Kings Canyon Rim Walk: how long it takes and tips

The Kings Canyon rim walk is a 6 km loop along the top of the canyon in Watarrka National Park. The Northern Territory parks commission's information sheet for the park says the walk takes three to four hours and begins with a steep climb. The sheet recommends it only for reasonably fit and healthy walkers.

Start early. The commission's page for the park says you cannot start the rim walk after 9am on days forecast to be 36 degrees Celsius or above.

Sources for this section: Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory (PWCNT), Walking Tracks of Watarrka information sheet; PWCNT, Watarrka National Park page.

The walk at a glance

A profile of the park says the Martutjarra-Luritja Aboriginal people and the parks commission manage the park together.

Sources for this section: PWCNT, Walking Tracks of Watarrka information sheet; Watarrka National Park profile.

How long it takes

The park page says about three to four hours for the full loop, and the sheet says three to four. Kings Canyon Resort says people in good health who lead an active life, play sports or walk regularly can finish in about 3.5 hours.

Do the maths for a hot day. A start just before 9am plus three to four hours puts you back at the car park at about noon to 1pm.

Sources for this section: PWCNT, Walking Tracks of Watarrka information sheet; PWCNT, Watarrka National Park page; Kings Canyon Resort, Canyon Hikes.

What you will see

The climb comes first, and the resort counts 500 steps in it. After that the track follows the rim, past a maze of weathered sandstone domes marked on the sheet's map. About halfway along is the Garden of Eden. The sheet describes it as a beautiful area of cool waterholes and riverside plants.

A draft joint management plan from September 2009 says the park has many places of spiritual significance. The resort says some parts of the gorge are sacred Aboriginal sites. The plan says swimming in the Garden of Eden waterhole had long been actively discouraged for safety, cultural and environmental reasons. It proposed banning swimming there.

Sources for this section: PWCNT, Walking Tracks of Watarrka information sheet; Kings Canyon Resort, Canyon Hikes; Watarrka draft joint management plan, September 2009.

Start time and heat

The park page says access to the rim walk is restricted in hot weather. On days forecast to be 36 degrees Celsius or above, walkers need to start before 9am. The forecast is the Bureau of Meteorology's for Yulara, not Alice Springs. The sheet words the limit as a forecast to exceed 36 degrees. For a forecast of exactly 36, check the daily signs at the park or call the park access line on 08 8956 7460.

The parks commission's news release for the 2014 to 2015 summer says that on days forecast at 36 degrees or above, barriers would block the rim walk after 9am. It says fines would apply to anyone who ignored them.

Take extreme care in the hot months. The sheet says that means October to April and the park page says September to May, but both say to think about shorter walks in the middle of the day.

The South Wall Return Walk is shorter than the rim walk, at 4.8 km return and about two hours. The sheet grades it moderate to hard and says it begins with a demanding climb, and the sheet's map marks the walk October to April only. It ends at a one-way gate, so you cannot reach the Garden of Eden or the rest of the rim walk from it. The Kings Creek Walk and the Kathleen Springs Walk, both graded easy by the sheet, stay open at all times, the park page says.

Sources for this section: PWCNT, Watarrka National Park page; PWCNT, Walking Tracks of Watarrka information sheet; PWCNT, Watarrka Walks Hot Weather Management Strategy release.

What to carry

Water comes first. The park page says to bring 3 litres or more per person, and the summer release says to carry and drink at least 1 litre per person per hour. The sheet says there is no drinking water once you leave the car parks, though emergency water is kept in the first aid boxes at the top of the canyon.

For the rest of the kit, the park page lists a hat, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and snacks. The sheet adds insect repellent and suitable clothing.

The sheet also says to stay on the marked tracks and at least 2 m from cliff edges, and to carry your rubbish out, because there are no bins on the walking tracks. In an emergency, use the radio call devices to reach a park ranger. Three stand along the rim walk, and one is in the car park's safety information shelter.

Sources for this section: PWCNT, Watarrka National Park page; PWCNT, Walking Tracks of Watarrka information sheet; PWCNT, Watarrka Walks Hot Weather Management Strategy release.

Getting there

The park page says two-wheel-drive vehicles can reach the park on a sealed road by way of the Lasseter Highway and Luritja Road. The parks commission's guide for staff, updated in November 2014, says that sealed drive from Alice Springs is about 450 km and takes about 4.5 hours on average. The park page names two other routes: it recommends four-wheel drive (4WD) on the gravel Mereenie Loop Road and says Ernest Giles Road needs 4WD. The guide says to plan the sealed drive or the Mereenie Loop so that late afternoon travel is minimal, because many stretches face the setting sun.

The park page says there is no accommodation within the park and camping is not permitted. It names three places to stay nearby: Kings Canyon Resort, Kings Creek Station and Kings Canyon Wilderness Lodge. Kings Creek Station says it is 36 km from the canyon. The resort says a guided tour of the canyon hikes leaves its reception daily except Monday, between 5am and 8.30am depending on sunrise. The tour takes about 3.5 hours, the resort says. If you plan to start from Alice Springs, our Alice Springs travel guide covers that end of the trip.

Sources for this section: PWCNT, Watarrka National Park page; PWCNT, guide for staff moving to Watarrka, updated November 2014; Kings Creek Station home page; Kings Canyon Resort, Canyon Hikes.