Mount Remarkable National Park · Unofficial free planner
Practical day & overnight planner
Which node (Mambray Creek / Alligator Gorge / Melrose) · vehicle vs camping fee split · fire-season
checklist · packing ticks · official NPWS SA and CFS links. From
mountremarkablenationalpark.com.au — print this page or save as PDF (no email required).
Verify before you go. Alerts, track status, camping and fees change. Always check
NPWS SA — Mount Remarkable
and
closures and alerts
the morning you travel. This planner is independent and unofficial — not NPWS SA, not the Department for
Environment and Water, not the South Australian Government. Emergency:
000.
Snapshot checked 23 August 2026 (not live).
Official park page listed vehicle entry at $14.40 per vehicle (pay before you arrive) and
park accommodation from $27.50 per night. Vehicle entry and camping are
separate systems. Last Flinders fire-danger season ended 15 April 2026 — confirm the next start on
CFS. Re-check official pages before you lock a plan. This site does not show live closures.
Three gates, no through-road, fire season, patchy coverage. Pick one node per day. Alligator
Gorge access is unsuitable for caravans, trailers and buses. Park closes on Catastrophic fire-danger days and
may close on Extreme. Overnight / backpack sites are closed in fire-danger season (usually 1 Nov–30 Apr).
Pest-control full closures: 6pm 1 Nov–6pm 6 Nov 2026, and 6pm 15 Nov–2pm 20 Nov 2026. Re-check Ali Lookout /
Alligator Lodge / Alligator Gorge section closures (2025 fire recovery).
1. Before you leave town
Status, fuel & weather
- ☐ parks.sa.gov.au Mount Remarkable page checked this morning
- ☐ Closures and alerts checked (including fire-recovery PDF)
- ☐ CFS fire-danger rating for the Flinders / Mid North
- ☐ BOM Port Pirie / regional forecast — not Adelaide CBD
- ☐ Fuel in Port Pirie, Wilmington or Melrose — not in the park
- ☐ Vehicle entry paid before arrival
- ☐ Camping booked if staying overnight (cannot pay at the pad)
- ☐ Screenshots of maps, alerts and any booking
- ☐ Someone knows your plan and return window
- ☐ Emergency+ installed on town Wi-Fi
Packing (day pack)
- ☐ Drinking water brought in (2–3 L on hard walks)
- ☐ Park rainwater is seasonal / often non-potable — do not rely on it
- ☐ Grip shoes — gorge floor and summit quartzite
- ☐ Hat, SPF, layers for range wind
- ☐ Food you brought — no kiosk in the park
- ☐ Phone + offline map / Avenza PDFs
- ☐ First aid, torch, power bank
- ☐ Rubbish bags — no bins
- ☐ Optional PLB for summit / Hidden Gorge / Black Range
2. Fees — two systems, never one “park fee”
1. Vehicle entry
- Pay before you arrive
- Snapshot 23 Aug 2026: $14.40 per vehicle
- Book: parks.sa.gov.au/booking/other/67634
- This site never takes commission on park fees
2. Camping / park beds
- Completely separate from vehicle entry
- Book before you set up — not at the pad
- Snapshot: accommodation from $27.50 / night
- Backpack sites: phone Yorke & Mid North Office — not online
- Closed in fire-danger season (usually 1 Nov–30 Apr)
3. Walk permits
- None for standard day walks (summit, Narrows, Mambray loops)
- Still check open/closed status on alerts
- Epic Trail / MTB: follow official trail rules
Paid vehicle entry does not mean camping is included. Dollar figures change — confirm on
parks.sa.gov.au before you pay.
3. Which node today?
Mambray Creek (west)
- Highway 1 / Port Augusta–Port Pirie side
- Facilities, family loops, Hidden Gorge start
- Main campground
- 2WD is normally fine
Alligator Gorge (north)
- Wilmington approach
- The Narrows / gorge hikes
- No vans, trailers or buses on the access road
- Re-check fire-recovery section map
Melrose (east)
- Summit hike trailhead (War Memorial Monument)
- Town beds, Epic Trail start
- No summit car park — you walk
- Main North Road from Adelaide
No public through-road. Driving around the range eats a half-day. Pick one node per day.
4. Decision tree / one hard walk only
Fit + Melrose overnight
Summit hike: official 13 km return loop, about 4 hours, hard. Dawn start. Not Hidden Gorge as well.
Gorge photos / first quartzite slot
The Narrows: 2 km / about 2 hours from Alligator Gorge Lookout car park. Leave vans in Wilmington or Melrose.
Families / first visit / picnic
Mambray Creek: Wirra Water Loop + optional Daveys Gully. Skip Hidden Gorge (18 km / 7 hrs) on a first afternoon.
Adelaide weekend (default overnight)
Official ~263 km / 3–3.5 hours each way. Night in Melrose or Mambray. Day 1: one main walk. Day 2: the other node’s short loop — not both hard walks.
Experienced overnight (outside fire season)
Black Range Trek 26 km one way. Backpack sites cannot be booked online. Phone the Yorke and Mid North Office. Not a first-visit plan.
Heat, vans or time fail
Skip stacking summit + Hidden Gorge. Skip Alligator Gorge if you are towing. Turn around — lower views still count.
5. Access & comms
- Private vehicle only — no public transport into the park.
- Three gates: Mambray (Highway 1), Alligator Gorge (Wilmington, steep), Melrose (east / Main North Road).
- Alligator Gorge road: very steep; unsuitable for caravans, camper trailers and buses.
- Coverage is patchy in gorges and low ground. Install Emergency+ on town Wi-Fi before you drop in.
- 000 needs reception. Optional PLB on summit / Hidden Gorge / Black Range.
- Load official PDFs in Avenza while you still have reception.
- No bins — pack rubbish out. Bring your own firewood if pits are allowed; collection is prohibited.
6. Fire-season & overnight extras
- ☐ CFS rating today — Catastrophic = park closed; Extreme may close the park
- ☐ Overnight / backpack sites closed in fire-danger season (usually 1 Nov–30 Apr)
- ☐ Last Flinders season ended 15 April 2026 — confirm the next start on CFS
- ☐ Pest-control full closures: 6pm 1 Nov–6pm 6 Nov 2026; 6pm 15 Nov–2pm 20 Nov 2026
- ☐ Ali Lookout Walk/platform and Alligator Lodge — listed closed in 2025 fire-recovery alerts
- ☐ Alligator Gorge section restrictions — official closures overlay PDF
- ☐ Wood-fire pit rules: last published ban window ended 1 April 2026 — re-check NPWS fire-restrictions PDF
- ☐ Own milled firewood only if fires are allowed in pits — no timber collection
- ☐ Backpack sites: phone Yorke & Mid North Office (08) 8841 3400 — not the online booking grid
7. Safety non-negotiables
- Heat and water on the summit and Hidden Gorge — start early; agree a turnaround time.
- Gorge floor is uneven quartzite; sturdy footwear; turn around if it is too rough.
- Do not take long vehicles down the Alligator Gorge access road.
- Snakes on sunny track edges — give space. Do not feed wildlife (including wallabies at Mambray).
- Park rainwater is not a drinking plan.
- Emergency: call 000 if you have reception. This planner cannot help with rescue.
8. Official links (verify live)
9. On-site itineraries (full timelines)