Walls of Jerusalem

Wednesday, 5 November 2025

It must have been the early 2000s or maybe even late 1990s when I last hiked into Walls of Jerusalem National Park after a frisbee tournament in Hobart.  Our group walked in under heavy clouds and walked right out again through the snow the next morning. 

The forecast wasn't much better for this trip but as Julie and Belinda had flown down from the mainland and Jo and I had also organised some days off we figured it would be worth the try anyway - in a best case scenario we would be able to get at least 1 and a half days of good weather before the rain closed in.

It's a long drive to the trailhead which probably accounts for why I haven't been there since we returned to Tasmania. Nowadays you have to register to avoid overcrowding - but it was still a surprise to arrive at about 1pm to see a jam packed car park.  

Like the overland track, the first part of the walk is the most grueling as it relentlessly climbs up to the plateau. Unlike the Overland Track though, it's all over within about 90 minutes and then were able to breathe a bit easier as we walked through beautiful alpine terrain admiring the snowcapped mountains in the distance. 

The track has been upgraded a lot since I was last here, and the campsites are incredible - despite it being busy there were still free platforms when we arrived at Dixons Kingdom at around 6pm that afternoon - delightfully still under sunshine.  There's nothing nicer than basking in the evening sun and eating a great camping dinner after a long walk in.  The views had been stunning the whole day so it really was a perfect hiking day.

After a very cold night, the sun was out again the next morning as we headed to the top of Mount Jerusalem. After the previous day's haul it was a joy to be out walking without heavy packs.  

The views were fantastic from the top in a rare cloudless day - we could see all the way to Barns Bluff and Cradle Mountain and even beyond.  Despite dawdling on the way down including stopping for Jo to take a dip in one of the tarns, we were back at camp by 11am. Our original plan was to take a lunch break and then head up another of the nearby peaks despite the route looking slightly perilous as it was covered in snow. When Jo suggested that instead we take advantage of the continued good weather to move ourselves to a new campsite, thus making the walk out in the rain the next day a much more managable distance we all immediately agreed and packed up our gear after lunch.

The next campsite was  down at Lake Adelaide - about 5 kms away.  This part of the route was new and made it possible to do a nice loop rather than having to just  walk in and out. It was a  beautiful trip down through a pencil pine forest then alongside Lake Walls with a final little saddle over then down to Lake Adelaide. Unfortunately the campsite wasn't as adjacent to the lake as we would have liked but it was still nice. I should say that the toilets at both campsites were incredibly civilised and pretty much brand new. Quite the hiking treat.

After a  much warmer evening the rain we had been expecting earlier in the day finally arrived that night and continued through the morning, transforming the landscape again.  We hit a break in the showers as we had breakfast and packed up which was lucky (although Belinda had gotten a bit drenched in a heavy downpour earlier in the morning hence her slightly sodden look below).

It rained intermittently during the walk out but the views were still great and it really didn't dampen our enjoyment.

We arrived back at the car by noon, both happy to get the packs off our back but sad to be finished with our super fun hike. The best part about the whole thing wasn't actually the amazing views or the great weather or even the incredible toilets, the best part was hanging out and laughing with great friends that I'm incredibly lucky to have.