Cradle Mountain National Park is a must-do if you’re in Tasmania and like hiking and/or wildlife. We visiting in February 2025 for a day and had an awesome day. We were staying in Launceston and we weren’t sure how much ground we would manage to cover, so I thought I’d write a quick blog in case it helps anyone else.
When to go
We went at the start of February and the conditions were perfect for hiking. I think this is really down to personal preference but we prefer cool, calm days for hiking in general. If it was wet, or the visibility was poor, we wouldn’t have done the trails we did.
Do I need to book anything in advance?
No, and it is better not to. You want a clear day to make the most of the park.
Staying vs driving
The beauty of staying in Launceston and driving is we didn’t have any fixed date to go. I would recommend this approach, or staying a few days in the area. I wouldn’t want to limit myself just in case of poor weather. Cradle was a highlight of our trip and I would hate to have missed it.
We were staying up near Cataract Gorge and it took us around 2 and a half hours to get to the Cradle Visitor Center. We set off from home around 6am on a weekday, dodging all the traffic. As the roads towards the backend of the journey are a bit windy, it took us slightly longer than Google Maps suggested (a common theme for us in Tasmania despite growing up on back-country lanes).
It’s worth noting that fuels options near the National Park are limited so I’d recommend filling up before you get out into the sticks.
What do I need to take?
From what I’ve been told by friends and family, Cradle is a ‘plan for anything’ kind of situation. We each had a backpack with 3l of water, plus lunch and a stack of nut bars. We also had various layers of clothing just in case the weather turned. Good hiking boots are a must too, you need a good vibram sole or similar.
Is cradle mountain hard?
Yes – it is not for the faint of heart. We do a lot of hiking, including multi-day hikes, and I found this hard work. This wasn’t because of the actual walking but there are sections which are more akin to climbing. There were definitely a few sections where I questioned my choices! My husband is a pretty good climber so it was great to have him on hand to figure out the best routes to take.
If you aren’t a very strong walker, Marion’s Lookout would be my recommendation.
Can I join up multiple trails?
100%. We started at the visitor center and got the bus to near dove lake, from here we headed towards Marion’s lookout (taking a wrong turning so adding an extra 30 minutes on…). We then went from Marion’s up to the summit of Cradle, and returned via the horse track. I recon this took around 7 hours in total. We are usually quite speedy, but we do like to take breaks and enjoy the scenery too.
If you aren’t sure on which tracks to do, ask the Rangers at the visitors center. They are super helpful and know the terrain incredibly well.
Does the park close/ do I need to be back by a certain time?
The buses stopped running in the early evening when we were there so it’s important to check the timetable. As I understand you can still get out after this but you’ll have a fairly boring walk up the road to get out.
You can find details about the shuttle bus here.
Do I need a parks pass?
Yes, but you’re standard Tasmania Parks pass won’t cover the shuttle bus so you’ll need to buy one at the visitor center. You have to take the shuttle bus unless you arrive into the park before the shuttle bus starts. In this instance you can get out at any time and don’t need a shuttle pass. Please do double check this as we didn’t do this, but a friend told us about it.
https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/know-before-you-go/park-passes-and-entry-fees
Final tips
Watch for wildlife! We saw wombats and echidnas at the end of the day – one while walking and one while driving home so do be alert and watch out for them.
