Walking & Hiking Trails

Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty Summit

The most popular short (and steep!) walk in the Adelaide Hills runs from Waterfall Gully carpark around 8 kilometres east from Adelaide through Cleland Conservation Park to Mount Lofty Summit. The 3.8 kilometre trek passes cascading waterfalls, scenic gorges and lush fern gullies brimming with bush birds and wildflowers. At 710 metres above sea level Mount Lofty Summit at Crafers affords spectacular views of the city and coast beyond. It’s the ideal place to start your Adelaide Hills adventure to get your bearings and appreciate the elevation that characterises the region. There is a café and restaurant at the site, as well as a Visitor Information and Gift Shop. For those preferring a gentler walk we recommend the trail from Crafers to Mount Lofty Summit. Walking SA offers some good information about these and alternate routes to the summit.

Yurrebilla Trail

The Yurrebilla Trail is an interpretative bushwalking trail through the Adelaide Hills traversing some of South Australia's most spectacular and interesting landscapes and providing a link between national and conservation parks in the central Mount Lofty Ranges. The trail is 54 kilometres long and can be walked in its entirety in three days. Ranging from narrow single-person tracks to vehicle fire tracks, the Yurrebilla Trail passes many of the Adelaide Hills' top tourist attractions, including Waterfall Gully, the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, Mount Lofty Summit and Cleland Wildlife Park. It also visits or has connection to picturesque towns such as Summertown, Crafers and Norton Summit, as well as wineries, pubs and other attractions. There's also plenty of accommodation along or near the trail, ranging from bed and breakfasts to pubs and youth hostels. The Yurrebilla Trail connects directly with the Heysen Trail for 12 kilometres, joining between Mount Lofty and Third Falls in the Morialta Conservation Park.

Pioneer Women's Trail

At approximately 22 kilometres long, the Pioneer Women’s Trail between Verdun and Beaumont is designed for walkers mainly following country roads, laneways and bush tracks through a delightful section of the Adelaide Hills with historic homes, deciduous trees and native bushland. The Pioneer Women’s Trail honours the early European settlers from Hahndorf who supplied Adelaide with fresh produce at a time when most other foodstuffs had to be imported into South Australia.

National and Conservation Parks

Belair National Park features a series of shared use trails that are used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Cleland Conservation Park also has many fire tracks and shared use trails from which walkers can enjoy spectacular views of the Adelaide Hills and surrounds.

Heysen Trail

South Australia’s 1,200 kilometre Heysen Trail extends from Cape Jervis, on the Fleurieu Peninsula, to Parachilna Gorge, in the Flinders Ranges, traversing coastal areas, native bushland, rugged gorges, pine forests, vineyards, rich farmland and historic towns. It caters for both the serious backpacker hiking the entire trail and for walkers doing day walks along shorter sections. The trail runs through the Adelaide Hills, taking in places such as Mylor in the South, a detour to Hahndorf (be sure to explore The Cedars - home, studio and property of Sir Hans Heysen for many years), Mount George, Piccadilly, Cleland Conservation Park, Norton Summit, Morialta and Montacute Conservation Parks, Cudlee Creek, Chain of Ponds, and Mount Crawford Forest Reserve in the north. The Friends of the Heysen Trail provide detailed information on their website. The Heysen Trail is closed during the Fire Danger Season (November to March), with closure dates varying across the trail.

Amy Gillett Pathway

The 17 kilometre Amy Gillett Pathway is popular with leisure cyclists and families. Designed for cyclists, walkers and horse riders, the bitumen track follows an old railway corridor running from Oakbank  to Mount Torrens. Named in honour of champion Australian cyclist Amy Gillett, this family-friendly track is bitumen and mostly flat, with four loop trails taking in other points of interest.

Stay tuned for further developments including visitor infrastructure. This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.

Mount Barker Linear Trail & Laratinga Wetlands

The Mount Barker Linear Trail which runs around Laratinga Wetlands and beyond is also popular. Several trails and boardwalks wind around the peaceful wetlands near Mount Barker, through a broad range of native vegetation. Trails such as the ‘Chestnut Teal’, ‘Rosella’ and ‘Sacred Ibis’ are named after some of the local birdlife. There are also several bird-watching ‘hides’, a picnic and barbeque area, and an environmentally friendly toilet facility. The trails in the wetlands are also linked to the Mount Barker Linear Trail, an award winning seven-kilometre shared trail from Laratinga Wetlands to Keith Stephenson Park, following the local creek line.

Lobethal Bushland Park

Lace up your hiking boots, pack a picnic and head to Lobethal Bushland Park just north of the township of Lobethal in the central Adelaide Hills to discover one of the largest reserves of remnant bushland in the upper catchment zone of the Onkaparinga Valley. The park features two large reservoirs and tall stringybark forest with fern undergrowth, with hiking trail circuits departing from the trailhead near the carpark, building and picnic area. The park was severely impacted by the Cudlee Creek bushfire of December 2019 and has become an amazing example of regeneration. Not only is the natural environment bouncing back but there is fantastic new trail infrastructure. This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden

There are a number of tracks and trails at Mount Lofty Botanic Garden including the Lakeside Trail scenic loop around the Garden’s Main Lake, taking in a series of eight plant-themed artworks.

Kidman Trail

The Kidman Trail is a multi-use horse riding, cycling and walking trail that traverses 225 kilometres of roadsides, quiet farm routes, forest tracks and unmade road reserves from Willunga on the Fleurieu Peninsula to Kapunda in the Clare Valley. It winds its way through the Adelaide Hills from Kuitpo Forest in the south through Echunga, Macclesfield, Balhannah, Woodside, Charleston and Mount Torrens where it meets the Barossa. The Kidman Trail provides a sustainable, safe and scenic trail that highlights the natural beauty, cultural history and major points of interest along the Mount Lofty Ranges. It utilises existing tracks and trails through Forest Reserves and other accessible public land, quiet roads and unmade road reserves with trail markers indicating the route. The trail is proudly named after Sir Sidney Kidman, a prominent local pastoralist and horse breeder.

Tom Roberts Trail

The Tom Roberts Horse Trail Network is designed for horse riding and is also utilised by walkers and cyclists. This natural terrain multi-use trail network broadly spans from Cherry Gardens in the north, to Kangarilla in the south and Woodcroft in the west. Established through on-road linkages, road verges and unmade road reserves the network of trails features Adelaide Hills locations such as Cherry Gardens, Coromandel East, Clarendon, Scott Creek and Kangarilla.

Walking Tours

Stirling Self Guided Town Tour

Walking is such a joy in the beautiful town of Stirling. The free Stirling - Paths to Discovery app is a mobile guide to places of interest within walking distance of the Stirling main street. Nature lovers can venture to Woorabinda Bushland Reserve while history buffs can take a stroll through the village soaking up heritage and hidden treasures along the way. With easy to follow, self-guided tours complete with GPS-enabled route maps, the app (available via the Apple app store or Google Playstore) is your ideal companion for discovering Stirling on foot.

Guided Walking Tour of Hahndorf

Hahndorf Walking Tours offers leisurely guided walks exploring the unique village of Hahndorf. Step back in time to the settlement of Hahndorf and the life of the Prussian immigrants who came to South Australia to escape religious persecution. Walks are 90 minutes and approximately one kilometre long.