The Larapinta Trail is an extended

walking track A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

of Australia. Its total length covers from east to west, with the eastern end at

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

and the western end at

Mount Sonder Mount Sonder, or ''Rwetyepme'', its Aboriginal name, is the fourth highest mountain in the Northern Territory, Australia at . Mount Zeil is the highest at , to the west. Location and features Mt Sonder is west of Alice Springs along the Mac ...

, one of the territory's highest mountains. It follows the

West MacDonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an interim Australian bioregion broadly encompassing the mountain range, with an area of .< ...

, sometimes along the ridge line, other times on the plain below, in the

West MacDonnell National Park Tjoritja / West MacDonnell is a national park in the Northern Territory (Australia) due west of Alice Springs and 1234 km south of Darwin. It extends along the MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs. The popular extended walk, the Larapi ...

Notable attractions

A gum tree on the Finke River along the Larapinta trail, West MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia

Finke River The Finke River, or ''Larapinta'' (Arrernte), is a river in central Australia, one of four main rivers of the Lake Eyre Basin and thought to be the oldest riverbed in the world. It flows for only a few days a year and when this happens, its wate ...

Simpsons Gap Simpsons Gap ( Arrernte: ''Rungutjirpa'') is one of the gaps in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located 18 kilometres west from Alice Springs, on the Larapinta Trail. The gap is home to various plants and w ...

Standley Chasm Standley Chasm is a geological formation located west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. It lies within the West MacDonnell National Park Tjoritja / West MacDonnell is a national park in the Northern Territory (Australia) due west ...

* Ellery Creek Bighole *

Serpentine Gorge Serpentine Gorge is one of the gorges in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Australia's Northern Territory. It is located approximately 100 kilometres west of Alice Springs along the Larapinta Trail. It comprises two gorges created by a south flowin ...

Ochre Pits The Ochre Pits are a popular tourist destination in Australia's Northern Territory, approximately 100 kilometres west of Alice Springs along the Larapinta Trail. The pits consist of several layers of multi-coloured, layered rock that was traditi ...

Ormiston Pound Ormiston Pound is a ring of mountains in the Northern Territory of Australia punctuating the MacDonnell Ranges, in the West MacDonnell National Park, approximately west of Alice Springs.West MacDonnell National Park Fact Sheet, Parks and Wildlif ...

* Redbank Gorge * Glen Helen Gorge

History

The walk harbours many

Aboriginal sacred site Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

s of the

Arrernte people The Arrernte () people, sometimes referred to as the Aranda, Arunta or Arrarnta, are a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the Arrernte lands, at ''Mparntwe'' (Alice Springs) and surrounding areas of the Central Australia regi ...

, who have permitted tourists to visit the sites. The Larapinta Trail was the brainchild of Alan Ginns, who was a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

planner with the Conservation Commission of the NT in

from 1982 to 1996. The trail was a key component of the concept for the West MacDonnell National Park, also one of Ginns' initiatives. Ginns gained the

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

approval of the concept of the park and the trail, and was involved in planning and construction of the majority of the Larapinta Trail before he left Alice Springs in 1996. In the 1990s the walk was only half as long, with the section between Mount Sonder and Ellery Big Hole completed around 2000. The original Larapinta trail plan was to end at Mount Zeil on the Western end of the West MacDonnell National Park. The terrain from Mount Sonder to Mount Zeil being hard to access by vehicle for rescue operations, the trail stopped at Mount Sonder. The Northern Territory government advertises the walk as Australia's best extended walk, competing with

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Bibbulmun Track The Bibbulmun Track is a long-distance walk trail in Western Australia. It runs from Kalamunda in the east of Perth to Albany, and is long. It is managed by government agencies, and has a foundation. It traverses the Darling Range and has i ...

and

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Overland Track The Overland Track is an Australian bushwalking track, traversing Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It's walked by more than nine thousand people each year, with numbers limited i ...

and Western Arthurs track. In September 2006, Belgian adventurer

Louis-Philippe Loncke Louis-Philippe Loncke is a Belgian explorer, adventurer and motivational speaker. In 2008, he achieved the world first crossing on foot of the length of the Simpson desert, which was a North to South traverse passing through its geographical ce ...

walked without resupply from West of Mount Zeil to Alice Springs, walking off track and joining the Larapinta trail at Redbank gorge. On 16 August 2014, Jessica Baker and Meredith Quinlan set a new record arriving at the

Alice Springs Telegraph Station The Alice Springs Telegraph Station is located within the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Historical Reserve, four kilometres north of the Alice Springs town centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Established in 1872 to relay messages be ...

in 60 hours and 59 minutes, without crew and only the aid of drop boxes left at three locations en route. West MacDonnell National Park

Amenities

The trail is very well marked with kilometre posts (though often inaccurate) marking both the distance to the next campsite or section as well as the total length of the walk to go. There is a published leaflet that details the requirements and attractions of completing each of the twelve sections and notice boards at the transition of each section. These notice boards also show elevation graphs of the walk and alert walkers to potential dangers. There is a reasonable amount of water along the track, both naturally found and trucked in. There are only one or two places in which water cannot be obtained throughout the day, with frequent storage tanks. Signage suggests that all water should be treated by boiling it for five minutes or adding water treatment tablets. Some sections of the walk have long sections with no water tanks, meaning water must be carried with you. No fires are allowed along the walk.

Climate

During the summer months, temperatures along the trail can exceed leading to risk of heatstroke and dehydration. Most people walk the trail during winter when the days are cooler.

References

External links

Official website

Friends of the Larapinta Trail
Hiking and bushwalking tracks in Northern Territory