Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty summit walk: Cleland National Park guide

The Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty summit walk is one of South Australia's most popular walking tracks, a steep sealed climb from the Waterfall Gully car park to the 727 m summit of Mount Lofty in Cleland National Park. National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia grades the track 4 and lists it at 4.5 km one way, with about 2 hours 30 minutes to the top. It suits walkers with reasonable fitness who can handle a sustained uphill climb, rather than anyone after a flat stroll or a pram-friendly track.

Cleland National Park sits on the shared boundary of the Kaurna and Peramangk peoples, who used these gullies as a meeting place and for trade and hold Dreaming stories connected to features of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The National Parks SA Cleland National Park page and the Waterfall Gully page carry the official track notes and current alerts.

Quick route overview

• Distance: 4.5 km one way (about 8 km return)
• Time: allow about 2.5 hours to the summit, or 3 to 4 hours for the return walk
• Grade: Grade 4 (hard)
• Route type: return (out and back along the same sealed track)
• Summit: 727 m, the highest point in the Mount Lofty Ranges
• Climb: about 450 m of elevation gain
• Terrain: sealed bitumen track the whole way, with stone steps in the steeper sections
• Start: Waterfall Gully car park, end of Waterfall Gully Road, Cleland National Park
• Access: sealed roads all the way to the trailhead; conventional 2WD vehicles fine

What to expect

The track leaves the Waterfall Gully car park and follows the creek up a forested valley past the First Falls, the largest of the park's waterfalls and at its best after winter rain. The surface is sealed for the entire climb, which is what makes the walk so popular with runners and fitness walkers, but the gradient is relentless. Stone steps carry the steeper sections, and benches are spaced along the way for a breather.

Lower down the walk passes through grey box, blue gum and stringybark woodland. Koalas and western grey kangaroos are often seen in the forest. The upper section leaves the creek line and switchbacks up toward the summit road, finishing on a boardwalk and formed path to the summit lookout platform.

At the top, the lookout opens out over the Adelaide Plains to Gulf St Vincent, and on a clear day the view runs across the city to the coast. The summit has an obelisk marking the high point, a cafe and gift shop, toilets and a car park. The same sealed track returns to Waterfall Gully. The descent is quick but hard on tired knees, and the surface is slippery after rain.

Safety and conditions

• Check the Cleland National Park page and the weather before you leave. The park is closed on days of Catastrophic Fire Danger and may also close on days of Extreme Fire Danger, and pest animal control programs close parts of the park at times through 2026 and 2027.
• Carry drinking water, particularly in summer. The climb is exposed to sun and heat for long stretches, and there is no water on the track.
• Wear sturdy footwear with grip. The sealed surface is slippery when wet, and the stone steps are uneven in places.
• Mobile phone coverage is patchy in the gullies. Save the park page and a map offline before you go, and tell someone your plan.
• The summit can be windy, cool and clouded while the car park is warm and sunny. Carry a warm layer and a rain jacket.
• Dogs and other pets are not permitted in Cleland National Park. Assistance dogs that meet National Parks SA's requirements are allowed.
• Wood and solid fuel fires are prohibited year-round. Gas and liquid fuel fires are only allowed in the designated areas at Waterfall Gully and the Cleland Wildlife Park car park, and not on total fire ban days.
• Swimming is not permitted at the base of the Waterfall Gully waterfall.

Practical tips

Entry and parking at Waterfall Gully are free, but fees apply to park at the Mount Lofty Summit and to enter Cleland Wildlife Park. The Waterfall Gully car park fills quickly on weekends, so arrive early or take public transport. Adelaide Metro bus services run from the city centre toward the summit and Cleland Wildlife Park area.

Waterfall Gully is about 8 km east of the Adelaide city centre, reached via Waterfall Gully Road off Greenhill Road. The trailhead has toilets, a picnic shelter, lookouts and the Utopia restaurant. The summit has toilets, a picnic shelter, lookout platforms and a cafe. There is no drinking water on the track itself.

The walk is most comfortable from late autumn to spring, when the heat is lower and the falls are flowing. Summer days can be hot and the bushfire risk is high, so start early or pick another walk on hot, windy days. Winter and spring are the best time to see the waterfalls at full flow and the fern-filled gullies fresh and green.

For a gentler route to the same summit, the Steub Trail (7 km return, Grade 3) climbs from Cleland Wildlife Park to Mount Lofty on a low-gradient surface designed for reduced mobility. The Adventure Hike (10 km, Grade 4) is a rougher loop alternative that joins the Waterfall Gully track near the top. The Adelaide Bushwalkers run regular walks in the Mount Lofty Ranges and across South Australia if you want company or local knowledge.

For other Australian summit walks on a similar Grade 4 track, the Bluff Knoll summit walk in Western Australia is a steeper climb to a higher peak, and the Mount Coolum summit walk on the Sunshine Coast is a shorter, rougher coastal summit with wide views.