Bungonia National Park (I)

I was really looking forward to this overnighter, having seen some amazing photos of the boulders and Slot Canyon. This hike didn’t disappoint (so much so I went back a few weeks later for a ‘Dads & kids’ hike). The hike starts in the Bungonia National Park car park (don’t forget to pay for parking!) where there are a number of trails and caves to explore. For this overnight adventure, we took the Red Route down – it’s considered a Grade 5, (hard going). It’s steep in places and can get a bit slippy after rain. Besides the climb down being steep in places, the most technical part (and most fun!) is navigating the boulder field down in Slot Canyon (which can flood after rain so check the National Park website for the latest). It is epic fun and so wide / long that it’s unlikely you’ll take the same path twice. I used a rope to assist with bag lowering first time I was here, but this time found a slightly easier route which was easy enough to navigate without. The kids loved it (note, not suitable for young kids due to risk of slipping off). The walk then continues until you get to the Colo river and a very pleasant camping area with some makeshift logs to sit at around the fire. The water is good for swimming too. The next day you take the White route up, which besides just being bloody steep and long, is manageable. There’s even a bench at the end overlooking the river and campsite. This is one of my favourites.