Last week Lisa Martin asked for your suggestions for new Canberra hiking trails to test out. In the first of her trail reviews based on reader recommendations, she tries the Square Rock trail in Namadgi National Park.
With clear and sunny skies over Canberra on the weekend, it was ideal weather for heading down to Namadgi National Park to try the Square Rock hike.
The starting point is easy to find off Corin Road. It’s located on the right just past the Corin Forest Mountain Retreat with clear signage pointing to the carpark.
From there you follow the road for a few hundred metres before crossing Corin Road, signing the bushwalking register and starting the gentle incline up.
I found this walk very easy. There are only a few sections with steps, otherwise it’s an easy hike up to stunning views (my photos don’t do the view justice). I was hoping for a slightly steeper climb to train for a few hikes I plan to do in Norway in a couple of months, but I know there are plenty of options around Canberra to get a more challenging hike in.
It took my friend and me just under an hour to make it up to the top. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow.
Once you reach the top, there’s a convenient ladder to help you get onto the rocks and to the cliff edge. The top of the hike is similar to Gibraltar Peak, lots of big boulders with views over the reserve. There’s plenty of room to sit down and relax after the hike.
The views are spectacular and we spent a bit of time up there simply admiring the view and then climbing up the boulders.
Overall the hike is 9km return from the carpark. To make it a bit longer, there are a few trails off the main hike. We went and had a look at the Orroral Lookout – an extra one kilometre return. The view isn’t very clear from there but it will extend the hike slightly to burn a few more calories! We spent about two-and-a-half hours on the trails but spent a fair bit of time at the top.
We saw a few people on the hike, so while it seemed quite popular once we were there, I’d never heard of it until one of our readers mentioned it. It definitely made me keen to research more of the hikes in Namadgi National Park and tick them off one by one.
This hike is definitely recommended for those keen on exploring around Canberra and hiking, and is an easy one to do.
If the clear and sunny weather continues next weekend, I’m aiming to head up to Booroomba Rocks, also in Namadgi National Park, or maybe Camel’s Hump in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve – both suggested by RiotACT readers.
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