The best Sunshine Coast hinterland walks are short rainforest circuits to waterfalls and lookouts, a handful of steeper summit tracks with big views, and one multi-day walk that links several national parks along the range. Most can be done in a morning. A few need a full day, good fitness or a four-wheel drive.
This guide sorts the walks by area, so you can fit two or three into one day without backtracking. Each listing gives the official distance, grade and time, where the walk starts, and what to check before you leave. Pick a grade that suits the slowest walker in your group, start early, and confirm the track is open on the morning you go.
How do walking track grades work in Queensland parks?
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) grades every track from 1 to 5, and a track’s grade comes from its hardest section. That last point matters. A walk can be mostly gentle and still carry a Grade 4 rating because of one steep, rocky pinch near the top.
Here is how the official >QPWS track grades break down:
- Grade 1: flat, even surface with no steps. Suitable for wheelchair users with someone to help. No longer than 5km.
- Grade 2: hardened or compacted surface, with gentle hills and occasional steps. No experience needed. No longer than 10km.
- Grade 3: suits most ages and fitness levels, with short steep hills, rough ground and many steps. Some walking experience recommended. Up to 20km.
- Grade 4: long, rough and very steep in places, and signs may be limited. Walking experience recommended.
- Grade 5: very rough, very steep and unmarked. For experienced walkers with navigation and first aid skills.
Times on QPWS signs and web pages are estimates and do not include rest stops. If you have children, plan to take longer, and allow extra time on any track with stairs on the way back.
Kondalilla National Park walks near Montville and Flaxton
Kondalilla National Park sits on the Blackall Range between Montville and Mapleton. Its walks start from the picnic area off Kondalilla Falls Road at Flaxton, a 50m downhill walk with steps from the car park. The picnic area has toilets, barbecues, tables and shelter sheds.
QPWS describes Kondalilla Falls as one of the range’s most spectacular waterfalls in the summer wet season, with Skene Creek dropping 90m into the rainforest valley below. Domestic animals are not allowed in the park.
Picnic Creek circuit
- Distance: 1.7km
- Grade: 2
- Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
This is the gentle option. It crosses Picnic Creek and runs through tall eucalypt forest mixed with rainforest species, with a valley lookout along the way. It suits families who want a taste of the park without the stairs.
Kondalilla Falls circuit
- Distance: 4.7km
- Grade: 3
- Time: 2-3 hours
This is the walk most people come for. The track follows the Picnic Creek circuit down the escarpment, past rock pools and a lookout over the falls, then drops through rainforest to the base of the waterfall before climbing back up the ridge.
QPWS puts it plainly: what goes down must come back up. The circuit has more than 300 stairs, so you need to be reasonably fit. QPWS also warns that people have died or been permanently paralysed after slipping over waterfalls at Kondalilla and nearby parks. Stay behind the fences.
Narrows Lookout and Baroon Lookout
- Narrows Lookout: 2.2km, Grade 3, allow 1 hour
- Baroon Lookout: 4.4km, Grade 3, allow 2 hours
- Start: Narrows Road car park, near Baroon Pocket Dam
Both walks follow the first stretch of the Great Walk beside palm-lined creeks. Narrows Lookout looks over the Narrows Gorge. Baroon Lookout goes further, through vine-filled gullies and tall open forest, to views over Obi Obi Gorge, Baroon Pocket Dam and its catchment. Stay on the boardwalk higher up the track. It protects habitat for the pouched frog, a small frog found in this part of the range.
Mapleton Falls and Mapleton National Park: short rainforest walks
If you want rainforest without a long hike, the Mapleton side of the range is the easiest place to get it. These walks are short, Grade 2, and close to the car park.
Mapleton Falls lookout and Wompoo circuit
- Mapleton Falls lookout: 50m return, Grade 2, 5 minutes, wheelchair accessible
- Wompoo circuit: 1.3km return, Grade 2, allow 45 minutes
- Start: Mapleton Falls National Park car park, Mapleton Falls Road
The lookout sits right next to the car park and looks out over the Obi Obi valley and the rainforest canopy. QPWS notes that peregrine falcons often soar and roost near the cliff edges in August and September. The Wompoo circuit winds through rainforest and eucalypt forest to Peregrine lookout, with good views of the falls. Listen for the wompoo fruit-dove’s booming call from the treetops. Toilets, including a wheelchair-accessible toilet, sit beside the car park. Camping is not allowed in this park.
Linda Garrett circuit and Pilularis walk
- Linda Garrett circuit: 700m return, Grade 2, allow 20 minutes, from the Delicia Road trailhead
- Pilularis walk: 400m, Grade 2, allow 20 minutes, from the Leafy Lane trailhead off Mapleton Forest Road
Mapleton National Park is just north of the falls. The Linda Garrett circuit passes through rainforest, a palm grove and tall wet forest of blackbutt, turpentine, brush box and flooded gum. The Pilularis walk runs through tall open forest with a fern understorey.
One caution applies here that most guides skip. QPWS advises against entering this forest in strong wind, because blackbutt and flooded gum are prone to dropping branches.
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, Maleny: the most accessible rainforest walk
Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is managed by Sunshine Coast Council, not QPWS, and it protects 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest near Maleny. If your group includes small children, older walkers or anyone using a wheelchair or pram, start here.
- Distance: internal circuits of 1.3km to 1.7km (the rainforest, pademelon and piccabeen loops)
- Grade: 2
- Hours: rainforest walks open 7am to 6pm daily
- Access: through the Rainforest Discovery Centre, by gold coin donation
The Glider Gallery boardwalk and the Butterfly Walk are wheelchair accessible. The council’s trail notes say the 1.7km loop finishes with stairs, so pram and wheelchair users should take one of the shorter loops that join at the halfway point. Look for red-legged pademelons on the forest floor, and listen for some of the 141 bird species recorded in the reserve. The reserve is busy on weekends and public holidays, so arrive early for parking.
Glass House Mountains walks with summit and base views
The Glass House Mountains are volcanic peaks rising from the plain below the range. The walks here are drier, more exposed and often steeper than the rainforest tracks on the range. QPWS says plainly that these are not easy climbs, and it publishes a six-minute safety video worth watching before you go.
Mount Ngungun summit walk
- Distance: 2.8km return
- Grade: 4
- Time: allow 2 hours
- Start: Ngungun trailhead, about 3km from Glass House Mountains township via Coonowrin Road and Fullertons Road
This is the most rewarding short summit in the area. The track climbs through open forest with a fern understorey, passes a small rock overhang, and finishes on a 253m summit with views of Tibrogargan, Coonowrin and Beerwah. The track runs close to sheer cliff edges, so supervise children closely. The rocks get very slippery when wet.
Tibrogargan circuit
- Distance: 4.1km return (1km to Mountain View lookout)
- Time: allow 1 hour 30 minutes (20 minutes to the lookout)
- Start: Tibrogargan trailhead, between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains townships via Marshs Road and Barrs Road
QPWS calls this a great walk for families. It circles the base of Mount Tibrogargan through casuarina groves and open eucalypt and melaleuca forest. Mountain View lookout looks across to Beerwah, Coonowrin, Tibberoowuccum and Tunbubudla. The trailhead has picnic tables and toilets.
Trachyte circuit and Mount Beerburrum
- Trachyte circuit: 5.7km return, allow 2-3 hours, from the Tibrogargan trailhead
- Mount Beerburrum summit walk: 3.5km return, allow about 1 hour 30 minutes
The Trachyte circuit links Tibrogargan and Tibberoowuccum through open woodland and heath, with views from Jack Ferris lookout on Trachyte Ridge. Mount Beerburrum is a very steep paved track with a small fire tower at the top. QPWS recommends ankle-supporting shoes with good grip, because the surface can be slippery.
Two extra rules apply across this park. Clean your footwear before and after your visit to help stop the spread of Phytophthora, a soil-borne pathogen that kills native plants. And treat the higher peaks with respect: summit routes on Tibrogargan and Beerwah are a different category of risk from the graded walks above.
Conondale National Park: cascades and waterfalls for four-wheel drivers
Conondale National Park covers 35,700ha of rugged range west of Maleny, on the traditional Country of the Kabi Kabi people. It offers some of the best walks with waterfalls on the Sunshine Coast. The catch is access. QPWS states that a high clearance four-wheel drive is needed to reach the Booloumba Creek day-use and camping areas, because Booloumba Creek Road includes several creek crossings, and water usually covers them.
- Booloumba Falls walk: 3km return, Grade 3, allow 2 hours. Cascades, waterfalls, rock pools and a view of The Breadknife rock formation.
- Strangler Cairn: 6.5km return, allow 2 hours 30 minutes. Leads along the Conondale Range Great Walk to a 3.7m sculpture by artist Andy Goldsworthy. Please do not climb on it.
- Artists Cascades: 10.6km return, Grade 4, allow 4 hours. Dense subtropical rainforest through Booloumba Creek Gorge.
- Booloumba Creek to Mount Allan: 11km return, Grade 4, allow 3 hours 30 minutes.
Several older guides still suggest climbing the Mount Allan fire tower. Check first. At the time of writing, a QPWS alert lists the tower as closed to climbing until 31 May 2027. If you do not have a suitable vehicle, save Conondale for another trip rather than risk a flooded crossing.
The Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk
The >Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk covers 58.8km through the Blackall Range and takes at least four days. It passes through three national parks, Kondalilla, Mapleton Falls and Mapleton, and has three walkers’ camps: Flaxton, Ubajee and Thilba Thalba. QPWS rates it Grade 4.
What you need to know before you book:
- Permits are required. Camping fees apply, and you must display a tag with your booking number at your site.
- One night per camp. You can stay a maximum of one night at each walkers’ camp, and numbers are limited.
- Book early. Sites can be booked up to 12 months ahead.
- Walk in small groups. QPWS says the ideal group size is four, groups must not exceed 12, and you should not walk alone.
- Carry real maps. Mobile reception is unreliable in many places. QPWS recommends downloadable topographic maps such as QTopo, plus a compass or GPS.
- Expect wet feet. Creek crossings are slippery, and Gheerulla Creek is prone to flash flooding. Never cross a flooded creek.
You do not have to walk the whole thing. Multiple access points make good day sections. The first leg, Baroon Pocket Dam to Baroon lookout, is 2.2km one way (Grade 3, 1-2 hours). The leg from Flaxton walkers’ camp to Mapleton Falls National Park is 5.9km one way (Grades 3 and 4, 2-3 hours). It drops through piccabeen palm forest along Baxter Creek and crosses a suspension bridge near a short spur to the waterfall’s base. Most day sections are one way, so arrange a pick-up at the other end.
When are hinterland waterfalls at their best?
Hinterland waterfalls run hardest in the summer wet season, when Kondalilla and Mapleton Falls are at full flow. In the drier months they can drop to a trickle. That gives you a trade-off. Summer brings the best water but also heat, humidity, storms and the highest chance of track closures. Winter brings cooler walking and clearer views but quieter falls.
The rain risk is real. QPWS closes Kondalilla’s tracks in severe wet weather, and it records that in 1998, 50mm of rain fell in 15 minutes and turned the creek into a fast, turbulent torrent. Bridges and crossings were cut, and the tracks reopened within hours once the water dropped. If you get caught out, wait. Do not cross.
For birdwatchers, August and September are the months for peregrine falcons at Mapleton Falls.
How to plan two or three walks in one day
Most hinterland walks are short, so the smart move is to group them by area rather than drive back and forth along the range. Here is how the walks above cluster:
- Montville and Mapleton day: Kondalilla Falls circuit in the morning while you are fresh, then Mapleton Falls lookout and the Wompoo circuit in the afternoon. Add the Linda Garrett circuit if you still have energy.
- Maleny and Glass House Mountains day: Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve when the gates open at 7am, then Mount Ngungun or the Tibrogargan circuit.
- Baroon Pocket Dam half day: Narrows Lookout and Baroon Lookout from the Narrows Road car park, combined with a lakeside picnic.
- Conondale day (4WD only): Booloumba Falls, then the Strangler Cairn walk if time allows.
Our guide to the Sunshine Coast hinterland covers the towns these walks sit between. If you are fitting walks into a longer trip, a Sunshine Coast itinerary helps balance trail days with beach days and rest.
Park rules and safety checklist
Before you leave for any walk, run through this list:
- Check park alerts on the day. >QPWS park alerts list closures, wet-weather restrictions and works. At the time of writing, for example, alerts listed Mount Beerwah as temporarily closed and wet-weather access restrictions in Conondale National Park.
- Leave dogs at home. Domestic animals are not allowed in Kondalilla National Park, and the Booloumba Creek camping areas list no dogs permitted.
- Stay behind fences and on the track. This applies at every waterfall and cliff edge.
- Finish in daylight. Winter days are shorter. Plan to be back at the car well before dark.
- Keep creeks clean. QPWS notes that sunscreen and insect repellent pollute water and harm aquatic life, including rare frogs.
- Carry out all rubbish. Bins are not provided at Great Walk camps.
- Leave bikes off walking tracks. Mountain bikes are not permitted on designated walking tracks in Mapleton and Conondale national parks.
- Tell someone your plan. Mobile reception is patchy across the range.
Frequently asked questions
Which Sunshine Coast hinterland walks are wheelchair accessible?
The Mapleton Falls lookout is wheelchair accessible and sits next to the car park. At Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve, the Glider Gallery boardwalk and the Butterfly Walk cater for wheelchairs. Most other hinterland walks have stairs, rough ground or steep sections.
What is the best bush walk on the Sunshine Coast for families?
The Tibrogargan circuit, the Picnic Creek circuit at Kondalilla and the Mary Cairncross loops all suit families. QPWS describes the Tibrogargan circuit as a great walk for families, and the other two are Grade 2. Mount Ngungun can work for older children, but only with close supervision near the cliff edges.
Do you need a four-wheel drive for hinterland walks?
Not for most. Kondalilla, Mapleton Falls, Mary Cairncross and the main Glass House Mountains trailheads are reached on public roads. Conondale National Park is the big exception: QPWS says the Booloumba Creek day-use area needs a high clearance four-wheel drive.
Choosing your first hinterland walk
Start with the grade, not the photos. A Grade 2 loop at Mapleton or Maleny gives you rainforest, birdsong and a lookout with little effort. A Grade 3 walk like the Kondalilla Falls circuit adds a real climb. A Grade 4 summit like Mount Ngungun asks for steady legs and care near the edges. Match the walk to your group, go early, and check alerts on the morning you set out.
If you would like the walking days worked out for you, our walking tour itinerary planning matches tracks, grades and timing to your group’s fitness and the season. Tell us about your group and the walks you have in mind, and we will build a plan around them.