Hiking in Kosciuszko National Park
What can be said to be one of New South Wales' most beautiful national parks, Kosciuszko National Park is never short of hiking trails.
Apart from skiing and other snowsports, the prime activity to do in Kosciuszko NP outside the ski resorts/villages is hiking. As most of the park's rugged wilderness and pristine alpine landscapes can only be experienced by hiking, it is pretty clear why many choose to hike in the park.
Though the park has plenty of hikes, one notable trail (that's not really a "hike", as it's mostly on a boardwalk) is the Kosciuszko walk, attracting visitors from all over the world. At first, the name may not be the most appealing one, but the trail is the easiest way to get to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, which is the easiest of all the Seven Summits to climb – which gives you bragging rights that you've climbed one of the Seven Summits.
Fees and permits
Depending on the section you are hiking in, fees may apply. See Kosciuszko National Park#Fees and permits for the fees. There are no fees for individual hiking trails though.
Some trails don't have road access and sometimes the only way you'll be able to access them is via chairlift. This is not really a problem in Charlotte Pass or Perisher, but many hikes in Thredbo require you to take the chairlift up to the relevant top station. The chairlifts operate in Thredbo year-round, and passes can be bought on Thredbo's website.
Hikes
Thredbo and Perisher
By far, the most populous hikes to do in the Thredbo and Perisher district of Kosciuszko National Park include the Kosciuszko walk, the Summit trail and Main Range Track; three hikes that reach the summit of Mount Kosciuszko, with varying degrees of difficulty and preparation required. These are all covered in one itinerary article – see 'Mount Kosciuszko summit trails.
There are two other trails also covered in the article, Thredbo River trail and Dead Horse Gap trail. These don't reach the summit, but rather connect Thredbo Village to Thredbo Top Station without having to use the chairlift.
Other hikes in the region include:
Yarrangobilly
Yarrangobilly is not really associated with hiking or bushwalking as it’s better known for its caves rather than its walks. This is true for the most part, as there are rather few bushwalks travellers regularly walk, but what most are not aware is that there are several longer bushwalks that don’t leave Yarrangobilly, but just visit another scenic part of the district. Others are extensions of walks used to get to certain caves but are entirely forgotten about as the caves take the spotlight.
However, destinations in Yarrangobilly require you to bushwalk, as there is no road access. The most notable one of all is the geothermal pool, which requires you to go down a 700-metre steep trail, and some of the lesser-known/visited caves on the outskirts of the park.
- Yarrangobilly River walk. (coloured on map)
- Yarrangobilly Caves thermal pool walk. (coloured on map)
- Castle Cave walk. (coloured on map)
- Bluff lookout walk.
- Glory Farm walk.