The best walks in the Adelaide Hills
Waterfalls, summits, sanctuaries and gold-turning forests.
Lace up and look up
The Mount Lofty Ranges rise straight out of Adelaide's suburbs, which means world-class walking is barely half an hour from the city. Expect stringybark forest, fern-lined gullies, koalas overhead and views that run all the way to the sea. These ten walks span every effort level, from a summit assault to a flat amble under autumn trees.
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1
CrafersCleland National Park - Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty
The classic. A steep, waterfall-flanked climb from Waterfall Gully to the Mount Lofty Summit and its sea views.
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2
StirlingMount Lofty Summit
The payoff panorama across Adelaide - reachable on foot or by car, often above a sea of valley fog.
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3
CrafersCleland National Park
A web of trails through stringybark forest, with koalas, birds and routes for every set of legs.
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4
StirlingMount Lofty Botanic Garden
Gentle paths through a cool-climate garden that turns spectacularly gold and red in autumn.
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5
AldgateAldgate Valley Nature Walk
A peaceful loop through bushland and creek-line near Aldgate, good for birdlife and a quiet morning.
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6
Mount BarkerMount Barker Summit
A short, sharp climb to a 360-degree lookout over the southern Hills and the Murray plains.
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7
MylorWarrawong Wildlife Sanctuary
Guided dawn and dusk walks among reintroduced bettongs, bandicoots and wild platypus near Mylor.
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8
CrafersCarrick Hill
A woodland sculpture trail and storybook walk through the gardens of a 1930s foothills estate.
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9
GumerachaThe Big Rocking Horse
Climb the giant rocking horse, then wander the surrounding wildlife park and gum forest at Gumeracha.
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10
AldgateAldgate Village
An easy main-street stroll under the deciduous trees of one of the prettiest Hills villages.
Carry water, wear proper shoes for the steeper climbs, and check for fire-danger and seasonal closures before you set out.
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Image credits
- Second Falls, Waterfall Gully 2008.jpg by Bilby , CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons