Karijini National Park - Tourism Western Australia

Ascend over rocks, traverse breathtaking gorges and cool off in crystal-clear rock pools in Karijini National Park, an ancient land full of wonder. Located in the Pilbara, it’s an ideal place to indulge your adventurous side, with multiple opportunities for outdoor experiences. Walk the trails where wildflowers burst into bloom from June to September.

After a two-hour flight from Perth, touch down in Newman – located two hours from Karijini. Or head to the mining town of Tom Price, where the park is a one-hour drive away. If you’d prefer others to do the driving, join a four-wheel drive tour; several operators run regular tours from Perth.

Step into Karijini’s rust-red terrain and be transported back two billion years. Find yourself dwarfed by towering gorges, descend into chasms, and scramble over boulders. When it’s time to cool down, sparkling pools, waterways and waterfalls like lush Weano Gorge are the perfect place to make a splash.

In 2025, exploring Karijini has become even easier, with 41 kilometres of upgraded sealed roads connecting key visitor areas, making the park accessible to two-wheel-drive vehicles. Expanded carparks, picnic spots and upgraded facilities enhance the experience, while a new cantilevered lookout at Knox Gorge/Dales Gorge offers breathtaking views. Plans are also underway for a multi-use hike-and-cycle trail at Red Gorge, promising even more ways to enjoy this spectacular landscape.

Karijini’s walking trails suit all levels of experience, while lookout points, like Oxer Lookout, allow wanderers to survey the spectacular surroundings. Once the sun has set, shooting stars, meteor showers and a twinkling night sky make this timeless land an enchanting destination for stargazers.

Tourists are advised to check for alerts and road/park closures before commencing their travel on Emergency WA and Park Alerts

Hamersley Gorge
Discover Hamersley Gorge in the north west of Karijini National Park. <br/><br/>Hamersley Gorge is in the north-west of Karijini, further afield than the other gorges. Swirls of rock sweep down through the gorge and waterfalls rush into tranquil pools.<br/><br/>There is sealed road access to the lower parking area, a lookout and toilet.<br/><br/>Karijini National Park is about two hours drive from the town of Newman. It's best accessed by joining a four wheel drive tour. There are a number of tour operators taking visitors from Perth to Karijini and the surrounding region.
Fortescue Falls
Take a refreshing dip under Fortescue Falls, Karijini National Park’s only permanent waterfall.<br/><br/>The ancient gorges, tunnels and waterways of Karijini are famous for their bushwalking trails, lush vegetation and sheer-sided chasms up to 100 metres deep. <br/><br/>You can reach Fortescue Falls and the aptly named Fern Pool by hiking down a steep trail from the car park and following a narrow path. <br/><br/>As you descend you’ll notice the vegetation changes and becomes more dense and tropical, while the iron-ore rich gorge walls become deep red and purple in colour.<br/><br/>At the end of the hike, take an energising swim in the spring-fed permanent pool beneath stunning Fortescue Falls. <br/><br/>Give yourself two hours for the return trip.<br/> <br/>Karijini National Park is about two hours drive from the town of Newman.<br/><br/>It's best accessed by joining a four wheel drive tour. There are a number of tour operators taking visitors from Perth to Karijini and the surrounding region.
Dales Gorge and Circular Pool
Go bushwalking at Dales Gorge and Circular Pool – two of the best spots for a picnic at Karijini National Park in Western Australia's north-west.<br/><br/>Two-billion years in the making, Karijini National Park is one of the country's most spectacular natural attractions offering amazing hiking trails through ancient gorges.<br/><br/>In Dales Gorge, a four-kilometre walk trail runs along the bottom of the gorge. Here you can swim in the stream, permanent water pools and beneath waterfalls. <br/><br/>Lush green ferns and the occasional gum tree contrast with the red-terraced cliffs weathered by time. Give yourself three hours to make the return journey. <br/><br/>The two-hour return hike to Circular Pool involves a loose steep descent and then an easy ramble. Here, you'll find hidden gardens and a clear rock pool. <br/><br/>You can see Circular Pool from a lookout on the Gorge Rim Walk. This walk follows the rim of Dales Gorge between Circular Pool Lookout and the beginning of the Fortescue Falls track. <br/><br/>Karijini National Park is a two-hour drive from the town of Newman and is best accessed by joining a four-wheel drive tour.<br/><br/>Please note that the Circular Pool walking trail is closed due to rain damage and rockfalls.
Fern Pool
Fern Pool is one of the most accessible and picturesque swimming spots in Karijini National Park. These cooling waters are fed by a natural spring and framed on all sides by lush green ferns, with a cascading waterfall completing the serenely beautiful setting.<br/><br/>Fern Pool is just above Fortescue Falls in Dales Gorge, on the eastern side of Karijini National Park. Descend the staircase into this ancient cavernous gorge and follow the clear path for 300 metres from Fortescue Falls.<br/><br/>To reach this tropical oasis from Perth, you can take a two-hour flight to Paraburdoo or Newman (two to three hours drive from Karijini), or a 15-hour drive via the Great Northern Highway.<br/><br/>Enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking Fern Pool or Fortescue Falls, follow the four-kilometre trail to Circular Pool for a second swim, or take the Gorge Rim Walk for an eagle's eye view of Circular Pool.
Weano Recreation Area
Weano picnic area has an information shelter, toilets and shaded seating and barbecue facilities and is the base from which to spend a day experiencing this popular section of the park. Weano and Hancock gorges and some of the best photographic opportunities in Karijini are all close by. Whether you want to enjoy breathtaking views, swim, explore the amazing gorges or rest among the spinifex and snappy gums, Weano is the place.<br/><br/>Weano Gorge is perhaps the most accessible gorge in Karijini. But this makes it no less spectacular and beautiful. Around the top of the gorge there are relatively easy walks accessible from the picnic area. <br/><br/>Junction Pool Lookout gives views up Hancock Gorge and down to Junction Pool far below. From Oxer Lookout there are unsurpassed views of the junction of Weano, Red, Joffre and Hancock gorges.<br/><br/>The walk down into Hancock Gorge has been described as a 'journey to the centre of the earth' with walls twisting and turning, reaching vertical and closing in on both sides. It can be explored as far as Kermit's Pool by experienced walkers with a high level of fitness.
Oxer Lookout
If you do one thing in Karijini National Park, take the short 15 minute walk from the Weano car park to Oxer Lookout. Take a breath and peer over the edge. Sheer walls plunge 100 metres or more to the gorge floor of layered rock and languid pools. Just as well there is a secure safety railing because it comes up suddenly and can be quite dizzying.<br/><br/>For the geological minded, the lookout is a great location for witnessing the ancient natural elements that carved this massive gash in the red earth. The view looks over the junction of Weano, Red, Hancock and Joffre Gorges. <br/><br/>Karijini National Park has a number of spectacular gorges, cool rugged rock pools, waterfalls, wonderful wildlife and amazing scenery. There are a number of excellent picnic areas and camping grounds within the park. The Karijini National Park is a one hour drive north east of Tom Price and a 16-hour drive from Perth.
Joffre Falls Lookout
Enjoy a waterfall moment at one of Western Australia's most photographed natural beauty spots, Joffre Falls Lookout in Karijini National Park. <br/><br/>You can choose to make your journey there an epic adventure, by taking the 15 hour outback drive from Perth, or following the legendary Warlu Way from the Coral Coast, or by joining a four wheel drive tour. <br/><br/>From the car park, head to the lookout for dramatic views over the plunge pool at the foot of the natural amphitheatre carved by the falls. Follow the trail to the base and venture deeper into the gorge on the three kilometre trail.<br/><br/>While dry for much of the year, the falls are at their best after winter rains.<br/><br/>Choose from the camping and glamping options available in Karijini National Park and explore the park's ancient landscape of gorges, rock pools and waterfalls.

Top experiences

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Top experiences

Hamersley Gorge

Discover Hamersley Gorge in the north west of Karijini National Park.

Hamersley Gorge is in the north-west of Karijini, further afield than the other gorges. Swirls of rock sweep down through the gorge and waterfalls rush into tranquil pools.