Hike the Heysen Trail end-to-end
Everything you need to know about walking the entire Heysen Trail with one of our End-to-End guided walking groups.
Hike the entire Trail end-to-end with the Friends of the Heysen Trail
Our End-to-End walks are a great option if you want to hike the entire Heysen Trail with a guided group. To join an End-to-End walking group, you’ll first need to become a member.
Joining an End-to-End group with the Friends makes your hiking experience easier because we work out many of the logistics, including the daily walking schedule, and we give you guidance on what to wear and bring.
Each End-to-End group will have volunteer Walk Leaders who are familiar with the Heysen Trail sections you’ll be hiking. Many of our members also enjoy the social aspect of walking with a group.
End-to-End groups take approximately 60 walking days to hike the Trail, with walks generally spread over five or six years. We usually begin by walking along the southern part of the Trail from Cape Jervis to Kapunda on one Sunday each month during the walk season (April-November). As the Trail heads north from Kapunda, most walks take place over a weekend or long weekend due to the greater travelling distances involved. We walk the northernmost part of the Trail in two one-week trips.
Occasionally, we offer End-to-End walks starting at the Northern Trailhead in the Flinders Ranges. These End-to-End walks are usually spread over three years.
We have many End-to-End groups walking along various points of the Trail.
End-to-End completion certificate
When you complete the Trail with a Friends End-to-End group you’ll receive a certificate to commemorate your achievement. If you’re a current financial member, we’ll also give you a cloth badge which you can attach to your backpack or hat.
Frequently
asked questions
End-to-End walks are reasonably demanding as much of the Trail corresponds with Classes 4-5 of the Australian Walking Tracks Classification and Signage. Because our End-to-End walks are guided by experienced volunteers you don’t need specialised navigation skills, however we walk for five to eight hours each day so you’ll need to be very fit and you need to be able to walk in rough terrain. You must also wear appropriate hiking clothes and boots.
You’ll need to arrange your own transport to the start of the Trail or the town you are staying in, though we encourage car pooling. For most End-to-End walks we hire a bus. For sections that are close to Adelaide you’ll park at the end point for the day’s walk and the bus will take you to the start of the Trail so you can walk towards your car. Further north along the Trail the bus will collect you from an agreed meeting point and take you to the starting point of the walk and pick you up at the end of the walk each day.
The Friends’ End-to-End walks cost $12 per walking day unless you have a Golden Boots Pass which covers the cost of all your walks for a 12-month period. You’ll also need to pay for your bus transport when a bus is required. Bus costs vary, depending on the distance involved. You’ll need to arrange and pay for your own accommodation for weekend and week-long End-to-End walks.
Yes, you’ll need to log in and register for a Friends’ End-to-End walk around four weeks before the walk begins. Demand for places in the first section walk with a new End-to-End group is usually very high, but don’t worry – you don’t need to complete the Heysen Trail sections in any particular order, so if you’re unsuccessful in joining the first End-to-End walk, you may be able to join another group further along the Trail.
Our End-to-End walks are physically demanding and are not suited for children under 12. Our Walk Leaders decide whether older children can join in.