60% of the ACT is made up of parks and reserves, with 46% being the Namadgi National Park, so its no wonder the ACT and the nearby Brindabella National Park are home to some of the best bush walks you can find.
Below are a few of some of my favorites.
Square Rock
If you’re looking for a decent distance hike through enchanting eucalypt forest, only a short drive from Canberra and ending in one of the best wilderness views in the ACT, then square rock is your hike!
The 10km hike within the Namadgi National Park ends with these beautiful large granite boulders, providing the best natural viewing platform into the rolling green wilderness.
The perfect spot for a picnic, or simply to sit, take a deep breath and soak in the glorious views.
Gibraltar Peak
On a very similar level to the grandeur of Square Rock is Gibraltar Peak in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. It is one of the ACT’s best known and most popular hikes for a reason! It has 3 different tracks to take to reach the summit all in varying lengths and difficultly, but none are particularly difficult.
It is a beautiful hike that in true ACT summit fashion ends in a playful boulder field viewing platform. The views are immersive but not quite as good as what you get at Square Rock (in my opinion) but epic nonetheless.
Another prime location for a scenic picnic.
Legoland
Legoland now days is one of the ACT’s most popular adventure locations, and for good reason! Its a comfortable drive from Canberra, then 5km up an interesting fire trial and then a short ridge top hike to a caverness boulder field with some more stunning ACT views.
I’ve visited Legoland a fair few times now (I counted 5, with many more times to come), with the first time being back in 2015. I was going through a break-up with my first long term relationship and to cheer me up a group of friends said ‘Hey, we’re going out to the spot out in Namadgi you should come with us it’ll cheer you up!’ (or something along those lines) so alas, with no idea where we were going out I went!
Luckily for us the gate to the 5km fire trial was open (it was not on my second trip, and I was VERY hungover). Theres a small carpark at the end of the fire trail and we were off into the bush. Arriving at this cave/cavern was so surreal, growing up in Canberra I had no idea this place even existed. There are some fun sections you can crawl through, and behind the main cavern these are some make shift rock steps that lead up to some incredible views.
Booroomba Rocks
Another one of ACT’s most popular and well known hikes, Booroomba Rocks! It is a short 3km return hike, but don’t be fooled! The hike is steep and goes straight up for the full 3km.
Booroomba Rocks is within the Namadgi National Park and is close by to Legoland, so if you’re looking for an all day adventure it would be easy to do both in the one day!
Mt Ainslie
There are so so many short bang for buck hikes within Canberra itself, and I must say the hike up to the top of Mt Ainslie is my favorite. Canberra is named the bush capital for a good reason!
It is a short 4.3km out and back hike to the summit of Mt Ainslie. The bush is beautiful, the sunsets are phenomenal and you are spoilt with even more views than the over crowded touristy viewing platform at the summit.
It is a bit of a shame to walk through a beautiful part of the Australian bush to end up in a concrete over crowded carpark full of tourists, but the other plus side is it is dog friendly!! (on leash).
There are so so so many more brilliant short hikes within Canberra, especially dog friendly ones, but this is by far the favorite for the views and sunset spots, and for being located in the heart of Canberra!
London Bridge Arch
Who knew that within the Googong Foreshore/Burra Creek Nature Reserve lies this incredible natural arch, forming a bridge over the Burra Creek with its own small cave.
It is an easy drive from Canberra, and a very short 2.7km walk down a formed walking track. You can end your hike after the London Bridge Arch or continue on to the London Bridge Homestead.
Stockyard Spur
Every time I hike Stockyard Spur I miraculously forget how grueling and steep that 600m elevation over 2km is. I think that is part of the magic of hiking, we only remember the good parts!
The hike leads up to the Pryor’s Hut, built in 1952, which is famously known for having its steps within the ACT, and the rest of the hut in NSW. You can continue the hike from the hut all the way to summit Mt Gingera which is very worth doing however I am always drawn to do this hike in the winter months because it becomes an ACT winter wonderland (although Mt Gingera is usually under too much snow for easy hiking)!
Mount Franklin
Mount Franklin is one of the many beautiful mountain summits along the Brindabella Ranges, forming the border between NSW and the ACT, the Brindabella National Park and Namadgi National Park. Also known to locals as The Brindabellas or The Brindies.
The summit of Mount Franklin sits within the ACT, and seems to be a long forgotten gem that was once bursting with life and activity. It is the site of an old ski resort that was built and popular in the 1930s, I imagine when there was higher annual snowfall in the area.
The Ski Chalet on Mount Franklin was constructed in 1938 to service the Canberra Alpine Club, eventually it just operated as a museum until it was unfortunately was destroyed during the 2003 bushfires.
The hike to the summit is well maintained and easy to follow, with spectacular views at the top. For the most adventurous of hikers it is also the beginning to reaching the infamous and tallest waterfall in the ACT, Ginini Falls!
If you don’t mind the long drive on winding dirt roads, it is well worth the effort!
Mount Coree
Mount Coree is easily my favourite mountain top in all of The Brindies and even the ACT! The views from the top are PHENOMENAL! Again, it’s summit is bang on the border between NSW and the ACT.
It is also a 4WD paradise as ACT Parks regularly maintain and open the gate on Coree Summit Road so you can drive your car all the way to the summit! It is a steep drive though and the gate will be closed during bad weather events and for most of winter. You can however also hike up the top as its only 5.6km return.
There is a sizeable carpark at Coree Campground for those wishing to hike to the summit.
Similarly to Mount Franklin, she gets a beautiful dusting of snow in the winters months!
It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves
Edmund Hillary
Rachmartee 
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