Walks in the Area
Visitors who decide to stay at the Cradle Mountain Lodge can enjoy the short
Enchanted Walk along the Pencil Pine River. At night time the nocturnal animals
which inhabit the park - the Tasmanian devil and possums - come to the Lodge to
be fed. There are also pademelons and Bennet's wallabies in the area.
It is possible, according to the season, to take
day walks to Cradle Mountain and Crater Lake, to go alpine skiing (although
there are no lifts or ski facilities), to swim in the lakes (if you are an
iceberg), to climb Cradle Mountain or to take lengthy walks through the park.
The most popular walks include Mount Campbell
(about 3 hours), Hansons Peak (about 3 hours), Twisted Lakes (3-4 hours), Lake
Rodway (5 hours), Lake Lilla (1 hour) and the Ballroom Forest (3 hours).
Warnings for Walkers It is worth remembering that this is an area of great danger to the unwary and
the unprepared walker. It is so easy to underestimate the dangers of mountain
weather. It is possible, in the space of a few minutes, for the weather to turn
from a sunny day to rain and sleet. The dangers of wind chill are such that the
mountain has claimed many victims of hypothermia.
It is sensible to check the weather conditions with
the rangers and to study the 'How is the weather in Cradle Valley today?'
placard which is located at the Lake Dove car park, take
suitable clothing and equipment even if you are taking a short day walk and for
anything other than a short walk Register in the Log Book at Cradle Valley or
Dove Lake .
For those who still resist
such warnings the memorial on the edge of Lake Dove to Ewan McLeod Scott who
died in 1965 is worth a few moments of reflection. Scott was with a party of
schoolboys who were caught by the weather in the area. Scott managed to save all
the schoolboys but in the process he died from hypothermia.
