Castle Rock

GPS Tracks

425 Castle Rock (GPX)

Panoramic views from Castle Rock are breathtaking including The Pyramids and Mt Norman.

Officially rated Grade 4/Hard, this walk requires a moderate fitness level, some scrambling skills and confidence with heights.

Bird Watching

Picnic Facilities

BBQ

Toilets

Scrambling or Climbing

No Dogs Permitted

Camping Permitted

Eucalypt Forest

1082m

Maximum Elevation

170m

Total Climb

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Getting there:

Girraween NP is situated approximately 260km by road south-west of Brisbane. To reach the park, turn off the New England Highway 26km south of Stanthorpe or 30km north of Tenterfield onto Pyramids Road. The winding bitumen road continues a further 9km east through the Wyberba Valley to the park's Information Centre and day use picnic area.

An alternative road from Stanthorpe to Girraween via Eukey and Storm King Dam has some gravel sections.

Maps:

Girraween National Park

Route/Trail notes:

Walk up through Castle Rock Camping area to the top where the track is well marked and passes through a variety of vegetation types to the base of the rock. The final section is along exposed granite that circles the rock to the summit with the last section through a crevasse to the top. From the summit you get a great view around Girraween's many peaks.

As with all of Girraween's granite it can become very slippery when wet and should not be attempted in damp conditions. The walk is also quite exposed so be prepared if you're wary of heights.

Return by the same route.

Other References/Comments:

With so many bushwalking options in the park, why not take advantage of the excellent camping facilities at Castle Rock.

This walk is often in conjunction with The Sphinx and Turtle Rock which adds an extra 3.7km to your walk.

GPS Tracks

425 Castle Rock (GPX)

Comments

New Year’s Day walk. So beautiful. Scrambling isn’t too bad.
pulsade on 1 Jan, 2024

Getting to the face of the rock was the easy bit. From then on it is a scramble and a precarious walk across the exposed granite to the top. Fantastic views and well worth the effort.
F.A.B. on 1 Jun, 2023

In my opinion the best panoramic view in the park due to its position in the center.
Wanderlust on 1 May, 2023

With Italian adventure-seeker Lucia :)
Eleasa on 14 Aug, 2022

Well marked trail. Lots of steps, but these are broken up by short flattish sections to give you a breather. While the challenge of the Pyramid is its steep rockface, I found Castle Rock more interesting, with a few narrow passages to pass through, folds in the rock to ascend and short scrambles using hands. The ledge section others have mentioned was extremely accessible - wide footpad and basically flat. There's a curved drop off to your left but that's several metres away. Might be heart-stopping in wet weather but on a fine day like we had today it was no problem. Views from the top are sensational. The plant-life is also quite different here than the northern walks. Took us 2hrs 10min with lots of stops for photos.
Steph T on 30 Jul, 2022

Did this walk on the return trip from Turtle rock. Unbelievable views! Definitely, a must-do.
Jose on 1 Jul, 2022

Completed this along with the Sphinx and Turtle Rock today. More challenging than the Northern Circuit but the way back is mostly downhill which was nice. The Views from Castle Rock are worth the effort.
Bobbe on 11 Feb, 2022

A few challenging moments walking along the side of the rock to get to the top, but once on the top it’s pretty easy.
Olwyn on 30 Oct, 2021

Breathtaking 360 degrees views of Giraween NP from the top. Not a hard walk but a small section on an exposed ledge just before the very top which is a little bit daunting
So cold & windy at the summit- like being on top of the world!!
JulesD on 15 May, 2021

What a gorgeous sun-drenched day ☀️
Dramatic landscapes all around with a gazillion boulder formations everywhere. The panorama at the summit was insane and IMO better than the Pyramid (because we had it to ourselves). We had lunch in the shade overlooking the national park and it was so so lovely.

🦎 A handful of Cunningham skinks, and a whole bunch of other lizards and skinks
🌼💐 Cool flora spots: We're at the tail end of the flowering season I think but there's still some around. Wattles, a field of flannel flowers, isotomas, yellow buttons, flax-lilies, daisies in an assortment of colours, granite bluebells everywhere.
:) on 19 Jan, 2021

A very fun hike! It’s longer but easier than The Pyramid, especially the rock scramble part. Personally I love the views from the top better. If you go in the summer, go very early in the morning to avoid the heat and wear shoes with good grip. We had the trail to ourselves which was amazing. Highly recommended.
Darcy P on 6 Dec, 2020

Beautiful area for hiking with a number of different walks. Camping ground well maintained
Kel on Oct, 2020

A nice walk. Did it on the way back from the Sphinx and Turtle rock. It wasn’t as hard as the pyramid but it has better views in my opinion, since it is higher in elevation and it is in the centre of the park. It was great fun!!
0zzyDave1234 on 29 Sep, 2020

Day trip to Girraween to complete some hikes with Danielle. Completed Mt Norman first, followed by Castle Rock then Sphinx and Turtle. Awesome geology and a great walk with some steep inclines. 17.8km in total with a stop for lunch at the top of Mt Norman. Castle rock was my fave.
Sarah on 14 Aug, 2020

Such an enjoyable hike. It had a bit of everything, culminating on scrambling up the top part. There had been drizzle overnight, so you really had to watch your step. Great views from the top.
Nick.b on 10 Jul, 2020

This was a very worthwhile sidetrack on our way to Mt Norman. The track up has some fun yet easy scrambling sections. My favourite part is up on the top there is a deep crack in the rock and you have to jump from one side to the other if you want to get the best vantage point. Nice central location for checking out all the main attractions in Girraween, definitely recommend.
Vonsnrub on 6 Jun, 2020

Very nice views of the pyramid, turtle rock and mount norman from the top, bit exposed in some areas but not as much as the pyramid, still would advise against doing it in the rain.

The walk in was pretty boring, could see the devastation of the recent bushfires on the landscape, couple of fallen trees expecting more after more trunks start the decay , but happy at the same time to see the forest recovering.

Follow the white markers! and wear grippy shoes.
Wai on 22 Mar, 2020

Chose a very windy Winter day but luckily the wind was on our side pushing us into the rock face.
JayWalker on 11 Aug, 2019

Had perfect weather for this walk and viewed the partial lunar eclipse from the track. The track is well marked. I found one steep section towards the top of the climb particularly challenging. The 360 degree views over Girraween National Park made the scary bits of the climb worth it. Good vantage points to see The Sphinx, Turtle Rock and The Pyramid. Two superb lyrebirds crossed our path which was exciting. Fires went through this area in February 2019. There is new growth appearing from the burnt forest.
Ramona W on 17 Jul, 2019