We saved Mount Stilwell for the last walk we did in this part of the Snowy Mountains, and it turned out to be the perfect finale. It’s the first time we experienced true mountain weather. It started off in bright sunshine and it ended with being engulfed in the clouds! It’s definitely a walk you will want to bring layers for!
The view from the top is spectacular at any time of day, but if you head up for sunset it is particularly special. What makes it even better, is that this trail is off the radar for most people, so it’s likely that you’ll have it all to yourself.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mount Stilwell walk.
Mount Stilwell Walk
The stats
Distance: 2.8km each way
Elevation: 180m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk up to the top of Mount Stilwell is one of the easier walks in the Snowy Mountains, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t uphill! We recommend allowing 30 - 45 minutes for each direction (plus time to enjoy the sunset!).
Starting the trail
The walk begins at Charlotte Pass. The official car park only allows for a 20 minute stay, but you can park on either side of the road close by.
If you come during the day on a busy weekend, you might have to park a little distance away, but if you’re coming close to sunset you won’t have a problem.
The track heads very briefly up the service trail before branching off left along a pretty path.
The track is well maintained, and as it’s mainly on gravel for the first half of the walk, it’s very easy footing. The views over Perisher to the left are gorgeous, right from the off.
Climbing up to the lookout
Whilst you are heading uphill most of the way, it’s not very steep so it doesn’t feel overly taxing. The track is beautiful, with a smattering of wildflowers, boulders and lots of snow grass.
We recommend that you keep looking behind you, because the path looks incredibly picturesque and some of my favourite photos were looking back over the path, rather than ahead.
You’ll soon see the ski-lift looming ahead of you, and it’s not long until you reach the first lookout, which is right next to it. It’s just 900m to this point from the beginning of the trail.
There’s a great viewing platform overlooking the mountain range, and signs to show you which peaks you are looking at.
The start of the Main Range Track
Mount Kosciuszko doesn’t look overly impressive from here, more like just a hump. But if you’ve walked - or are planning to walk - the Main Range Track to reach it, you can see the beginning of the route from here, and it looks gorgeous.
If you didn’t feel like walking further, you can get a partial sunset view from the lookout, but if you can, carrying on to Mount Stilwell is even better.
Onto Mount Stilwell
The track gets even more beautiful after the lookout. It might look like Mount Stilwell is still quite far away, but it doesn’t take long to get there.
The wildflowers along this next part of the walk are simply sensational and the best we saw in the area.
They carpeted the heath on both sides of the path and gave the whole track extra wow factor. I think we were lucky enough to visit on a great year for wildflowers, but even a quarter of their number would have stopped me in my tracks.
It really was breathtaking.
The path to the top of Mount Stilwell is not marked, but it’s easy to follow. There is one fork, which is at the 1.65km mark, and we chose the path on the right.
The one on the left may end up merging, but the right path will definitely get you to the top.
It continues to be a narrow gravel path, which heads uphill, but as with the first part of the walk, not too steeply.
It won’t be long before you see the trig on top of the mountain. The path is well maintained almost to the very end, before you’ll encounter a few rocks to climb over. It’s nothing tricky though.
The trig at the top of Mount Stilwell
The view from the top
The view from the top is magnificent, and the summit has a number of large rocks which you can sit on to take it all in. The sun sets behind some jagged mountains, and the whole scene has a really wild feel.
We had the entire summit, and in fact the whole walk to ourselves, which really added to the remote feel. The mountain range looks truly spectacular from the top.
It’s an incredible place to sit and watch the sun go down, and was our favourite sunset spot from the many that we visited in the Snowys.
Just watch out for the weather - which is true of everywhere in the mountains - it can change really quickly. It started to get pretty cold as we hit the top and just after sunset a huge amount of cloud rolled in and the summit was suddenly engulfed!
We had three layers on and were grateful for them, despite it being the height of summer!
Heading down
We headed down when the clouds came in, and as the path is so good, it’s a quick, easy walk to the bottom. It doesn’t undulate at all, so all the hard work getting up to the top has already been done and it’s smooth sailing to the bottom.
It took us just over half an hour to get down, and we weren’t rushing. If you want to see sunset but don’t feel comfortable heading down in the dark, there should be enough twilight if you leave straight after sundown.
Essential information about the Mount Stilwell Walk
Where to park for the trail
The trail departs from the Charlotte Pass car park, but it only allows you 20 minutes parking here, so you’ll need to park at the side of the road.
It can get very busy as many trails depart from here, but if you’re coming for sunset you won’t have a problem. If you come during the day you’ll still be able to park, you just might have a little extra uphill walking to do!
Charlotte’s Pass is a 40 minute drive from Jindabyne or 1 hour from Thredbo.
The Mount Kosciuszko National Park Fee
The Mount Stilwell Walk falls within the park fee zone and even if you have an NSW parks pass, you still need to pay. The fee is $17 per day, and if you buy 4 days you get 1 free. You can buy an annual pass for just this park alone for $190.
The pass lasts for 24 hours, so if you time it right you can hike for 2 days on a 1 day pass.
Trail closure dates
The walk is generally under snow between June and October and over the winter months the road is closed to private vehicles. Even outside this period, there could still be lingering snow but generally speaking it is clear in summer. If you’re walking when there might be a light snow covering, Yaktrax will be hugely helpful.
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