Best hiking trails in the Northern Territory
The Territory splits cleanly in two for walkers. Up top, Kakadu and Litchfield are monsoon country — escarpment, plunge pools and waterfalls, with the wet season closing tracks for months. Down the centre, the West MacDonnell ranges offer some of the best desert walking anywhere, on the condition that you treat heat as the hazard it is. Many of these walks have seasonal closures and temperature cut-offs that are enforced, not advisory.
- Trails
- 28
- Total
- 259 km
- Easy walks
- 17
- Areas
- 8
Top trails
Ranked on track quality and day-walk suitability from the data we hold — not on reviews, which we don't collect.
- #1Mpaara WalkModerate4.45 km112 m upEst. 1.3 hrFinke Gorge National Park
- #2Ormiston Pound WalkModerate4.82 km129 m upEst. 1.4 hrTjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
- #3Barrk Sandstone WalkHard8.39 km220 m upEst. 2.5 hrKakadu National Park
- #4Kings Canyon Rim WalkModerate4.53 km205 m upEst. 1.5 hrWatarrka National Park
- #5Uluru Base WalkHard9.32 km77 m upEst. 2.4 hrUluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
- #6Tolmer Falls Lookout WalkEasy0.56 kmEst. 0.1 hrLitchfield National Park
- #7Giles TrackExpert19.9 km315 m upEst. 5.4 hrWatarrka National Park
- #8Cascades WalkEasy2.7 km65 m upEst. 0.8 hrLitchfield National Park
- #9Florence Falls to Buley Rockhole WalkEasy0.75 kmEst. 0.2 hrLitchfield National Park
- #10Gunlom Plunge Pool WalkEasy0.96 km70 m upEst. 0.5 hrKakadu National Park
- #11Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) WalkEasy1.62 km16 m upEst. 0.4 hrKakadu National Park
- #12Mamukala Wetlands WalkEasy2.31 km6 m upEst. 0.6 hrKakadu National Park
- #13Ubirr Art and Lookout WalkEasy1.95 km8 m upEst. 0.5 hrKakadu National Park
- #14Wangi Falls WalkEasy1.49 km72 m upEst. 0.5 hrLitchfield National Park
- #15Anbangbang Billabong WalkEasy2.65 km12 m upEst. 0.7 hrKakadu National Park
- #16Jatbula TrailExpert55.17 km320 m upEst. 13.9 hrNitmiluk National Park
- #17Manngarre Rainforest WalkEasy1.64 km3 m upEst. 0.4 hrKakadu National Park
- #18Tabletop TrackExpert38.08 km546 m upEst. 10.2 hrLitchfield National Park
- #19Walker Creek WalkEasy1.42 km15 m upEst. 0.4 hrLitchfield National Park
- #20Arankaia WalkEasy2.23 km52 m upEst. 0.6 hrFinke Gorge National Park
The remaining 8 are listed in full below.
All 28 trails in Northern Territory
Mpaara Walk
Finke Gorge National Park
Ormiston Pound Walk
Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
Barrk Sandstone Walk
Kakadu National Park
Kings Canyon Rim Walk
Watarrka National Park
Uluru Base Walk
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Tolmer Falls Lookout Walk
Litchfield National Park
Giles Track
Watarrka National Park
Cascades Walk
Litchfield National Park
Florence Falls to Buley Rockhole Walk
Litchfield National Park
Gunlom Plunge Pool Walk
Kakadu National Park
Maguk (Barramundi Gorge) Walk
Kakadu National Park
Mamukala Wetlands Walk
Kakadu National Park
Ubirr Art and Lookout Walk
Kakadu National Park
Wangi Falls Walk
Litchfield National Park
Anbangbang Billabong Walk
Kakadu National Park
Jatbula Trail
Nitmiluk National Park
Manngarre Rainforest Walk
Kakadu National Park
Tabletop Track
Litchfield National Park
Walker Creek Walk
Litchfield National Park
Arankaia Walk
Finke Gorge National Park
Bardedjilidji Sandstone Walk
Kakadu National Park
Kathleen Springs Walk
Watarrka National Park
Larapinta Trail
Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
Larapinta Trail Section 1
Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
Liru Walk
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Walpa Gorge Walk
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
N'Dhala Gorge Walk
N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park
Monsoon Forest and Woodlands Walk
Berry Springs Nature Park
Top parks in Northern Territory
Frequently asked questions
How many hiking trails are there in Northern Territory?
Aus Trails currently maps 28 walking tracks in Northern Territory, covering about 259 km in total. Every one has a real elevation profile and a 3D terrain map, and all of it is free to use without an account.
What is the longest hiking trail in Northern Territory?
The longest Northern Territory track in our catalogue is Jatbula Trail in Nitmiluk National Park, at 55.17 km with 320 m of cumulative ascent.
Which Northern Territory trail has the most elevation gain?
Larapinta Trail in Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park climbs the most of any Northern Territory track we map — 1328 m of cumulative ascent over 53.87 km.
Are there easy walks in Northern Territory?
Yes — 17 of the 28 Northern Territory tracks we map are graded Easy, meaning short distances on well-formed track with little sustained climbing. You can filter the full list by grade on the trails page.
Which national parks in Northern Territory have hiking trails?
The best-covered areas in Northern Territory are Kakadu National Park (8 tracks), Litchfield National Park (6 tracks), Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park (3 tracks), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (3 tracks), Watarrka National Park (3 tracks).
Do I need to pay to use Aus Trails in Northern Territory?
No. Offline maps, live GPS, elevation profiles, 3D terrain and every safety feature are free, permanently, with no account required. Pro only adds planning extras like custom route building and printable maps — nothing that keeps you safe on trail sits behind a paywall.