Bryce's Gorge

Bryce's Gorge is one of those value for money places that pack everything into a small area. As you leave the carpark you arrive at Guy's Hut after a few minutes. Some 20 minutes from the carpark and your standing at the top of Pieman's Falls, a spectacular series of three waterfalls plummeting into the gorge.

The walking track then goes north, occasionally following the edge of the gorge. with spectacular views into gorge and up along Conglomerate Creek to Conglomerate Falls. The gorge varies in depth from 100 - 700m (top of Pieman's Falls to Conglomerate Creek) This is a popular spot for introducing inexperienced people to the alpine areas. The whole walk is only 8km return although other tracks continue on from it.

For the more adventurous, it is possible to walk through the gorge although it is VERY steep. It is much easier navigating uphill through the gorge than downhill. The entry point is just north of Pieman's Falls, with a detour around to near the bottom of the falls well worth the effort. You won't see too many photographs looking up at Pieman's Falls. At a couple of places the bottom of the gorge becomes very narrow and the passage is blocked by a small cliff (and waterfall). The trick to finding a way around these obstacles is to find a wombat track and follow it. They will lead you safely around any obstacle.

About half way along the gorge Conglomerate Creek spills into a small chasm from the side. This is also looks like the hardest obstacle to get around and it is necessary to follow the base of the cliff on the north side of the creek nearly all the way to the top. This is also the point at which the blackberries and stinging nettles stop. It's a good idea to wear long sleeves and gloves.

To give you an idea of the difficulty of the walk it took me 5 hours to walk through the gorge (including photo stops) and only 40 minutes to walk back along the top. It is, however, definitely worth it.