lower section. Here you’ll find some Coins as well as several Boost Pads.

Flower Cup

Wuhu Loop Shortcuts (AKA Wuhu Island Loop)

Shortcut #1 – Keep your eye on the right side, following a ramp, and you’ll see a dirt road heading to the right. There’s a tree next to the road which should help point the road out. The dirt road looks like it is offroad, but it is not, so taking this shortcut won’t slow down. Keep heading down the road and you’ll take a massive shortcut with some boosts and a gliding portion at the end.

Shortcut #2 – In the section where you are going up and around the mountain, you’ll spot some green overhangs. Keep your eye on the right side and you’ll see what looks like a tunnel in the background. Head towards the tunnel and fall off to a lower level. You’ll then be able to enter the tunnel which will provide you with some Coins and eventually take you to a Gliding portion!

Shortcut #2 – While using the glider, try to land into the fan which will give you even more air.

Shortcut #3 – When you’re on the side of the mountain where you can fall off the right edge, keep your eye on the left. You’ll be able to go up to higher ground and hit some ramps. 3rd. Directly after the above, you’ll notice three small “tower” platforms, one of which has a boost. You can use this to boost and hop on all three platforms before landing back on the main road. However this is dangerous and not recommended.

Mario Circuit Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Right off the bat you’ll see a ramp off in the grass to your right. Take it if you have a Mushroom power-up or a high top speed/good off-road handling to get a slight boost from a ramp. Remember to jump at the height of the ramp to do a trick and gain a slight boost. Likewise you’ll find some ramps in the grass to the left and right of the road following the giant bumper section. The same rule applies, only access the ramps if you know it won’t slow you down.

Shortcut #2 – When using the Glider, try to fly onto a pipe with wind coming out, which will shoot you up for more air. Avoid trying to land on the other pipes, they don’t do anything and you’ll just waste precious time by trying to land on them (which is NOT an easy feat).

Music Park Shortcuts (AKA Melody Motorway)

Shortcut #1 – You’ll find a ramp off the left side after the black piano keys section near the start (with the boosts on the upper portion). This is a great ramp to get a boost on, but avoid hitting the large white Music Note Block in the upper left of the ramp which will make you come to a complete stop. Other than that, no real shortcuts to speak of on this track.

Shortcut #2 – Towards the end of the track, following the section with the bouncing enemies that shake the ground, keep your eye on the right side. There will be a barrier fence that stops where you see a red and white marking on the road. While powersliding, take a leap off here and you’ll bounce off the drum and to the other side. A nice nifty little shortcut.

Rock Rock Mountain Shortcuts (AKA Alpine Pass)

Shortcut #1 – On your second lap, after the start of the course, you’ll hit a glider section with many pipes. You’ll see a pipe off to your right that is shooting up air, manuever your glider to land on it and you’ll an extra boost of air.

Shortcut #2 – Directly after you hit the finish line keep an eye on the left, particularly as you are on your second, but going into your third, lap. You’ll notice a ramp with a blue boost pad that will shoot you off into a glider section. During this glider portion you will see many pipes, one of which will be shooting up air during the second lap. Fly into the pipe to gain some extra air. As just stated, this air pipe will only appear on the second lap, so avoid hitting the pipes or trying to land on the far-off pipes if you are on your first lap, instead simply land back on the road.

This video guide shows how to take this shortcut in the 3rd lap.

Star Cup

Piranha Plant Slide Shortcuts (AKA Piranha Plant Pipeway)

Shortcut #1 – In the part with the Parinha Plant in the middle coming out of the giant Green Pipe, a sharp eye will notice a middle section you can go down by hopping to the center plank. But you’ll need to act fast just as you are approaching the back of the Green Pipe. There’s a ramp and three Coins on the plank, but be careful not to fall off either side and into the pit.

Shortcut #2 – After the section with the grey-colored giant Goomba’s following the giant Piranha Plant, stay to the far right or far left and you can ride some small boards on to an upper path. This part features boosts and Coins.

Shortcut #3 – When you reach the major underwater section at the final part of the race, stay to the right and you’ll be able to ride a gust of water to an upper level with some Coins and a speed burst.

Shortcut #4 – During the Gliding section, hold down on the Circle Pad to fly high into the air and over the brick wall. Then try to land through the gap in the white picket fence. If done correctly you’ll skip the whole hard-to-navigate turn and can go straight to the final stretch of track.

Wario Shipyard Shortcuts (AKA Wario’s Galleon)

Shortcut #1 – Right off the bat, hug the left side of the track and go far left when you enter the first section of water, this will lead to an upper tier of land that’s to the far left. It also features above ground and underwater road with ramps and Coins. Alternatively, if you are in the water try keep yourself in the middle of the track, so you can hit the ramps and speed pads.

Shortcut #2 – After the part with the swinging green anchor, try to stay on the right side. This will lead to some boost pads. Be sure to get prepared for a major sharp right turn directly after. If you miss the right side and take the left instead, stay to the FAR LEFT or you can risk falling off a gap on the right side. It’s useful to then powerslide hard to the right through the twisting portion.

Shortcut #3 – After the part with the crabs, you’ll enter a barrel-style tunnel and hit a red then blue boost pad; the blue one will shoot you into a gliding section. Stay to the right side of the boost pad and then as soon as you shoot out press down on the Circle Pad, this will shoot you high into the air. After flying up, veer to the right initially but then veer to the far left. Try and land on the boost pads you’ll see on the left side. This should give you enough speed to also hit the right-side ramp without falling into the abyss that comes up soon after this part.

Neo Bowser City Shortcuts (AKA Koopa City)

Shortcut #1 – You’ll find a Blue Boost Pad that leads to a Gliding section at the end of the course. Before you hit the boost, make sure you’re on the left side. After taking off and flying into the air, veer to the left to hit the spinning Koopa Clown Car that creates a burst of wind which will give you some additional air. Be sure to stay to the right/middle directly after boosting up so you safely land back on the track.

Maka Wuhu Shortcuts (AKA Wuhu Mountain Loop)

Shortcut #1 – Soon into the course you’ll see a ramp that leads to a dirt path to the right. Take it and follow the path left for a nice little shortcut.

Shortcut #2 – Directly before the part with the Castle, as you are making your way around a lake, keep your eye on the left side BEFORE you start going around it. Keep going straight instead of powersliding around and you’ll see an brown piece of ground pointing into the lake. Follow this and leap into the lake for some Coins and a ramp which instantly takes you to the other side.

Shortcut #3 – As you are rounding a curve you’ll see a castle appearing on the horizon (it features blue roofing), instead of continuing on the path that wraps around the castle to the right, head INTO the castle and then make a right (following the red arrows), followed by a sharp left for a nifty shortcut. There is a slight offroad part of the ground as you are going into the castle, so be sure that you have good speed or good offroad stats or hop a lot to negate the offroad which can slow you down.

Shortcut #4 – Following the first section with the rocks, hug the left side and it’ll lead to a ramp that shoots above a hole with some Coins.

Shortcut #5 – Near the end of the course, you’ll find a flight part with a blue boost pad. Once you are gliding, start pressing up soon after launching in order to dive onto the circular pad. This circular area features Item Boxes and more blue boosts that will send you into the air for more gliding. You can then collect the Coins on either the right or left paths as you descend back to the main road and the finish line which is soon ahead.

Shortcut #6 – During the Gliding section above, instead of taking the left path, you can alternatively take the right path. Head into the section that features an orange Boost Pad followed by a Blue Gliding Boost Pad, this will allow you to continue to glide. From here take the right path and you can collect some Coins as well as continuously hit the top of each ramp, allowing you to keep Gliding to the finish line.

Shortcut #7 AKA The Wuhu Glitch – This isn’t an official shortcut, but rather a glitch that allows you to skip almost the entire 2nd out of 3 laps.

At the start of the 2nd lap, keep driving towards the rock tunnel, but don’t go into and before the tunnel starts make a sharp turn to the right. Almost turn around (about 3/4th between front to back), but still facing the cliff to the right which a river flows through. Then all you have to do is make sure is that you drive far enough into the water without landing on the rocks between the road and the river. If you splash into the water at the right spot (shown in the video below) Lakitu will pick you up and set you down much further down the track near the finish line!

Note: Nintendo has said that they will not be fixing this glitch. To quote: “We are aware that it is possible to navigate a certain part of the track in Wuhu Island in a way that allows a large part of the course to be bypassed. There are no plans to update the game to remove this shortcut as doing so would create an unfair advantage for the users of the original release of the game.”

PS: Since Mario Kart 7 online doesn’t have voicechat we can’t all shout “No shortcuts!” as a racing rule on this course. So let’s all play nice and not do this cheat and ruin the fun for other players, unless of course everyone selects this Wuhu course on purpose before the race, then it’s likely everyone’s going to try and do it anyway haha!

Special Cup

DK Jungle Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Keep your eye out for a DK Barrel on the right side of the track. At this section, powerslide left and you’ll see some wooden ground that leads up and to a Gliding portion!

Shortcut #2 – Right after the gliding portion at the end of the track with the tiki towers that blow wind at you, you’ll see a part of the track veer off to the left. Take it for a shortcut.

Rosalina’s Ice World Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Near the start of the course, you’ll be driving on ice, eventually you’ll see puddles of water you can fall into. It’s your choice to either stay on top or fall under and switch to underwater driving. The top is probably faster and features some Item Boxes, although you’ll need to make some strategic hops to stay on the ice.

Shortcut #2 – After dodging all of the large ice spikes, you’ll see a tunnel opening on the right with the tip of a boost pad. Go that direction for a shortcut and more boosts, but a much more perilous path. Stay left if you don’t want to risk falling off the edge.

Bowser’s Castle Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – As you pass the first Thwomp (large stone spiked enemy that tries to crush you), keep an eye out on the left side. As you are approaching the second Thwomp, you’ll notice that you can take a left path by hopping onto the small piece of ground then keeping to the left for a shortcut. — Then you’ll see a huge rotating rotor blade. Avoid the rotors and race in between them and you’ll be pushed underwater! Turns out it’s not all lava around here!

This video guide shows you how to take the (underwater) shortcut in Bowser’s Castle.

Rainbow Road Shortcuts

– PAY ATTENTION! 🙂

Shell Cup – Retro Courses

N64 Luigi Raceway Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – This is a very simple track so there is no shortcut per se, but keep your eye on the far right side of the road. Off-road a bit through the grass, you’ll see a blue ramp that leads to an upper section. Use this to gain some speed boosts and power-ups.

GBA Bowser Castle 1 Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Keep your eyes peeled during the section with the red speed boosts for a blue speed boost up a ramp in the middle of the track. This will shoot you into a short gliding section and give you a bit of a boost where you can soar over your opponents.

Wii Mushroom Gorge Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – This stage features a couple branching paths. For the first branching path (you’ll see a red sign pointing out you can go either left or right), choose to go left. This is a less perilous path and will also lead to plenty of speed boosts and Item Boxes.

Shortcut #2 – For the second branching path with the giant Mushroom Platforms that bounce you up, go left for some Item Boxes, Coins and a Gliding section, but a much more perilous path with extreme risk of falling off, or go right for a much safer path without the added benefits like Item Boxes. Red Pill or Blue Pill. The choice is yours! Whoa.

DS Luigi’s Mansion Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – In the part with the Boo ghosts, keep your eye on the left side for a ramp with a Blue Boost Pad which will launch you into a Gliding section.

Shortcut #2 – In the part that looks like a swamp, with walking trees, you’ll notice a sign pointing out a branching path. Head to the right path which will lead to an upper level with some Coins, speed boosts, Item Boxes and a Gliding portion that will allow you to fly over the entire swamp area if you hold down on the Circle Pad to launch high into the sky!

Banana Cup – Retro Courses

N64 Koopa Troopa Beach Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Your first shortcut will come when you see the giant Koopa Troopa (which looks like a turtle). Keep to the left when the path branches around the Koopa for a nice little shortcut.

Shortcut #2 – You’ll find a ramp on the right side of the track that leads to a Blue Boost, which will launch you into a Gliding portion from which you can enter a cave above for a major shortcut. However make sure you have a Mushroom to boost you through the ramp or you won’t be able to make it, if you try it without a Mushroom you’ll simply fall into the water. In the original N64 version this shortcut simply required a Mushroom and you went right into the cave. No Gliding was possible in that version though, of course. As gliding is new to Mario Kart 7.

Shortcut #3 – You’ll find a third gliding portion with a ramp on the right side of the track. You should easily spot it, as you’ll see the a ramp with red then blue boost pads that’ll launch you into a gliding portion if you go up the ramp.

Shortcut #4 – During the final part of the course, you’ll notice that there are two ramps, crabs and a receding ocean that pulls back. You can use the receding ocean to cut through that section if the coast is clear of crabs and the water has been pulled back.

SNES Mario Circuit 2 Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Keep your eye on the left side, where you’ll see a ramp that appears in the dirt. You’ll need to have a high top speed or good off-roading to take the ramp, but if you can do it then go for it!

Shortcut #2 – As soon as you hit the giant Gliding portion near the end of the track, pull up on the Circle Pad to send you flying high into the air, then immediately start heading left. By doing this you can cut through a huge swath of the track and land right near the finish line!

Wii Coconut Mall Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Whenever you see the part with the conveyer belt that features a down arrow on one side and up arrows on the other, take the side with up arrows!

Shortcut #2 – In the section that features an escalator leading down, and a path to the right and left of the escalator, take the left path for a series of speed pads.

Shortcut #3 – In the section near the end that features an upper or lower path, where the upper path is a metallic power-sliding section, take the upper path for a shortcut and a higher Gliding portion than the lower path.

DS Waluigi Pinball Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Near the end of the course, you’ll enter a section that looks like a real pinball table. Stay to the extreme left or extreme right to bypass the whole middle section, and gain an Item Box near the final stretch.

Leaf Cup – Retro Courses

N64 Kalimari Desert Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – Keep your eyes on the right side of the road, you’ll come across a ramp in the off-road dirt area that you can take if you have good Off-Road stats or a high speed.

Shortcut #2 – Directly after passing the first train track, keep your eyes on the right side of the track again for another ramp. This one features a Blue Boost Pad that will launch you into the air for a gliding section that will take you OVER the second train track. However it is offroad again, so decide whether it is worth it or not.

DS DK Pass Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – During the gliding section where you see a high-up horizontal tree branch, it is possible to take a hard right and go through the leaves of multiple trees. If successful you can land atop a ramp after going through several trees, giving you a huge shortcut.

GCN Daisy Cruiser Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – When the path branches for the first time, take the right path. As you are exiting to an area with a large pool, stay to the right and go around the right outer edge, which will shave some time off that clock!

Shortcut #2 – After the section with the sliding tables, stay on the right side of the track and you’ll see a pool of water with some Item Boxes to the left of it. Fall into the pool and you’ll be in an underwater section where you can collect an Item Box from a clam (be careful!) and be shot back to the main track via several boosts!

Wii Maple Treeway Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – During the second Glider portion, veer to either the far left or far right, and you’ll enter higher ground along with some Boost Pads before you reach the finish line.

Shortcut #2 – Soon after crossing the finish line, keep your eyes on the right side where you’ll notice a gap in the fence and an off-road grassy hill. Head up that direction for some boosts and a different route to the on-rails glider portion. Thanks to Parkster20 for the tip!

Lightning Cup – Retro Courses

Wii Koopa Cape Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – During the Glider section, try to land on the most immediate ramp to your left, using R to perform a trick off of it. This will give you a huge amount of air and allow you to fly much further.

GCN Dino Dino Jungle Shortcuts

Shortcut #1 – During the first wooden section, the path will branch. Take the right path for a shorter way and Item Boxes.

Shortcut #2 – As soon as you enter the cave, you’ll see a part of the track on the right side branch off. Take this path if you have high speed or good off-road stats, making sure to jump a lot cause the initial part will slow you way down. However this leads to a Glider section that will allow you to soar to the other side of the cave much more quickly than driving around.

DS Airship Fortress Shortcuts

I didn’t find any shortcuts on this level. Did I miss something? If so leave a comment!

SNES Rainbow Road Shortcuts

This course isn’t as hard as it looks. I would avoid the ramps, although if you have enough speed, you’ll notice ramps on the right, left, and at one point, middle, of the tracks that can give you a big boost if you are going fast enough (or have a Mushroom) to take advantage of them. Otherwise avoid them. When you reach the middle ramp with two Thwomps on either side, you may even want to brake completely if you think the Thwomp may stomp down on you, otherwise you can use the ramp to clear the gap and get through them, or if you are very good, veer to the extreme right or left of the Thwomp to squeeze by. Good luck!

More shortcuts and tips for each track will be added as I play through the game. Keep checking back for more!

If you know of a shortcut not listed here, please post a comment and I’ll update the guide and give you credit.
Thanks for visiting!