In brief:

• Canberra is a great city for hiking.
• This story explains where to hike in Canberra, how to prepare, and how to stay safe on your hike.

Canberra is a haven for hikers. There are few better ways to spend your weekend than with a walk through our beautiful bushland.

Here’s everything you need to know for your next hiking adventure:

Where to go

You can search Parks ACT to find a place to hike. The database includes over 100 parks that are a mix of nature reserves, national parks and urban parks.

Find a park.

A series of trail upgrades have recently been completed. This was to improve the resilience of the trails and to increase safety and enjoyment for users.

The tracks that have been upgraded are in:

• Canberra Nature Park - North
• Canberra Nature Park - South
• Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
• Murrumbidgee River Corridor
• Canberra Centenary Trail
• Namadgi National Park

See the full list of upgraded paths.

How to prepare

Before you head off your hike, it’s worth doing a bit of research and checking:

• what the weather forecast is for the day, it can get very hot and very cold!
• if the park you’re going to has opening hours
• if any alerts have been issued
• what the walk’s difficulty is. Check the Australian Walking Track Grading System.

Make sure you pack:

• water to drink
• food
• a hat and sunscreen
• suitable clothing, the weather can change very quickly in our mountain areas.
• printed maps, if you’re not confident in the route (remember you won’t always have phone reception or GPS signal). Detailed maps are available for purchase at the Namadgi and Tidbinbilla Visitor Centres.

Before you go, make sure to let someone responsible know:

• where you’re going
• when you expect to return
• what to do if you’re overdue.

Find out more about what to do before you go.

Read more about how to be safe in our parks and reserves.

Hiking in isolated areas

If you’re headed to an isolated area, it’s a good idea to be extra careful.

Some areas of the ACT have limited mobile reception. These include:

• Namadgi National Park
• Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
• Casuarina Sands
• The Cotter
• Uriarra Crossing.

You can hire Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) to help you out in isolated areas.

These handy little devices could help save your life if you have an emergency while exploring our beautiful bushlands. By activating the beacon, you will alert emergency services to your location with or without mobile or radio reception.

PLBs are an essential item for those looking to explore the bush, mountains or isolated areas in Canberra and are lightweight and super-compact, meaning there's no excuse not to have one!

PLBs are available to hire for up to two weeks. Visitor Centre staff will show you how to use them, so you can head off on your hike with confidence.

To book a Personal Locator Beacon, call:

• Namadgi National Park Visitor Centre on 02 6237 5307
• Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Visitor Centre on 02 6207 7921.

What about snakes?

In the ACT, snakes are most active from October to March. This is when they are likely to sun themselves (especially in the early morning) or go in search of food or water.

If you see a snake, here’s how to avoid being bitten:

• move away
• don’t try to touch or harm the snake
• be alert at all times
• wear trousers and enclosed shoes
• avoid walking through long grass
• don’t put your hand into hollow logs or rock crevices.
• Consider carrying a snake bite first aid kit (and know how to use it) when walking in parks or nature reserves.

Find out more about snakes, including first aid treatment.

Read more like this:

• Great Canberra walks to tick off your list
• Canberra’s top spots for sunrises and sunsets
• The Canberran’s guide to running

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