West MacDonnell Ranges

There is so much to see in the Alice Springs region that you really need to plan your route carefully. With a 4WD you get the opportunity to avoid backtracking and can reach all the major and lesser known sites over a comfortable 1 week period. If you are a particularly keen walker, photographer or artist you would certainly want to allow 2 weeks or more. Most sites have various tracks to explore ranging from easy walks of just a few hundred metres to overnight hikes. There are countless opportunities for soaking up the surroundings on foot but if you are in a rush, excellent bitumen roads links all the major attractions to within a day's drive of Alice Springs.

This route we describe here is 2WD accessible as it follows the bitumen Larapinta Drive out of Alice Springs passing John Flynns Grave, Simpsons Gap and Standley Chasm, then swings east on the Namatjira Drive to Ellery Creek Bighole, Serpentine Gorge, Ochre Pits, Ormiston Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge. A good dirt road continues the trek to Redbank Gorge, Gosse Bluff and Hermannsburg with a 4WD only diversion to Palm Valley.

2WD Accessible Sights (Walking tracks at all, camping at most)

The walking in the West McDonnells is excellent with quite a few choices depending on your level of fitness or temperature of the day. Walking close to some of the rocks can get incredibly hot in middle of the day, yet there are some gorges better visited at midday when the sunlight shines directly on the rocks and lights up the sheer walls with intense red colours (such as Standley Chasm).

TrekID: 40

Permits

None

Fuel Usage

Diesel	ULP	LPG
4cyl 42 litres	4cyl 48 litres	4cyl 60 litres
6cyl 46 litres	6cyl 54 litres	6cyl 52 litres
8cyl 46 litres	8cyl 49 litres

Best Time To Visit

Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Bighole, Serpentine Gorge, Ochre Pits, Ormiston Gorge, Redbank Gorge, Glen Helen Gorge, Gosse Bluff (Tnorala), Palm Valley and much more.

Where to Stay

Services & Supplies

No Services & Supplies available for this trek

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