The Hiking World

Overland Track

OSM hiking route in Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania (77.6 km line). Vertical figures sampled from Copernicus GLO-30. Days (6) is a placeholder from round(lengthKm/12), not the published 6-day Parks Tasmania window (unverified).

Byline

  • The Hiking World editorial · author

    Desk byline for seed records. Named surveying editors replace this once a trail is verified.

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
Photo: Steven Penton from Bakers Beach, Tasmania Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Figures marked provisional are seed data and still need verification. Source and last-checked date sit under each cited value.

loading map...
Facts-41.639, 145.943
Distance77.6 km*
osm:relation:1673569 · 2026-08-24 · osm · provisional
Ascent+1,988 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-24 · dem · provisional
Descent2,158 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-24 · dem · provisional
High point1,272 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-24 · dem · provisional
Low point730 m*
copernicus-dem:glo-30 · 2026-08-24 · dem · provisional
Routepoint-to-point
Days6
Season1 October–31 May (Parks Tasmania booking season; north→south)
GradeSAC T2 · YDS 1

Editorial v1 · Provisional catalog

DifficultyUngraded (OSM ingest)
SAC T2
Mountain hiking. Continuous trail, some steep ground, sure-footedness helpful.
YDS Class 1
Class 1. Walking on an established path; low fall risk.
Wikidata Q491216

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Ingested from OpenStreetMap relation 1673569 (ODbL). The mapped line and 2D length are derived from that geometry. Ascent, descent, and high/low points are sampled from Copernicus GLO-30 (copernicus-dem:glo-30) and remain provisional. Water, permits, and hazards were not taken from OSM tags and must be verified.

OSM 2D length is 77.6 km (relation 1673569; numbered Overland Track sections 1–6 stitched, Wikidata Q491216). Endpoints are Cradle Mountain / Ronny Creek to the Lake St Clair visitor centre (Cynthia Bay). Published 65 km / 6 days (https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/cradle-mountain/overland-track, checked 2026-08-24) usually treat Narcissus Hut as the walk's end plus a booked ferry; the extra OSM length is that lakeside continuation, not a Mount Ossa spur. Those figures are cross-checks only, not this DataPoint.

typicalDays 6 is Math.round(lengthKm/12), a placeholder. Parks Tasmania says most walkers take six days; that stamp is not this field.

Water was not mapped to named WaterSource points (no honest atFraction). Official notes mention freshwater tanks at huts; they were not positioned here.

Water

No water sources recorded.

Permits & fees

Permit
Overland Track Pass (booking season) + Tasmania parks pass (winter)

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Getting there

Sourced legs to the Cradle Mountain / Ronny Creek (OSM line start) base start station — where this trail record begins. This is not a route planner: durations are approximate and marked provisional until an official transport page confirms them.

  1. Bus · Launceston (LST) → Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre

    Parks Tasmania: coach transport to and from Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair visitor centres is available year-round from Hobart, Launceston and Devonport (https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/cradle-mountain/overland-track, checked 2026-08-24). Named operators are listed on the PWS plan-your-trip page; confirm current timetables before travel.

    parks.tas.gov.au · 2026-08-24 · official · provisional

  2. Bus · Hobart (HBA) → Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre

    Same Parks Tasmania Overland Track page: transport from Hobart as well as Launceston and Devonport (checked 2026-08-24).

    parks.tas.gov.au · 2026-08-24 · official · provisional

  3. Bus · Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre → Ronny Creek trailhead

    In-park shuttle from the Visitor Centre to Ronny Creek is included in the Overland Track booking fee during the booking season (same page, checked 2026-08-24).

    parks.tas.gov.au · 2026-08-24 · official · provisional

No rail to Cradle Mountain. Book the Lake St Clair ferry separately if finishing at Narcissus rather than walking to Cynthia Bay (Parks Tasmania, checked 2026-08-24).

Plan from your location

Type a city, then pick a match. These links open external search tools — they do not fetch fares or timetables.

Trailheads

  • Cradle Mountain / Ronny Creek (OSM line start) car-free: yes
  • Lake St Clair visitor centre (OSM line end) car-free: unknown

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Hazards

  • Variable alpine weather including summer snow; severe cold, wet, and windy conditions can happen at any time of year. Deaths have occurred, including in summer, when walkers were not prepared (https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/cradle-mountain/overland-track, checked 2026-08-24).
  • Deep mud, exposed alpine sections, steep and rocky ground — Grade 4 (same page, checked 2026-08-24).
  • Huts cannot be booked and may fill; you must carry a tent even with an Overland Track Pass (same page and FAQ, checked 2026-08-24).
  • In the booking season (1 October–31 May) independent walkers must travel north to south, Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair (https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/cradle-mountain/overland-track/frequently-asked-questions, checked 2026-08-24).