Gibraltar Peak is one of Canberra’s best day walks. The views from the top are sensational and the strange collection of giant boulders make the peak a fantastic place to explore. The walk to get there is also really pretty and was alive with kangaroos, butterflies and wildflowers.
The views from the peak might be lofty, but this isn’t a difficult walk. The climb is gentle and the path well manicured.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Gibraltar Peak walk.
The Gibraltar Peak Walk
The stats
Distance: 8km return walk
Elevation: 305m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Although the walk up to Gibraltar Peak does have some elevation gain, it’s generally quite gradual and the path is in great condition.
Although there are plenty of boulders to climb at the top, you can see wonderful views without doing so, scrambling is definitely optional. The walk took us just over two hours in total.
Starting the trail
Although there are a couple of routes to the peak, we started at Dalsetta car park, which marks the quickest route to the top.
You cross over the road and head along the open grassy path.
It’s completely flat at first and you’ll likely be joined by a number of kangaroos - we saw five within minutes, which is always a delight!
After a few hundred metres the track narrows and is a little more bushy, but continues to be flat and leisurely.
After 570m you’ll reach a junction and continue left towards the peak (it’s all well signposted).
You’ll continue along the grassland for roughly 600m more, before the trail heads into denser bush.
The climb begins
As you head into the bush, just over a kilometre into the walk, the track begins to climb. Up to this point it’s either been flat or so gradually uphill that you don’t even notice it.
Once in the forest, the path uses switchbacks, making it a lot less of an effort than it would otherwise be - which was very welcome as it was 31c when we visited. It’s a pretty trail through classic Aussie bushland and there was an abundance of wildflowers and butterflies, which definitely added to the beauty.
About 800m into the climb there’s a bench seat, but a further 200m later there’s a larger picnic table, which is in the shade and makes for a better place to stop.
This is also the junction with the longer route to the peak which begins at the visitor centre.
Heading into boulder territory
The climb continues and although there are a couple of tiny sections where the bush is trying to reclaim the path, it’s generally extremely well manicured.
The wildflowers continued and we were even lucky enough to spot a beautiful orchid - easily the biggest one we’ve seen in Australia so far.
You’ll begin to notice some giant boulders scattered amongst the trees, which is a taste of what’s to come at the top.
The path is a sandy track for most of the way, with the odd rock or stone steps and it continues to climb gently for the most part.
At the 2.8km mark you’ll see a couple of huge boulders on the right and you can climb them to get a great view out over the reserve and even as far as the Deep Space Communication Complex.
From here, the path starts to steepen a little and you’ll reach the first offical viewpoint 500m later.
It’s a railed lookout which offers some wonderful views, although it gets even better when you hit the peak.
Reaching the peak
From the lookout the track becomes a bit rockier. You’ll start by passing by some truly ginormous rocks which are really atmospheric.
There’s one section where you need to climb a few steps up a boulder, which is nice and grippy in dry weather - and there’s a rail installed if you need any extra stability.
You’ll pass more and more boulders and 3.7km into the trail you’ll reach a junction with the Gibraltar Peak Fire Trail.
From here your path heads left and you’re just 300m from the top.
The track is made up of stone steps and is more uneven, whilst still being pretty easy.
After 250m you’ll see a side trail off to the left which leads to a huge open view, it’s beautiful, with layers of mountains, dense forest and some open farmland too.
The giant rock shelf offers a great place to sit and relax, there’s plenty of room to spread out a picnic blanket and it would be hard to think of a better lunch spot.
The top of Gibraltar Peak
From here you can head a few steps back to the main trail and follow it slightly uphill for the last 50m to the top.
You’ll be greeted by crazy boulders, some of which are wedged precariously in-between others, making for a fun and unusual landscape.
I loved walking through the gap between two giants which almost had slot canyon vibes. If you love it too, then you have to head to Legoland (in Namadgi) next. It has the best boulder cavern we’ve ever seen!
After passing through the slot, you’ll emerge onto the other side of the peak and find yet more spectacular views.
This side feels more wild, with mountains and forest as far as the eye can see, nothing has been cleared which made it my favourite view of the trail.
It honestly blew me away how stunning it was up here and the boulders make it one of the more adventurous summits to explore.
You can climb some of the boulders, but any falls could be seriously nasty, so only try within your comfort zone - or not at all, as reaching the amazing views does not require any boulder scrambling.
Heading back
When you’re ready to head back you retrace your steps to the junction with the fire trail. From here you can either take the fire trail to make it a circuit walk, or head back down the bush track.
The first short section of the fire trail takes you steeply uphill. We started up this track and then abandoned it because I felt like the terrain would make for a slippery descent - unlike the bush track.
We also only had a little over an hour to get back to our car and drive it through the gates before they were locked at 8pm, so I wanted to make sure we could descend quickly and easily.
Our initial plan had been to watch sunset at the peak, but alas the gate closing time doesn’t allow for that in summer.
The winter opening times aren’t listed online during summer, so I couldn’t check if it’s possible at other times of year, but if it is then a sunset here would definitely be one to remember.
Getting to the Gibraltar Peak trailhead
You can begin the trail to Gibraltar Peak at the Dalsetta car park in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve - the route described in this post - or you can take a longer trail which begins at the visitor centre. Tidbinbilla is just under a 40 minute drive from Canberra, and the Dalsetta car park is just a little further into the reserve.
The reserve is not open 24 hours a day and the gate is locked each evening, so make sure you are out in time to avoid getting stuck. It’s open every day except Christmas day.
Entry for a one day pass is currently $14 per vehicle, but you can buy cheaper annual passes if you plan on visiting several times in a year.
Facilities at the Gibraltar Peak car park
There are pit toilets at the car park. If you want to use flush toilets you’ll find them in the visitor centre. Otherwise there aren’t really any facilities at the car park, please pack out all rubbish.
You’ll see loads of kangaroos at the car park and any rubbish left behind could be really harmful.
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