Mount Rufus Circuit
19.2 km
Circuit
6 h, 9 h 30 min to 2 days
Starting behind the Visitor Centre at the end of Lake St Clair Road, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, this circuit walk takes you to the summit of Mount Rufus via the Watersmeet, Mount Rufus and Shadow Lake tracks. This long walk takes in a variety of vegetation types, including myrtle beech, tall eucalypt woodlands, snow gums, alpine heath and grasslands. Summiting Mount Rufus (1416m) provides panoramic views of the Tasmanian Central Highlands. Follow the Watersmeet Track for about 400m until reaching the Mount Rufus Track junction. From here, it's about 7.5 km to the summit. The track leads directly ahead to the mountain ridge, through sub alpine snow gum forest. On a clear day, the summit provides sweeping views over Lake St Clair, Mt Olympus, Frenchmans Cap and the headwaters of the Franklin River. The walk returns down the ridge line that tracks north towards Mt Hugel, and then through Richea Valley (named after the Richea pandanifolia, a tall palm-like plant that grows here). On the other side of the valley the track goes by the edge of Shadow Lake, where you can take a side trip to Forgotten Lake and Little Hugel, or continue back to Lake St Clair. There is also a campsite near Shadow Lake for you to rest. This is a challenging walk, with steep climbs and some rough terrains. A large section of the return is on boardwalks. With an altitude of 1416m, Mount Rufus is sometimes subject to severe weather, so come prepared. Let us begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we travel today, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
Highlights
Views
Environment
Natural
Transport options
To start
Car
