Porcupine Rocks is a short and fairly easy walk to some incredible views over Thredbo River, Perisher and the Main Range. The rocks offer a fun scramble, but it’s not essential to make the most of the views.
It’s a quiet spot and the perfect place to be at either sunrise, or sunset, when you’ll very likely have the whole place to yourself. For effort versus reward, it’s one of the best walks in the Snowys!
Here’s exactly what to expect from the trail.
The Porcupine Rocks Walk
The stats
Distance: 5.6km return
Elevation: 180m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk to Porcupine Rocks is one of the easier trails in the Snowy Mountains, and it took us about 40 minutes to hike to the lookout for sunset, and 30 minutes on the way back. Whilst it does go up 180m in elevation, it isn’t particularly steep in any section.
Starting the trail
The walk begins just outside the village of Perisher and it’s nicely signposted for the most part. There is one bit where you could definitely go wrong though, but we’ll outline that in our notes so that you don’t make a wrong turn.
To start the walk you will cross over a small wooden bridge and head alongside the reservoir pump station before you head properly into the woodland.
Climbing through the Snow gums
The trail heads uphill virtually all the way to Porcupine Rocks, but it’s so gradual that you never really feel it. You’ll be surrounded by a gorgeous woodland as you head up into the alpine zone.
The path is narrow and well formed, but as the bank on either side of the track can be a little high, at points I felt like I might roll my ankle, so you’ll just want to watch your step when the gully is high.
Other than that it’s an easy trail, with very little in the way of steps or rocky patches until you’re almost at the top.
The track can get a little muddy after heavy rain (which is when we hiked it) but any of the bits which would become a total bog are boardwalked. If you’re walking in summer, you’ll be treated to lots of beautiful wildflowers on both sides of the path, including hundreds of Snow daisies.
Once you’ve been walking for 1.1km you’ll see a trail off to your left which is marked as the Porcupine Link Trail, don’t take this path! The route to the rocks continues straight on.
Reaching the top
As you climb higher you’ll start to see the huge rocks which are characteristic of this area, as well as lots of snow grass. Before long you’ll reach a flat section of track where you’ll get your first big views of the mountains.
It’s a beautiful scene with layer upon layer of mountains, even in summer there were still the odd patches of snow visible.
Anywhere along this flat section of the walk is a good place to watch the sunset. You’ll see it directly in front of you and there are lots of handily placed rocks to sit on.
Unfortunately for us it was really cloudy, but we did get the odd moment where the sun managed to shine through, and it’s a truly beautiful sight.
After the short, flat section of track you have a brief climb up a rockier track to reach Porcupine Rocks.
There are so many different granite rock formations here and they offer fabulous views over the snaking Thredbo River and the Main Range.
This would be a wonderful sunrise spot if you’re comfortable walking up in low light.
You can scramble up onto the rocks for a loftier view, or just enjoy it from in-between the boulders if you prefer.
The one thing to watch out for up here if you plan on sitting and taking in the views for any length of time are the mosquitoes. They were prolific and savage!
The first time I noticed them I looked down and had 8 on one leg! Definitely bring repellant. Mossies aside, it’s a wonderful spot where you could sit for hours and not tire of the view.
Heading back down
The walk back down to the ‘car park’ (hard to call space for a couple of cars a car park) is easy, the trail is in great condition and footing is straightforward, so you can get down quite quickly.
We headed down in the twilight and it wasn’t a problem. As always with the mountains you’ll want to have wet weather gear with you.
We hiked when the forecast was perfect, yet a storm rolled in on the way back and we were very grateful for our raincoats!
Essential information about the Porcupine Rocks Walk
The Mount Kosciuszko National Park Fee
The Porcupine Rocks Track 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.
Track conditions, summer and winter
The track is open to hikers in summer, in winter you will need snowshoes or cross-country skis.
Where to park for the trail
The trailhead for the walk is just outside of Perisher, and starts on Galaxia Place. We recommend ignoring the marker on Google Maps as it will take you to another part of this trail - and we’re not really sure what that version is like!
There are a couple of parking spots near the start of the trail, otherwise there are plenty of places you can park by the road. You can find the exact marker for the trailhead here.
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