How long is the Toolbrunup Peak Trail?

Around 3.84km return, matching the official 4km return scramble to Mount Toolbrunup's summit.

Is Toolbrunup Peak Trail hard?

Genuinely hard — our terrain data shows 90% of the track is steep or very steep, with a brutal 159m climb packed into under 300m. This is a real scramble, not a graded walking path.

Is Toolbrunup the best hike in the Stirling Range?

It's widely rated as the best day hike in the range — a genuine scramble to the second-highest peak, rewarded with sweeping views across the Stirlings and the surrounding Great Southern landscape.

Toolbrunup Peak Trail: Complete Guide (Stirling Range)

Toolbrunup Peak Trail is widely rated the best day hike in the Stirling Range for good reason — a genuine scramble to the second-highest peak in the range, with terrain data confirming every bit of its hard reputation.

Quick stats

Distance: 3.84 km return
Elevation gain: 550 m
Route type: Out and back
Grade: Hard
Location: Stirling Range National Park, near Albany, WA

How hard is it, really?

This is not a graded walking path — our terrain data shows a genuinely extreme 90% of the track is steep or very steep, with the hardest single stretch a brutal 159m climb packed into under 300m. Combined with 550m of total elevation gain over well under 4km, this is a real scramble that earns its reputation as one of the best (and toughest) day hikes in the Stirling Range.

What the track is actually like

Climbing to the summit of Mount Toolbrunup, the second-highest peak in the Stirling Range, this trail is widely regarded as the standout day hike in the whole range — a genuine scramble rather than a maintained walking track for much of its length. The reward at the top is sweeping views across the surrounding Stirlings and the wider Great Southern landscape, a real payoff for the effort.

Wildlife to watch for

The Stirling Range protects species found almost nowhere else, the same rare habitat shared with nearby Bluff Knoll:

Fringed Mountain Bell — a Stirling Range endemic, found only in this range and nowhere else on Earth.
Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo — endangered (IUCN and EPBC-listed), one of WA’s most recognisable and threatened bird species.
Baudin’s Black-Cockatoo — critically endangered (IUCN, 2021 listing), among the most at-risk cockatoo species in the country.
Western Grey Kangaroo — not threatened, but a common sighting around the range’s lower slopes.

Practical tips

Treat this as a scramble, not a walk. With 90% steep terrain, proper footwear and a real level of fitness are essential.
Start early to avoid climbing the exposed sections in the heat of the day.
Watch and listen for the black-cockatoos. Carnaby’s and Baudin’s are both genuinely rare sightings worth pausing for.
Check conditions before heading up. Exposed granite summits in the Stirling Range are exposed to fast-changing wind and weather.

Nearby

See the full Great Southern WA hikes list for more Stirling Range walks, including Bluff Knoll Summit Trail, or view Toolbrunup Peak Trail on the map for the live route and elevation profile.