Lamington NP - Lost World Plateau and Black Canyon via Shooting Creek
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 14.03 mi
- Elevation gain
- 5,778 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Very difficult
- Elevation loss
- 5,778 ft
- Max elevation
- 3,798 ft
- TrailRank
-
55
4
- Min elevation
- 3,798 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- one day 8 hours 20 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2323
- Uploaded
- February 25, 2014
- Recorded
- February 2014
near Darlington, Queensland (Australia)
Viewed 8962 times, downloaded 174 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
There are a few routes to gain access to the Lost World. However, there is limited ways to create a circuit hike from Green Mountains that is not to long or does not cross private land. This hike has a bit of everything, great views from Castle Crag. A great elevated camp site with running water and a waterfall. Exposed ridge line accessing and leaving the lost world. Creek rock hopping up Albert River and a visit to my favourite and one of the remotest waterfalls in the Lamington, Thunder and Lightning falls.
I have trail notes on the route to the lost world camp in two past hikes I have posted on Wikiloc. Also in this hike I tried to follow a more direct route off castle crag to the Albert river but found a heap of lantana in the flat section at the bottom. Therefore I recommend following the route in past hikes and dropping into the Albert River upstream and following river down to the ridge up to the Lost World Razorback.
From the Lost World Mt Worendo saddle drop down steeply to the Albert River and rock hop upstream. 30min upstream you will find Red Rock Cutting. You can bypass this canyon high on the north side or you can waterproof your packs and wade about 30m and a compulsory 5m swim. Access to Lamington's graded track system is via Shooting creek and trail notes can be found in my Black Canyon Route.
Packs can be left at the base of Shooting Creek which we did and I forgot to take the GPS. The trip to black canyon adds an extra 3km and takes about 2 hours including a swim and pictures at the falls. There is no navigational issues, just rock hop up the creek.
NOTE: This hike is all off track and extremely steep and over loose ground. There many places to get lost which can lead to exposed cliffs. A sound knowledge of navigation in thick vegetation with a compass is necessary. DO NOT RELEY ON A GPS. Some of this hike is under cliff faces where GPS signal is useless.
Enjoy.
I have trail notes on the route to the lost world camp in two past hikes I have posted on Wikiloc. Also in this hike I tried to follow a more direct route off castle crag to the Albert river but found a heap of lantana in the flat section at the bottom. Therefore I recommend following the route in past hikes and dropping into the Albert River upstream and following river down to the ridge up to the Lost World Razorback.
From the Lost World Mt Worendo saddle drop down steeply to the Albert River and rock hop upstream. 30min upstream you will find Red Rock Cutting. You can bypass this canyon high on the north side or you can waterproof your packs and wade about 30m and a compulsory 5m swim. Access to Lamington's graded track system is via Shooting creek and trail notes can be found in my Black Canyon Route.
Packs can be left at the base of Shooting Creek which we did and I forgot to take the GPS. The trip to black canyon adds an extra 3km and takes about 2 hours including a swim and pictures at the falls. There is no navigational issues, just rock hop up the creek.
NOTE: This hike is all off track and extremely steep and over loose ground. There many places to get lost which can lead to exposed cliffs. A sound knowledge of navigation in thick vegetation with a compass is necessary. DO NOT RELEY ON A GPS. Some of this hike is under cliff faces where GPS signal is useless.
Enjoy.
Waypoints
Intersection
3,668 ft
Albert River Circuit TH
Intersection
2,589 ft
Castle Crag Lookout
Car park
3,079 ft
Green Mt
Campsite
0 ft
Lost World Camp
Campsite
2,454 ft
Lost World Mt Worwendo Saddle Camp
Summit
3,514 ft
Lam - Lost World Summit
Comments (4)
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Done today as per the description with zero dramas. Wildfires a couple weeks back cleared the forests from Mt Green to Albert river, making for a quick descent. LW Ridge was pretty dense to bush bash but otherwise worthwhile. Going up albert creek and black canyon was super scenic. Took us 11 hrs in a day.
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Very difficult
Did this over the weekend with a team mate. Steep descends and ascends in mid 30 degree heat was testing. Short pants meant that the lantana ripped my legs up and the same goes for my arms. I got stung by Gympie Gympie also. Pack meds & cream! Some nice rock scrambled but the hardest was uphill through open eucalyptus forest in the heat.
The lost world remote campsite was nice especially with the waterfall and access to water which I filtered through cloth before boiling. The next day will bring some welcoming shade from rainforest followed by more descent.
Black canyon was a real treat and the water was so nice and cold. Having to swim made it interesting and the help of my teammate meant that our packs stayed dry.
Ascending up from black canyon to get on trail was difficult after 7 hours on foot already and it was a serious relief upon sighting the border trail.
The last 5Klms back to O’Reilys seemed to take forever and I suggest camping at O’Reilys and head home the next day rather than driving that night.
Bummer you got ripped up from the lantana Chris. There wasn't any when we hiked it in 2018. Black Canyon was our saviour too with the heat. Nice work.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏