Square Rock Walking Track

How to get there

1. From Canberra via Cotter / Corin Road toward Corin Dam. Square Rock is signed on Corin Road — VERIFY the live Parks ACT track list for the car park name.
2. Gibraltar Falls is nearby on the same general approach and is CLOSED until later in 2026 (Parks ACT). Do not use it as a Plan B waterfall.
3. Sealed approach to Corin Road is the usual Canberra pattern; still check ice in winter.

How to do it (step by step)

1. Steady climb through mixed eucalypt / alpine ash / snow gum to the granite outcrop. Official: 10.5 km return, 4.5 hours.
2. Lookout and a side-track viewpoint at the head of the Orroral Valley. Boardwalks and steps through sensitive areas — stay on the track.
3. Metal ladder to a platform. Cliffs. Out-and-back; the side lookout is optional. Reverse is the bail-out.

What to expect

Parks ACT: explore huge granite boulders, alpine ash forests and snow gum woodlands. Mountain views from Square Rock Lookout and a viewpoint at the head of the Orroral Valley on a side-track.

This is a marked, graded walk — Grade 3 — but 10.5 km return is still a working day. The ladder/platform is the postcard; the kilometres are the job.

Planning from official notes — not walked for this guide.

Logistics and day shape

Start Corin Road. Climb through mixed forest to granite. Optional side lookout. Reverse the same way. Official time 4.5 hours — add buffer in winter or if you linger on the ladder.

Corin Dam / Stockyard Spur (Mount Gingera) is further along this corridor. That is a separate, harder day. Do not “see how we feel” into Gingera after Square Rock.

Hazards, bail-outs and reverse

Cliffs and a metal ladder. Wet granite is ice in another language. Stay on boardwalks through sensitive vegetation.

Bail-out: reverse. There is no shuttle at the lookout.

Map (orientation)

Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on Parks ACT before you drive.

Itineraries that use this walk

Full day (4.5 hours walking plus Corin Road drives)

Square Rock day

Official 10.5 km return / 4.5 hours from Corin Road. Alpine ash, snow gums, metal ladder and cliffs. Gibraltar Falls lookout is closed — not your 20-minute add-on. Not Gingera.

Long full day (6 or 8–9 hours walking)

Mount Gingera full day

Pick one start: Mt Franklin Road 14.5 km / 6 hours, or Stockyard Spur from Corin Dam 22 km / 8–9 hours. Pryors Hut is the turnaround meeting point, not a booked bed. Not a Canberra afternoon.