Kings Canyon
Kings Canyon
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksCanyonsScenic Walking Areas
About
Located in Watarrka National Park, Kings Canyon known for its 100–meter-high sheer cliff walls. There are a variety of walks, the most popular is the Rim Walk which is a 3-4 hour walk with a steep start. Kings Creek Walk is a gentle walk at the base of the Canyon which takes about an hour. Please note that in hot weather where the forecast is to be 36 degrees celsius and above, there are access restrictions to some walks.
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  • soff01
    Brisbane, Australia147 contributions
    Go Buggu Riding at Kings Creek Station!
    Buggy Rides - Excellent, so much fun. We weren’t sure but I highly recommend this experience. It is a great way to see the area. Much better and safer than quad biking. Don’t wear white though, as you get putrid with the red dirt. If you’re on the fence about this, book it. The sunset ride includes canapes and champagne which was also delicious.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 17, 2023
  • HanselundGretel
    Winchester, United Kingdom63 contributions
    Breathtaking - an outstanding highlight
    It's even more breathtaking and special than the photos suggest. 15 hard minutes to get to the top. We were pretty fit and the day was cold so we did the walk without stopping very comfortably - took 2.5 hours. Every 20 steps, you have to stop and take a breath at the beauty - truly extraordinary. And definitely go down to the 'Garden of Eden' at the bottom halfway through the walk - it's worth it.
    Visited July 2023
    Written July 9, 2023
  • Swanky83
    6 contributions
    Rim Walk was spectacular
    Wow!! The 500 stairs at the start were a lot easier than I thought they'd be. I'm a low-moderate fit middle age lady (over 100kgs) and was up under 20mins. We walked the entire Rim plus the extra 1.2km to the lookouts and I thoroughly enjoyed this walk. We started at sunrise to beat the heat and were done just under 3hrs. The track is on very uneven rocky surface with lots of rock hopping and steep accents and some descents at times. We then had a bite to eat and completed the easy 2km Rim floor walk along the creek. Give it a go, you'll surprise yourself.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written August 25, 2023
  • epduffy26
    Sydney, Australia28 contributions
    An incredible day in the red centre
    We drove from Uluṟu to Kings Canyon for the day to hike the Rim Walk. We are so glad that we got up early to drive the 3 hours to get there. Take note that there is only 1 roadhouse to get petrol between Yulara (Uluṟu resort) and Kings Canyon. The lovely lady at the roadhouse in Curtin Springs saved us from disaster!!! Thank you!!!! The rim walk was incredible. Very hot, lots of flies, but we were rewarded with amazing views. It was comforting to see a few defibrillators along the path. The initial climb is hard, then it is reasonably easy. We saw lots of small children and even babies in backpacks/carriers. After the hike we had lunch at the Kings Canyon resort restaurant/ bar. There is nowhere else.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 7, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Pas Q
Adelaide, Australia62 contributions
Mar 2020
My wife and I took an AAT Kings tour from Ayers Rock to KIngs Canyon on 19 March 2020.
We did a 750km round trip to KC on a 40C day. The day started with a 4am pickup from the Desert Gardens Hotel (we were staying at the Emu Walk Apartments). The walk between the two hotels is short but is it so hard to make one solitary extra pick up?
Anyway our guides Dale, David and Jack were fantastic. They were informative about the agenda for the day and providing information about the region.
Our first stop was Kings Creek Station at 7am for breakfast. Now this is a working station out in the boon docks. The building where we had breakfast of eggs on toast, bacon and snags (or cereal) resembled a shearers meal room. So if you are expecting refined facilities then don't.
The Canyon itself, while an imposing landmark to the rest of the landscape, was a disappointment. It's not very big and the only activities are the rim or Creek bed walks. They only take 3 and 1 hours respectively. A long way to go for a couple of walks.
The best part of KC is to take a helicopter flight. You get a better perspective of the canyon and the thrill of a helicopter ride.
On our return we had a stop at Curtin Springs. I know Tour companies work in concert with other businesses, but surely a 20 minute stop at a run down budget motel with a "restaurant" is unnecessary.
Don't get me wrong, part of the charm of the day is to stop at remote places like Kings Creek station and Curtin Springs. I'm just reporting what we found so that travellers reading this review are fully informed.
My wife and I have done many 12-13 hour day tours around the world, but this one left us a little disappointed.
Written March 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trisstie
Adelaide, Australia468 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
The Kings Canyon is well set up to cater for all sorts of people with varying hiking capabities. There are clean toilets and shelters and good parking spots as long as you aren't there in peak tourist season. Free wi-fi is available at the main shelter near where the walks start. Drinking fountains are also nearby. The walks are well sign posted and can even accommodate families with young children. You need to be fit and confident to do the Rim Walk and if not, it is worth spending the money to do the helicoper ride over and around the canyon. That can be booked by phoning 08 89567873 or booking at their office just 500 meters up the road from the Kings Canyon Resort Reception entry point. Lovely walks with lots of beautiful stops along the way.
Written July 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gfox1946
Melbourne, Australia7 contributions
Mar 2020
Would like to highly recommend the Kings Canyon day trip with AAT Kings.
Our Driver and guide Aaron/Jacob made sure that first of all our Safety throughout the day was paramount,But made a huge effort to ensure that we all had a wonderful experience.Would think that all on our tour would have the same opinion as us.
Well done guys. You Definately get 10/10
Gayle and Lee
Written March 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julie1967_11
Adelaide, Australia111 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
Kings Canyon rim walk was fantastic. A highlight of our NT holiday. We bumped into Damien the Ranger who gave great updated guidance re use of drone by the regulations. He also told us about Priscillas Gap that is not marked. He was great. Wonderful personality and great advocate for all things Kings Canyon so a great asset for National Parks Service. We just finished the rim walk when he was the ranger doing the free creek walk at 3pm. This was great as well. Rim Walk is a must do!
Written June 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

aljoshaw
Caulfield, Australia68 contributions
May 2021 • Family
Brilliant place to visit - incredible rim walk with awe inspiring views. Lots and lots of climbing, both up and down, so it helps to have a bit of fitness. Glad we did it in winter because it would have been scorching and very challenging in summer. Great facilities, including water fountains, WiFi, toilets and emergency stations.
Written July 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian
Vancouver, Canada5 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We had a guide to ourselves as we scaled the 500 “steps” up the canyon wall to one of the summits. From there it was a exhilarating 3 1/2 hour walk around the canyon with a side trip down into the surreal Garden of Eden and back up again . All in all a most unforgettable lifetime experience before 9 AM when the temperatures started to climb into the low 40’s C! Between the 3 of us we went through 7 bottles of water and were truly exhausted at the finish. Then a kind gentleman in the parking lot was handing out slices of oranges which we gobbled done in gratitude after our adventure. I would highly recommend this trek but only to those in good physical condition. One of the high points in our discovery “ vacation “ of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand! Bye the way I am 73 and my wife is 65.
Written March 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Justin
64 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
Rim walk would be one of the best walks I have ever done. Did not want it to finish. Every corner was something knew. Memorials along the way confirm the need not to go too close to the edges (Google for illustrations of stupidly).

Took the Ernest Giles shortcut from Alice. Great road. No problems for a 2wd driven carefully (we were in our 4wd Haval H9
So trip was cruisy).

Splashed out on a spa room at the Canyon resort. At $546 for 2 nights a bargain .
Written August 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

justalittlebitocd
Melbourne, Australia410 contributions
Oct 2022
We only got to do the Kings Canyon creek walk due to high winds and a dust storm

The creek walk is really lovely. Beautiful rust coloured canyon walls as you gently hike along the side of the creek. Occassionally some rocks to climb over but mostly a paved or gravel path

It is worth working through the rocks to reach the end where there are a couple of platforms and a spectacular view of the peaks of the canyon (where the rim walk is)

FYI we are beginner overweight hikers and found this hike very easy
Written November 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonique Life
Australia2,521 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
This is honestly the best walk to date, if you are going to see Uluru make sure you stop here to do this amazing hike, do not miss it!The round journey for the rim walk is only 6 km, there is only one steep section to get up there and the rest is a rocky path full of amazing views that you will enjoy. Just take your time while doing it if you aren’t an experienced walker.

After you finish this you can do the river walk also, which is a quick 2 km inside the canyon.

“Jonique Life”
Follow our journey around Australia on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube as we highlight wonderful experiences and magical places you can add to your ever growing bucket list.
Written June 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Janine P
Red Deer, Canada2,527 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We were fortunate to walk the rim on a cool day after some rain so were able to go out between 11-2. The hike takes good fitness, strong ankles, and good endurance, but if you can do it, drive in to see it! Several AED and helicopter pick up spots. Do the extra walk in to lookout and garden of Eden. Final bit to parking lot was less scenic and we had to walk through the creek (which felt amazing on our feet).
Only wifi in area is in this car park.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Kings Canyon - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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