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Tread lightly during the climbs and plenty of kangaroos will come to play as well!


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Map Key

6.8

Miles

10.9

KM

89%

Runnable

854' 260 m

High

83' 25 m

Low

1,008' 307 m

Up

1,007' 307 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

28%

Max Grade (16°)

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Open 8am-5pm daily. $12 entry fee per vehicle applies.

Overview

Nestled just north of Perth is Walyunga National Park, a beautiful national park with car parks resting on the Swan River and plenty of native wildlife from birds to very confident kangaroos. This run is a great leg workout on the climbs, and rewards you with beautiful sights from the top and all around.

Need to Know

Being a National Park, $12 per vehicle parking fees apply. Bring water/sunscreen as there isn't a lot of shade either. There are supplied picnic benches and BBQ's, making this a great place to stop at the end with friends and have some lunch.

Description

This run starts in Walyunga National Park. It is a nice, easy trail to begin with, following the banks of the Swan River. It is a nice, easy grade and more singletrack. Following the markers is a simple exercise, and they are clearly placed. Being mostly straight, it's quite easy to follow.

Eventually, you turn away from the river and head into the first climb. This is where you'll cover most of the elevation change on this trail. It's a long, fairly steep climb the whole way up, but with a few flat spots where there is plenty of time to stop and have a look as the valleys below open to you. This area is extremely serene except for the infrequent freight trains that move through the area.

The trail then begins to turn to the right, but the climb continues. Eventually, you reach a crest and a steep downhill. From here, you get panoramic views of the area from the hills behind to the granite outcrops in front. If you have tread lightly, you may also find that a few kangaroos have hung around in the bushes to greet you.

Upon beginning again, the descent is short-lived as you then begin to climb back up another hill. As with most of the hills here, there is good grip, but be cautious of the loose rocks around that can cause an issue. As you reach the top of this hill, you traverse the top of this hill for a while, the only blip being a house on your right that's been recently built. Other than that, there is plenty of bush and more panoramic views. This fairly level section is much welcomed after the long climbs before.

As you begin to go to the left, you'll see another short, steep hill. This is the last major climb on the run and leads you to the highest point of Walyunga National Park where you can see a bush fire lookout platform which is sadly not equipped for runner usage.

As you begin to descend once again, you eventually meet up with a short section tied in with the Pilgrim Trail in Perth's North. From here, the trail becomes a lot easier, utilizing wide fire trails and slightly more hard packed surface.

It's at this stage that you'll start to notice how much the Australian bush can really change in a short space, as this area is much more level and thick with greenery.

As you follow this final section, predominantly downhill, you get to truly enjoy the views once again as the valley opens before you. Eventually, this trail meets with where you started. At this stage, follow the river back to the car park, but the sign can be easy to miss.

Flora & Fauna

Plenty of native fauna, birds, and kangaroos a plenty!

History & Background

Aboriginal Heritage Walk.

Contacts

Shared By:

Luke Reed

Trail Ratings

  4.0 from 1 vote

#4341

Overall
  4.0 from 1 vote
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Recommended Route Rankings

#22

in Australia

#4,341

Overall
6 Views Last Month
510 Since Dec 11, 2016
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Photos

Dense grasses and somewhat-spartan trees pepper the landscape around the Echidna Trail.
Dec 11, 2016 near The Vines, AU

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