If you’re looking for some of the best hiking trails in Australia, the Flinders Ranges are the place to go. We’ve walked all over Australia and the Flinders really blew us away. With deep red mountains and desert vibes, the scenery is just jaw-dropping.
The trails are a great mix of easy but beautiful, and more challenging with a touch of adventure. From hiking to the tops of jagged peaks, to wading through narrow slot canyons or visiting historic homesteads, there’s something for everyone in this beautiful part of South Australia.
Here are some of the best walks in the Flinders Ranges.
Flinders Ranges orientation
A quick note before we get going on the best walking trails - the area covered by the Flinders Ranges is huge. Some of these tracks are three hours apart, so for that reason we’re going to use the most popular part of the Flinders, Wilpena Pound as the anchor point and split our list into north of the Pound and south of the Pound.
You will drive through the southern part of the Flinders to get to Wilpena, so it’s worth stopping there on the way. We spent a few days there and it didn’t even feel enough time, so don’t skip it!
The best walks in the Flinders Ranges
1. Mount Ohlssen Bagge
Distance: 3.5km each way
Elevation: 408m
Difficulty: Hard
For our money Mount Ohlssen Bagge is the best hike in the whole of the Flinders Ranges. The views from the top are absolutely staggering and it’s a fun and adventurous trail, where’s there’s never a dull moment. It’s pretty steep for much of the way, and there are a couple of scrambles, but nothing too difficult.
The scenery is absolutely beautiful throughout, with deep red rock and desert vibes, that had us remembering hiking in Arizona.
It’s a relatively short walk for such incredible views, and can be squeezed into just a couple of hours, making it a must do for anyone who doesn’t mind a steep climb and fairly rough terrain.
The trail is very exposed so if you’re hiking during the warmer months, it’s better to go early or late.
You can read our full trail guide here.
2. Tanderra Saddle, St Mary Peak
Distance: 18km loop (although there are shorter versions)
Elevation: 522m
Difficulty: Moderate - Hard
Although technically speaking there’s a trail all the way to the top of St Mary Peak, the peak is a sacred site for the local Adnyamathanha people and they ask you don’t go beyond the saddle.
It’s still a fabulous walk without the saddle, and you still get great views. It’s a long circuit with lots of variety to keep your interest throughout. You’ll start with a long leisurely stroll through the forest to warm up, before a short sharp climb to the saddle on a rocky track. There’s one scramble that is a little exposed, but otherwise the trail is rough, but not slippery or difficult.
The descent is a dream with a long sloping saunter to the base of Wilpena Pound, surrounded by mountains and teeming with wildlife. You’ll then pass the historic Hills Homestead, before a relaxing walk back to Wilpena Pound Resort.
It’s a truly fantastic hike, with around 10km of trail which is so easy going that you can almost go into a meditative state, there’s no need to watch your feet, and can instead enjoy the sights and the sounds of this beautiful part of the Flinders Ranges.
You can read our detailed trail guide here.
3. Rawnsley Bluff
Distance: 10km (shorter than the sign posts said)
Elevation: 481m
Difficulty: Hard
Rawnsley Bluff is another steep hike up to some incredible views. It’s a bit more like Mount Ohlssen Bagge in that it’s quite steep from early on and continues to be so most of the way to the top.
The views are spell binding throughout and if you need to stop for a breather you see just how gratifyingly high you’ve climbed in a short space of time. There’s a great flat area at the top which makes a lovely picnic spot, looking out to the Chase and Elder Ranges.
Roughly 1km of the track is basically pure rubble, it’s not too bad going up, and although it wasn’t as slippery as I feared going down, it was still trickier than any other section of walk on any trail on this list. Don’t let that put you off though, I am generally speaking a pretty nervy descender!
You can read more in our detailed trail guide.
4. Arkaroo Rock
Distance: 3.1km return
Elevation: 110m
Difficulty: Easy but not entirely flat
Arkaroo Rock houses an incredibly well preserved collection of Aboriginal rock art. The site is thought to be 5000 years old and is a place of great significance to the Adnyamathanha people. Although the art is the main draw, the scenery is fantastic and the trail is worth doing in and of itself. If you time your visit around sunrise or sunset you’ll be in for a real treat with the light.
The mountains of Wilpena Pound glowed a deep red and the sky was breathtaking. It’s also a good time to spot wildlife, and we saw our first Euro (Wallaroo) within just a few minutes.
It’s an easy walk, which takes considerably less time than the signs suggest. We walked up to the rock an hour before sunset, sat on the bench and admired the art for a while and then headed partway down the trail to a large rocky area to watch the sunset (it was actually a reverse sunset but was every bit as beautiful as if we’d been facing the right direction!).
You can read our full trail guide here.
5. Hills Homestead
Distance: 3km each way (6km total)
Difficulty: Easy
The walk from Wilpena Pound Resort to Hills Homestead is a very easy stroll, and is perfect for when you want to get out into nature, without taking on one of the more exerting hill walks.
The trail is shaded by trees for much of the way and it has a wonderfully peaceful feel about it. It’s completely flat, and partially follows the route that the shuttle bus takes, for people wanting to get into the Pound without walking too far.
Don’t let that put you off though, the shuttle does not run often and the scenery is beautiful, and it doesn’t feel like a road.
Although you can’t go inside the homestead, there are lots of information panels explaining some personal stories of the people who lived there in the 1800’s, which really brought it to life for me.
You can continue the flat path into the Pound if you feel like extending the hike a little. If you do, you’ll be standing on the valley floor surrounded by mountains, and probably heaps of kangaroos too!
Alternatively you can walk 500m each way from the homestead to the Wangara Lookout, which offers panoramic views of the inside of the Pound.
As a side note, you’ll walk this trail if you plan to do the Tanderra Saddle circuit.
6. Boom and Bust Loop
Distance: 2.5km
Difficulty: Easy
The Boom and Bust Loop is an easy circuit walk through shady forest, which also gives you a little education on the flora and fauna of the area, and how it is affected by rain and drought - the boom and the bust.
It’s supposed to be a good trail for spotting emu, and whilst we sadly didn’t get lucky, I expect we were walking at the wrong time of day. Dawn and dusk are always the best time for wildlife watching and we were hiking late morning.
I really enjoyed the informative aspect of the walk, and it’s nice to read about the area in situ, rather than in a book later on.
As well as the very pretty forest, at points you also get wonderful views of the red mountains making up the walls of Wilpena Pound.
You can add the Boom and Bust Loop onto the Mount Ohlssen Bagge hike, which doesn’t add on much distance at all.
The Southern Flinders Ranges
7. Alligator Gorge Ring Route
Distance: 10.2km
Elevation: 380m
Difficulty: Moderate when dry, moderate - hard when very wet
The Alligator Ring Route is a wild and sometimes remote feeling hike around the gorge, with no set route for around a quarter of the way. We hiked when much of it was under water and we made a big mistake for the first couple of kilometres.
We tried to rock hop to save getting our boots wet, and it made the whole thing quite unenjoyable, not to mention slow going.
Our advice is to get in the water immediately, it’s so much more fun, and of course quicker. Everyone who started this walk with us turned back because of the water and lack of signage. To be honest you can’t go wrong with the directions, you’re just walking through the gorge, taking the route of least resistance.
You’ll then have a fairly lengthy section through the bush, and along fire trail before reaching our favourite bit, The Narrows. A truly magnificent slot canyon and the most fun part of any walk we did in South Australia - and we love the hiking trails in SA!
We’ve gone into more detail below for people who don’t want to attempt the full Ring Route.
You can read more in our detailed Alligator Gorge guide.
8…..or just The Narrows
Distance: 1.1km each way (2.2km total)
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
This short walk absolutely blew us away. We had no idea South Australia had been hiding a magnificent slot canyon which reminded us of Utah!
If you only have time for one short track in the Southern Flinders, make it this one. In fact, even if you hadn’t been planning anything at all in this area, stop here on your way to Wilpena Pound, you won’t regret it.
I think we got lucky with the recent heavy rains so the canyon had pretty deep water, but even bone dry it would be a beauty. We saw some people turn away when they saw the water, what a mistake!
It’s so much fun to slosh through and really adds a childlike thrill to the whole thing. Our advice if it’s wet is to just get in straight away, your boots feel horrible for just a minute or so and then you’re completely used to it and it won’t bother you.
If you just intend to walk The Narrows part of Alligator Gorge, you’ll just descend one set of staircases, head into the canyon, walk through and then turn and walk back the same way.
It’s by far the most magnificent bit of Alligator Gorge. It’s pretty easy but just watch for rocks under your feet if the canyon is submerged.
9. Devils Peak
Distance: 2.8km return
Elevation gained: 265m
Difficulty: Moderate
The Devils Peak is a short walk with a big pay off. There are views of Port Lincoln in one direction and the Flinders Ranges in the other.
It’s pretty much uphill all the way to the top, on a mix of rocky trail, and some rubble. It’s a fun track which involves some walking on slick rock, and one scramble to get up to the very top.
It gives it a slightly adventurous feel, whilst still being in the realms of possibility even for casual walkers. Whilst around 50% of people, myself included, stopped at the scramble before the peak and asked those who’d done it for advice, not one person couldn’t get up.
It would be a wonderful walk to do at sunrise or sunset, which was our original intention but didn’t quite pan out. The descent is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be when I was climbing up. It’s not slippery and reasonably grippy throughout.
You can read out full trail guide here.
The one that got away
10. Dutchmans Stern
We couldn’t make a list about the best walks in the Flinders without mentioning Dutchmans Stern, I’d been really looking forward to this hike but sadly when we visited it was closed for pest control.
We’ll be back for it one day but in the meantime, we didn’t want you to miss out. This 10.6km circuit track is said to have incredible views and a hiker we met on The Ghan said it was their favourite trail in all the Flinders.
Although you do climb up to a great viewpoint, we’re told it’s not as steep as some of the other walks on this list and it’s also known to be great for wildlife watching.
Where to stay in the Flinders Ranges
Wilpena Pound Resort
We stayed in Wilpena Pound Resort and were very happy with it. We were in the cheapest rooms which were very dated but large and clean. Rooms with a kitchen would be ideal if you’re staying a few nights because food options in the area are extremely limited.
Check the latest prices and reviews on:
Rawnsley Park Station
Rawnsley Park Station has good reviews and a wide range of rooms from basic up to fancier villas. We heard good things about it from others but didn’t get a chance to experience it for ourselves. Their restaurant has very good reviews but can be hard to get in to (we couldn’t).
Check the latest prices and reviews on:
Essential information about hiking in the Flinders Ranges
Summer hiking trail closures
Some of the more strenuous hiking trails around Wilpena Pound close during the summer months, exact dates can vary but it tends to be between December and February. For the hikes we have listed in this post it affects St Mary Peak and Mount Ohlssen Bagge. As I had heard that they sometimes close trails in November I emailed Wilpena Pound Resort before booking to check the exact closure dates for this year and it was December 1st. I’d recommend emailing them to check if you’re planning a visit close to summer.
Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park entry fees
To enter the Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park which covers most of the walks we have listed here, you need to buy a parks pass.
You can buy daily tickets which are $12.50 per vehicle, or you can buy a two month SA parks pass which is what we did as we knew we would be in and out of the parks for a couple of weeks, that pass is $50. You can also buy an annual pass which costs $112 which covers all SA parks or one solely for the Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park which costs $75.
As there are so many choices and prices might chance, you can check out all the options and book the passes here.
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