Kings Canyon (Watarrka National Park)

Kings Canyon cuts into the George Gill Range in the southern Northern Territory, its walls dropping more than a hundred metres of sheer red and cream sandstone to a narrow floor. The Rim Walk, a loop of about six kilometres, starts with a steep staircase climb that gets most of the effort out of the way, then follows the top of the cliffs through a field of weathered domes known as the Lost City. Partway round, a wooden staircase drops into a sheltered gully where cycads and gums grow around a permanent waterhole, a startling patch of green in otherwise dry country. The shorter Kings Creek Walk stays on the floor and ends at a platform looking up at the walls.

What you actually see

• The Rim Walk - the six kilometre loop along the top of the canyon walls.
• The Lost City - a field of weathered sandstone domes on the plateau.
• The Garden of Eden - a gully of cycads and gums around a permanent waterhole.
• Kings Creek Walk - the level track along the canyon floor to a viewing platform.

When to go

May to September is the sensible season. Even then the Rim Walk is best started at first light, before the sun reaches the exposed plateau. Rangers close the climb from 9am whenever the forecast is high, which happens often from October onwards, so a late start can mean not walking at all.

Honest expectations

The first climb is steep and relentless and turns some people back within ten minutes. There is no shade on the plateau and no water on the route. The canyon is a long drive from anywhere, accommodation nearby is limited and priced accordingly, and part of the connecting Mereenie route is unsealed and needs a permit.

Nearby

Uluru and Kata Tjuta lie to the southwest, with Alice Springs and the West MacDonnell ranges to the northeast.