St Valentines Peak is a solid day hike that delivers amazing 360 views without the tourist crowds (and National Park fees) of nearby areas like Cradle Mountain. It also delivers some on fantastic native forest vibes you can only find in Tasmania.
Overview
This day hike to St Valentines Peak (1,107m) is an 8.9km return trek with approximately 632m of elevation gain south of Burnie. Despite its relatively “small” altitude, the mountain’s prominence makes it a standout landmark of the North-West, visible from the coast and on the drive in.
It’s a great alternative to the busier National Park trails, offering a mix of dense mossy forest and a sharp, technical alpine ridge without the crowds or park fees.
Access
Trailhead: St Valentines Peak Track Car Park (The final few KM to the carpark is dirt road; it might be slippery for a 2WD in the wet.
Suggested Meeting Point: Burnie Woolworths
Travel time: By car: 50 mins from Burnie, 2 hours 15 from work
St Valentines Peak Information
Hike time: 4.5 hours return (slow-medium pace).
Season: Autumn (May)
Difficulty: Fitness (Grade 2: Moderate) Technical (Grade 2: Moderate)
Safety Notes: There are a few sections of the trail before the summit (and one just before the falls summit) where there are exposed drops that require careful walking or may be risky in high wind. There is one small chain on a section where slip is possible. Lower trail was very slippery.
Download and the St Valentines Peak GPX file
App or map? While many rely on navigation apps I always recommend printing a copy of your hike maps using OpenTopo or similar and keeping it in a waterproof case. You should also consider an PLB or other emergency device in Australia.
Post Hike Report
We set off at 8.30am with sunny weather and no wind forecast. We reached the trailhead around 9.20am and started moving after a quick gear check.
The trail drops immediately to a river crossing with a fantastic new bridge. There is an old logbook and information station there for some historical context. Once across the river, the trail heads straight up through beautiful native forest. The maze of slippery tree roots and undergrowth reminded me a lot of the start of the Higashi-Akaishi hike I did in Japan. The beautiful mossy trees are also a sharp contrast to the heavily logged land we passed on the drive in.
After about 1.5km of up and down with a mix of steps, single trail and boardwalks, you hit an old 4WD trail. Follow that for 700m until the signs point you left, back onto the single track. The forest starts to steepen here and becomes mossy again. Lots of spider webs here as the first up the trail this morning!
We took regular breaks through this section as it was quite the slog. Funny enough I have always found inclines mentally harder below the treeline where you cannot see your progress. It always seems to get easier once you break out and can see the peak ahead.
The trail eventually starts to steepen as you wind your way towards the peak. The cool mossy forest started to give away for more exposed terrain.
Eventually, the trees disappear and we hit the first rock scramble of the hike. I felt a sudden sense of exposure as I looked up with a bit of a drop on the left but quickly settled in as I got used to being out of the forest. The views kept improving the higher we got. Eventually after some scrambling and trails we hit the signs for the false summit and peak: with the trail to the summit wrapping around to the right.
We continued around towards the “true summit” until we reached what I will call the “middle peak” which sits just above 1,000m. We stopped here for lunch. Leaving our day packs behind to save some weight for the final push.
The ridge walk to the actual summit is a lot longer than it looks from the lunch spot. We dropped down into a saddle and passed another false peak before reaching the chain section. There is a drop on the right here, followed by a 50m stretch where the cliff is severe. Falling on this section would likely be fatal. We found it manageable, but we would not recommend touching it in wet or windy conditions.
The 10-metre radio tower at the peak is a great marker, but the size of the rocks along the ridge makes it seem much closer than it actually is. It took us about 40 minutes to navigate from our lunch spot to the summit. Once at the top, we found an old radio station and a half-built platform that looks abandoned. The views out toward Cradle Mountain and the unnamed peaks to the southwest are excellent.
The journey back took about 1.5 hours in total. We want to stress the importance of not rushing the descent. The cliff sections are unforgiving, and we had a few slips on loose rocks and wet roots once we hit the forest. An injury near the top would make for a very difficult rescue, so we just took our time on the technical bits.
Other photos of St Valentines Peak
