Larapinta Trail Trek End To End... If you just want a summary

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Another Solo End to End Trek (Larapinta East to West) started 21st June and completed on 6th July 2021.

Entirely influenced by COVID-19 travel restrictions in Western Australia, I chose this as my longish distance trail for the year. Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory were classified as ultra low risk states and the Larapinta was the most intriguing. I was hesitant, the heat is not my friend and even in winter you can get hot days in the NT but I was up for it. Booked frequent flyer flights from Perth to Alice Springs with the intent of spending a couple of nights in Alice pre-departure then another week with a hire car post trek to drive to the Uluru region, Kings Canyon, Devils Marbles, etc. This report differs to my usual day by day purely because I am sooooo behind in writing up other trips I thought three parts and an overall summary would be better than nothing. As is usual for me there are many, many, many photos with the three parts- some with comments for additional info. Click through them- it's worth it! Feel free to rate them even!

OK- here's the summary....



Larapinta Trail Info 223km long over 12 main sections. Trail is quite well marked over a variety of landscapes and terrains including open valley and grasslands, razorback ridges, high ground, open and closed gorge, sandy and rocky riverbed and flat plains. The high point is Mt Sonder at 1379m with a total elevation gain of 7225m across the trail. There are 41 campsites along the Larapinta Trail, 34 of which are designated official campsites. There are no restrictions on where hikers can camp along the trail, however water and access is available at only some sites. There are varying types of shelters and lots of different surfaces upon where you can pitch your tent. The very best and most comprehensive website (IMO) can be found at https://www.larapintatrail.com.au/index.html. Absolutely fantastic resource.

My Experience

I don't think that you can quite appreciate the magnificence of this trail and the sheer power of the land until you're actually out there and walking. I am happy to mail you the spreadsheet that I used with final itinerary/gear list/costs (these include costs for 7 nights post trek travelling through The Red Centre)/contacts, etc).

But as a quick recap of my hike:

* I planned for 16 days- had a basic itinerary with the thought that it wouldn't be rigid. I did change up a few days and was very happy with how it all unfolded.

* Started from The Aurora Hotel, adding a nice 4km walk to the trail head at Telegraph. The Aurora was a really convenient base from which to start ($93.50/n booked through Qantas), the room was clean and functional and really well located to Woollies and Coles for fresh food stock up (bananas, mandarins, pears, yoghurt sachets, carrots, mini cucumbers, avocadoes, cherry tomatoes and cheese) to compliment my pre-prepped dehyd/vacced food that I had brought from Perth. No issues with bringing it across the WA/NT border. I had a night booked post trek so Aurora very happily stored my non-trek bags.

* Used the Larapinta Trek Trail Support Service (LTTS) - basic solo package at $360 including 3 resupply drops and pick up at Redbank post trek. Seamless transaction with good communication and no hitches. Also bought my gas from them. Recommended. https://treksupport.rezdy.com/catalog/290596/e2e-trek-packages

* Enjoyed the cafe at Standley Chasm. The kitchen, washing machine, clothesline and bathroom area were much appreciated. There is a hiker box in the kitchen if you are running low on anything, or conversely, want to donate anything - enjoyed the Pics peanut butter slug that I retrieved (thanks Lisa Andreatta!)

* The cafe at Ormiston was shut due to the 2 day Alice Springs COVID lockdown, my plan had been to buy lunch and dinner there but I always carry 1 emergency meal and had enough other leftover bits and pieces so it wasn’t dire straits. I hadn’t even contemplated this situation so I guess it underlines the importance of having a bit of spare food at any given time. * The shower demountable near the amphitheatre at Ormiston was excellent- super hot water, super clean toilets.

* Very lucky with the weather in terms of carrying extra water for dry/high camps, managed to keep it at about 4-4.5 L as my max amount to carry (I realise this is a very subjective decision based on what you know works for you). I had bought a S2S 4L carry bladder for this trip which was really great as my extra reservoir- I could have gotten away with a 2L but as I said the weather was in my favour. Minimum night T was -2.2 C, highest night T was 11C, mostly it was around 3C. Minimum day T was 13.7C, highest was 23C, mostly it was about 17C- PERFECT. I had one rainy night and 1 rainy day (glad I had a tent!!). * I hiked in Salomon Ultra 3 GTX trail shoes- I love them, they work well for me.

* Don’t forget some toilet paper, not all loos had any. Don’t forget hand sanitiser.

* USB ports worked in all of the shelters while I went through, although not all 4 ports at some, other people reported very slow charging at some spots, I think I was lucky- great cupboards! I hike a lot on the Bibb Track in WA and food often needs to be hung up or stored in a plastic box to prevent rodent infiltration- loved the cupboards!

* General busyness- up until Section 8 the trail was very quiet, many hours without anyone. From then there were initially quite a few larger private day hiking groups but this tapered off- I’m thinking due to the Victoria/NSW travel restrictions that came in. Busiest shelter/campsite was Serpentine Chalet where there would have been about 40 people in or close to the shelter (aaarggghh). Ormiston Gorge shelter/camping areas and the public camping/group tented area was also v busy - I think a lot of people were there waiting for Alice Springs to come out of their snap lockdown. Despite these spots the trail felt uncrowded and you can 100%!f(MISSING)ind places to camp if you’re keen for solitude.

* Favourite sites I camped at - Brinkley Bluff, Lookout and Hilltop the latter 2 was without pitching the tent, just sleeping on my mat- looking up into that huge night sky was awesome (so memorable).

* Sidetrips- did most of them as I had a good amount of time available- Serpentine Gorge, Ellery Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge were standout.

* Mt Sonder sunrise climb was divine, left at 0330 and was at the peak for the sky just changing. Had lots of clothes available to put on at the top. Great spirit up there.

* Flora/Fauna- exceptional wildflower season, gorgeous. The bird life was insane- so many flocks of budgies and zebra finch. Finke River and Ellery delivered with kingfisher, heron, raptors, shore birds, etc, etc. Alas, no wallaby or dingo sightings. 1 snake and 3 lizards.

* Favourite items that I took- hiking poles and my thermos (lightest I could get)- having hot water instantly during the day for coffee/soup/tea is fantastic.

* Stuff I didn’t use- bug spray, my compass and any of my first aid stuff (except the Panadol).

* Maps- I bought the 6 pack from the NT Parks Assoc (the non rippable ones) and enjoyed the additional info on them. I had the AllTrails app with the Larapinta downloaded- useful for the 3 times I went slightly off track- very slightly! The signage is very good in general, lots of markers.

* Difficulty- Some sections were very easy. Some sections hard. I had one stupid fall- it was at the end of a long day and I wasn't looking at my feet and tripped over my pole. Bruised a knee and a wrist but no major damage, tiny bit of blood from my grazed hands. The climbs with my 12-15kg backpack were arduous but obviously doable. As a short person the boulder climbs in the canyons required a fair bit of negotiating! I always wish that I'd exercised more in the lead up. Really enjoyed the physical challenge though . I think the fact that I had 16 days up my sleeve made it a comfortable and achievable trek, some days were super short allowing for a decent amount of rest. It is really dependent on the individual. Lots of people can bang it out in way less time.

All in all- 10/10, loved it. Enjoyed just about every minute.

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