Horsnell Gully & Giles Conservation Parks

On the city side of the Uraidla ridge, the escarpment folds into a series of deep, shadowed gullies — and two adjoining parks protect the wildest of them. Horsnell Gully and Giles conservation parks are old orchard and quarry country gone gloriously back to bush, where blue gums tower over fern-lined creeks and the climbs are steep enough to earn every view.

Both of the great Hills trails pass through: the Heysen on its long march north and the Yurrebilla on its traverse of the Adelaide face. Day walkers have two classic options — the Waterfall Hike, short but sharp, which drops to a falls that runs handsomely after winter rain, and the Rockdale Hill Hike, a four-kilometre loop climbing to ridgelines with views back over the city and gulf. A longer circuit linking both parks runs to about ten kilometres of genuinely challenging walking.

Entry is free and the parks are open sunrise to sunset, with access from Horsnell Gully Road at the bottom or Coach Road at the top. They make a quieter alternative to the crowds at Morialta one valley north — same drama, fraction of the foot traffic.